Fifth volume of the collection, and it's almost a new series that
begins, without ever losing any of what makes its strength or its
charm. In this volume of the Collection you will find books 13 to 15,
and our heroes' life has been irretrievably changed with the
disappearance of future Earth and Galaxity. Lacking work, they become
freelance spies in the 80s in On the Frontiers. Lacking money, they're reluctant arms dealers in The Living Weapons. Lacking
options, they turn investigators slash bait on corrupt Rubanis in The
Circles of Power. The apparent descent into hell of the two former
agents is the chance for the authors to study the ambiguities of our
world, either directly or through the lens of alien civilisations;
along with the ambiguity - pragmatism versus heroism - of the titular
character, saved from a fall from grace by his ever irreproachable
partner.
In this book you will find volumes 3 to 5: The Land Without Stars,
Welcome to Alflolol and Birds of the Master - three stories that
introduce the societal criticism aspect of the series. Battle of the
sexes, totalitarianism and extreme productivism are lambasted, but
never at the expense of fantasy or of the action. And as they travel
from world to distant world, Laureline becomes a truly equal partner, far from the stereotypical female sidekick roles of the time.
Finally, the second part of the exclusive interview with the authors
and director Luc Besson is followed by an in-depth portrait of Pierre
Christin, the writer.
The last volume of this magnificent collection, which includes the final three books of the main saga, bringing to a close the adventures of Valerian, Laureline and the vanished Earth in style.
When a rogue planet threatens a new Human colony, Valerian and Laureline are sent to investigate and discover a barren, rocky surface... and a whole world beneath it! The people who live inside Zahir have never seen the stars. Divided along gender lines, torn by a senseless and bloody war, they are unaware that their planet is hurtling towards disaster. To stop it, the two agents of Galaxity will have to infiltrate both sides and force a reconciliation.
The two Galaxity agents' investigation into the elemental forces appearing on Earth continues. While Laureline, dogged and efficient, follows a promising lead somewhere in outer space, Valerian is struggling to unravel the mysterious events plaguing our 20th century. Demonstrations of fantastic phenomena follow in quick succession, pushing poor Valerian to his limits. And matters will have to be settled simultaneously in New York and on an asteroid on the edge of the galaxy to save our world...
Galaxity's orders are rather bizarre, lately. Laureline has been left on stand-by in a Scottish castle. Valerian, haunted by recurrent nightmares, has been sent to capture a sentient being as if it were a wild animal - an unsavoury task, to say the least. And on Earth in the 1980s, members of the military and political elites are descending into madness one by one. What future does our planet still have ... and who's so bent of changing it?
Valerian and Laureline, no longer members of any organisation, are down to doing space deliveries. With Galaxity gone and money getting scarce, their aging spaceship is becoming a hazard, which is pushing Valerian into accepting questionable cargo. After a somewhat rough landing, our two ex-agents, on their way to deliver their goods, meet some individuals with very surprising gifts who claim to be itinerant artists. But is that really all they are?
Running away with the unhappy heir to the galaxy's biggest fortune, even if it's because he wants it, is bound to cause some problems. On the lam with the Caliphette of Iksaladam, Valerian and Laureline are relentlessly pursued by the Quatuor Mortis, who are still after the enormous reward offered for the child's safe return. Stranded among the Asteroids of Shimballil, they must evade the hunters, recover their ship, dodge profiteers and traitors ... and decide what to do with the little brat!
The evil hordes of the Wolochs are rampaging through space, and everywhere death and destruction follow. But despite the despair of some and the betrayal of others, Valerian, Laureline and a few other brave souls are resisting. They're hoping to use a mysterious artefact, the Time Opener, to banish the stones and bring back Earth. But what price must they pay to do so? And what sort of Earth will they get back if they succeed?
