A man's body is discovered from the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris in late November 1866. What makes the finding horrible is that the body has turned to stone -- and abruptly at that, given the posture of the figure. Tristan Sphalt is employed by a gossipy newspaper to investigate the strange finding. His inquiries introduce him to suspicious magnates, murky bars, and sanitoriums. "Pierres de brume" is the first part in the Ontophage series.

Marc Piskic is, in addition to being a musician, a graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Arts. Piskic's art is somewhat "expressive" in style and perfect for the story. He has a good command of details of the epoque, and he uses a dark, toned down palette of colors that further amplify the mysterious atmosphere.

Pierres de brume will leave the reader hungering for more. ( )