FOLLOW THE MONEY. SAVE THE WORLD.

At the end of the year 2020, a team of military veterans are out to uncover a secret fortune built from the ashes of 9/11 so vast that it could disrupt the entire global economy. Their primary target is a beautiful young billionaire who crosses time zones with disconcerting ease.  They don’t know it yet, but this mysterious Lady of Dubai has ample means to defend herself… and to fight back.

This near-future political thriller, written by THIERRY SMOLDEREN and illustrated by DOMINIQUE BERTAIL, draws from today’s headlines and budding technologies, setting up a cyberwar in both reality and virtual reality.

Written by: Thierry Smolderen
Illustrated by: Dominique Bertail

Intriguing characters and plotlines intertwine in a near-future political thriller drawing on contemporary world events and actual growing technology contributing to a cyberwar in both reality and virtual reality.  When Lindsey, a young student in London, is rescued from a riot by Chamza, a young woman from the Arab world, they begin a relationship based on both fascination and convenience.  Before she knows it, Lindsey is drawn into a world of vast wealth and intrigue; her new friend seems to have ties to political movements and revolutionaries throughout the Islamic world, but it is not clear what their agenda might be, or where her great wealth comes from. Could it be the fabled legendary lost treasure of Al Quaeda, supposedly amassed through insider trading prior to 9/11?

Unbeknownst to either Lindsey or Chamza, a set of US contractors, all veterans of war in Iraq and the CIA’s rendition program, are focusing their sites on Chamza, believing her wealth is indeed the key to a larger threat to the entire world economy.

The series looks at surveillance, clandestine military action, and class warfare in the twilight of the current War on Terror, all within the context of a thriller that ultimately seeks to find out what controls the global economy.

Thierry Smolderen, writer

Thierry Smolderen was born on November 25, 1954 in Brussels. As an early jazz guitarist, he wrote and directed various theatrical musical productions during the 70’s, but devoted himself entirely to comics shortly thereafter. In the mid-1980s, he began writing scripts in parallel with his work as a critic and journalist for the Cahiers de la Comic Book. He first turned to science fiction, with the BD series Karen Springwell, published between 1990 and 1995 by Humanoïdes Associés. He then wrote the series Black Wrath, illustrated by Philippe Marcele, and Number with Ab’Aigre. In 1994, he worked on the adaptation of the video game character Sonic, published by Sirene Publishing. He then created Gypsy with artist Enrico Marini for Dargaud, and wrote McCay for Delcourt, inspired by the life of animator Winsor McCay. It was around this time he began collaboration with many other authors, including Dominique Bertail.

Recognized as one of the leading specialists in the history of bande dessinee, Thierry has published numerous essays and articles in Les Cahiers de la Comic Book and 9e Art, as well as in various comic centric magazines in both English and French. In 2009 he published a richly illustrated theoretical work in the Impressions Nouvelles entitled Birth of the Comic Book which examined the origin of the medium by focusing on the complex relations of art within the emerging media of the early nineteenth century, such as photography, cinema, and the illustrated press.

Married and father of two children, he has lived in Angoulême since 1994, where he continues to teach and coordinate programs at the EESI (Ecole Européenne Superieure de l’Image).

Dominique Bertail, illustrator

Dominique Bertail was born in 1972 in Tours, France. He learned to speak watching “Lucky Luke”, how to read with “Tintin”, and then how to draw reading “Blueberry”. A big fan of the works of Baudoin, Otomo, Sienkiewicz, and Cahiers de la BD, he enrolled at the Beaux-Arts in Angoulème where he first met Thierry Smolderen, with whom he created “ Pelgram Hell” for Delcourt in 1998.  He went on to create “L’Homme Tableau” in 2000, and “L’Homme Nuit” in 2002.  He also contributed illustrations and short works to numerous periodicals (Bayard, Fluide Glacial, Casterman) as well as storyboards for both publications and film, including works with writer Matz.  In 2008 he rejoined Smolderen to create “Ghost Money”, and has since gone on to illustrate the first series in “Infinity 8” for Rue de Sevres.