Looking for a French adventurer-lady graphic novel (kinda sexy and gory)

Question

I need help identifying a graphic novel series about a female adventurer in different parts of Africa, with tribal magic, death threats, severed limbs in the mail, etc.

I read it in French at a relatives house a few years ago, but I don't speak French, so I don't know more about the story. It may originally have been in another language, I don't know.

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I remember a particular scene at the end of one book where she had to walk over hot coals, all the way to an old lady sitting there. She had to give her earring away to the old lady, and the old woman then opened her mouth comically wide and almost engulfed the adventurer.

Answer 1

A long shot, but could it be The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc Sec by Jacques Tardi?

The titular character is like a female Indiana Jones, albeit in the Edwardian era with some weird science, occult leanings and a very Gallic style of art and characterisation. Some of the books have English translations, but some remain in the original French.

It's still in print (Amazon link) and the first book was made into a rather charming French language film in 2011.

I don't remember her being in the jungles of Africa (in what I've read) but she's certainly in Egypt and deeper travels wouldn't be out of character for her or the series - magic, dinosaurs, talking apes, mummies etc.

As for gory and sexy? It's French comic art and there's some light nudity - lots of baths and the occasional bared breast. I don't remember any serious gore, but severed limbs and people being eaten by dinosaurs isn't impossible.

A native French speaker would probably be able to help you more.

My only other thought is that it might have been something published in Heavy Metal magazine - but that allows for very gory and very explicit content. I'm not sure how you'd find that, but it might ring a bell for someone.