One of the weirder aspects (to us Yankees) about this story is the inclusion of the church in the weird commentary/parody aspect of the narrative. It makes more sense when I remember that the French state has been shaped (and is still influenced, in some ways) by the Church – they have pretty much always been an active player in national politics.

Here, the pomposity of the bishop is poked at by surrounding him with mischievous little aliens that he mistakes for cherubs. One of them playfully turns off the bishop’s anti-gravity belt and, well…

(Heavy Metal issue #56, November 1981 – Page 28 The Immortal’s Fete by Bilal)