In 1976, Cosey visits Tibet for the first time. From then on, the environments in which his stories are set become more and more realistic. This not only visible in the scenery or in the clothings of the characters, but more and more, Cosey introduces 'daily life' in his stories.

Cosey: 'That what I love in comics. It is also what attracted me in Gil Jourdan [by Maurice Tillieux], the very presence of the ordinary, daily life. I love to feel myself in reality.'

Although Cosey loves to draw 'reality', the images he makes are not 'photographic reality'. 'I have a fascination for everything that forms a world on its own, for everything that has 'character'. Certain New York districts are extremely banal, but other are real 'worlds', and that is what is interesting to draw. But I go further still, I would say that I have the tendency to 'cheat' a little, by selecting only what I qualify as 'universal'. Everything in New York that is without visual meaning, I leave out.'

'So, I re-create kinds of universes, not like a postcard, not like a travel agency's catalogue, because I do not search for a esthetical, flattering, comfortable beauty. [...] For example, I draw an Asian city, Beijing or Katmandu, in a realistic manner, emphasising certain aspects or colors.'

Cosey reconstructs reality, in order to make his comics feel more real. One of the characteristics of his drawings is what could be called 'still life': the abundance of road signs, bill boards, packages, etc. Cosey: '[...] in principle, in a comic, you think of a character that is running, is taking a pistol, and then he shoots. I like to use the graphic language of a comic to draw still lives. It is a kind of contradiction that I like.'

'There are many books about Tibet in the shops, with beautiful pictures, but they don't show the details of normal life.'

'It happens in my hotel room, that beer bottles are floating in the washbasin, just to get off the labels! I buy a lot of soaps when the packages pleases me, just to take the packages. For example, in 'Hanoi - Saigon' you have Vietnamese cigarette paper and a match box. I love it, it is a great pleasure to show these typically visual elements of a country, that you won't find in a beautiful picture book.'