It has been five years since Charles Burns made a major splash with Black Hole, a dark masterpiece about a sexually transmitted plague that mutates its way through unsuspecting teenagers in a 1970s Seattle suburb. His first serious attempt at long-form narrative, the hulking 368-page graphic novel managed not only to wow the cartoonist’s fans but also to convert countless new readers to the uncomfortable pleasures of his unique brand of broody modern horror.

After some time away to indulge his interest in photography, Burns has returned to comics with X’ed Out, a book that draws heavily on two of the author’s key influences, William S. Burroughs and Tintin.

William Burroughs, meet Tintin

(via Matt Staggs)

Check out Burroughs’s own foray into comic books here.