Disgusted and appalled with the today’s noisy and noisome world in which all is spectacle and surface sensation, Nick flees into the solitude of the desert. But even as he manages to recover some sort of spiritual balance thanks to an ascetic regimen of fasting and meditation, Nick is seduced by the most spectacular and mesmerizing spectacle of all time: The procession of the Queen of Saba.

In Vapor, the award-winning Spanish cartoonist Max (best known for his 2006 book Bardín the Superrealist) once again engages in delightful philosophical mind games, starring another wildly stylized and endearing protagonist — this time deploying a striking, crisp black and white graphic style perfectly suited for this desert-based fantasia.

Praise for Bardín the Superrealist:

Winner: Best Book, Best Drawing and Best Script, Saló Internacional del Còmic, Barcelona

Awarded the Premio Nacional del Cómic 2007 (National Comics Award) by the Spanish Ministry of Culture; "The jury considers [Bardín the Superrealist] a graphically overwhelming work, with an original script and filled with literary, philosophical and cinematographic references."

“Spanish cartoonist Max uses some of the most cherished pieces of high art as the catalyst for his character Bardin’s funny and thoroughly humane adventures... Max takes what can be impenetrable and uses some fine cartooning to make it accessible and enjoyable.” – Publishers Weekly

“If you glimpse traces of Magritte, Goya, and Zap Comix in Max’s exuberant panels, then you’re really enjoying yourself.” – Booklist

"Wild, illogical, surreal, and utterly charming... sometimes read like a mad cross between Peanuts, Jimmy Corrigan, Salvador Dalí, and the Rarebit Fiend, but beautifully executed in Max's underground/ligne claire style... an important new body of work from a major cartoonist." – Indy Magazine

"Max skillfully portrays dream logic in the language of comics... What makes this a great comic is its light touch and comic timing." – Sequart

"I think this is the closest you can get to a natural high while only reading a book (although a glass of wine helped)... one of the very few really surrealist comics around." – Wim Lockefeer