The property: Rutu Modan

"My comic book of the year by a mile ... This believe me, has everything you could possibly want in a comic: great pictures, a multi-layered story, sharp wit." (Rachel Cooke Observer)

"Not only visually compelling but is both a love story and a tear-jerker." (Lennard Davis Times Higher Education)

"Drawn in clear, clean lines, which convey its thoroughly moving tale way more effectively than you’d think they would, and the result is a tender and dead clever evocation of the still-reverberating legacy of the Holocaust." (Rachael Allen Dazed and Confused)

"A nuanced and warm-hearted piece of work." (James Smart Guardian)

After the death of her son, Regina Segal takes her granddaughter Mica to Warsaw, hoping to reclaim a family property lost during World War II. As they get to know modern Warsaw, Regina is forced to recall difficult things about her past, and Mica begins to wonder if maybe their reasons for coming aren't a little different than her grandmother led her to believe.

Rutu Modan offers up a world populated by prickly seniors, officious public servants, and stubborn women – a world whose realism is expressed alternately in the absurdity of people’s behaviour, and in the complex consequences of their sacrifices. Modan’s ever-present wit is articulated perfectly in her clear-line style, while a subtle, almost muted colour palette complements the true-to-life nuances of her characterisation. Savvy and insightful, elegant and subtle, The Property is a triumph of storytelling and fine lines. Modan’s first full-length graphic novel, Exit Wounds, made a huge splash for this signature combination of wit, style and realism; The Property cements Modan’s status as one of the foremost cartoonists working today.

Winner of the 2014 Eisner Comic Industry Award