TARDI - Self-portrait with cat (1985)

This is one of the 400-odd self-portraits that Jacques Tardi drew in ink and watercolor for the limited, slipcased edition of MINES DE PLOMB et CHIURES DE GOMME, the 2-volume retrospective of his illustration work published by Futuropolis in 1985. I was unable to purchase it 25 years ago because it cost an arm and a leg (and I was still a penniless college student) but I came across a surprisingly affordable copy in a Paris bookstore last week. Isn't life sometimes sweet?