Les Vénus (The Venuses) is one of Berteloot’s excursions into the world of historical erotic fiction, transporting his characters to the aristocratic world of eighteenth-century France. At the centre of the story is the Marquise de Valmont, a worldly and sexually adventurous woman whose exploits involve a succession of aristocratic men and women. The elaborate costumes, grand interiors and formal manners of the period provide a colourful setting for encounters that become progressively less respectable.

The story owes much to the tradition of the French libertine novel, and particularly to Choderlos de Laclos’s Les liaisons dangereuses. Berteloot’s Marquise de Valmont is an especially playful borrowing – she combines the title of the Marquise de Merteuil with the name of the Vicomte de Valmont, turning two of Laclos’ characters into a single protagonist. From there Berteloot takes the conventions of the eighteenth-century libertine tale in his own direction, with seduction, sexual rivalry and elaborate games of deception replacing the subtler psychological manoeuvring of the original.

Visually, Les Vénus is immediately recognisable as Berteloot. His clean black outlines are filled with strong, sometimes startling colours, with brilliant reds, purples, blues and yellows used for costumes and interiors. The historical setting gives him plenty of opportunities to play with elaborate clothing, wigs, furniture and drapery, while the carefully composed panels gradually give way to increasingly explicit scenes.

Les Vénus was published by International Presse Magazine (IPM) as a Bédé adult’ album.