ANGOULEME, France, Feb 2, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A graphic novel about a painting looted by the Nazis won the prize for best comic book at the prestigious International Comics Festival in Angouleme, southwest France, Saturday.

Its author, "Luz", is a former cartoonist at the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, who escaped the deadly 2015 Islamist attack on its Paris offices because he arrived late that day.

"Deux Filles Nues" (Two Naked Girls) traces the true history of the 1919 painting by German Expressionist Otto Mueller, which was looted from a Jewish collector by the Nazis. It was eventually returned to his descendants after WWII.

The album won out of 44 in competition for the prize.

"I started to become a comic book artist 10 years ago" after the attack on Charlie Hebdo, he said when receiving his award.

"That was all there was to do," he added.

The festival's top prize, the Grand Prix, went to French writer and illustrator Anouk Ricard for her body of work across more than two decades.

Special festival guest John Romita Jr., a US cartoonist who has drawn iconic superheroes for both Marvel and DC Comics, was also honoured.