The expedition into the heart of the Great Void is launched, and Valerian and Laureline are on it. But in no time they're already facing the mysterious force that threatens the entire galaxy: the Wolochs, gigantic sentient monoliths dead set on destroying any civilisation that might stand in the way of their domination. Our two Human agents can't hope to stop the Order of the Stones by themselves, but fortunately, they still have allies...
Even though Valerian and Laureline's adventures have come to an end,
there are still many chapters that haven't been told yet. Simple
episodes, post-scriptums to their main stories, moments of their
lives seen through the eyes of their friends, their allies, or even
their enemies. Here's a collection of vignettes that will cast a new
light - sometimes funny, sometimes touching - on the saga of our heroes.
The Delphs are an artificial species who depend entirely on an
extremely rare substance, that not only allows them to live and
reproduce, but also fuels their creative talents - for the Delphs are
the most sought-after storytellers in the galaxy. They call upon
Galaxity to find a new source of it, as their own is exhausted. The
problem is, the only available deposit is on 21st century Earth, and the agents on station ... are still going to high school!
The (false?) gods of Hypsis are once again interfering with Human history. Tired of their lower status among their peers, the trinity in charge of planet Earth opens communications with megacorporation Vivaxis at the end of the 20th century - an occurrence Valerian and Laureline's allies report to the two ex-agents. But to what end did the Hypsians initiate such a contact? And who is the mysterious Sat who, from the depths of Point Central, also endeavours to meddle with Human affairs?
After the events of The Time Opener, Valerian and Laureline reverted
to childhood, and are now living with Mr Albert on 21st century
Earth. But in a universe where time travel is a reality, words like
`after' or even `now' can be somewhat ... hazy, and elsewhere, in other
times, our young but nonetheless adult agents are still working
tirelessly to maintain a galactic peace threatened as always by greed and the thirst for power.
Fourth volume of the collection: return to Earth, and some great
upheavals in the characters' lives, are on the menu for the best
titles of the series. This volume contains books 9 to 12 - two
unmissable two-parters that represent a turning point in the story of
our agents, and which are widely considered by critics and readers
alike to be the pinnacle of the series. Characterised by a return to 20th century Earth, these two stories are suffused with incredible
melancholy and poetic charm, and force Valerian, the action man, to
face his limitations. As the real date neared 1986, final year of our
world according to the authors, Pierre Christin reconciled fiction
and reality with consummate skill and daring, sweeping aside the
status quo and sending his heroes down a completely new path. This
book is introduced by several articles of the recently departed Stan
Barets.
This third book of the collected edition contains volumes 6 to 8: Ambassador of the Shadows - the story that directly inspired Luc Besson's film - On the False Earths and Heroes of the Equinox. Over the course of these titles, among the finest in the series, Laureline takes her rightful place as the brains of the outfit, while Valerian fully embraces his role as anti-hero: always brave, but often a bit out of his depth. You will also find the end of the interview with Luc Besson and the authors, and an in-depth portrait of Jean-Claude Mézières, the artist.
In this sixth volume of the Collected Edition, our two former agents, now idle, create their own adventures by helping their fellow beings, and resume their quest to find Earth.
Transformer le « zinc » en or ? Les Aveyronnais de Paris ont découvert ce secret en investissant bars et brasseries dans les années trente, souvent au prix de luttes féroces entre clans. À travers l'histoire des Astruc, ce roman nous raconte leur saga. Surnommés « les milliardaires » au pays, les Astruc comptent parmi ces princes de la « bistrocratie » régnant en maîtres sur leur empire : dans le Rouergue, ils régentent leurs châteaux, leurs fermes, leurs somptueuses résidences secondaires ; à Paris, aucune belle affaire ne se monte sans leur appui. Par son mariage avec une héritière, Antoine Pereira appartient à cette famille dont il supporte de plus en plus mal l'âpreté et l'arrogance. Son aventure avec Laurence de Marnhac va renforcer son désir de couper les ponts. Mais c'est durant l'été, rythmé par les repas dominicaux, les fêtes paroissiales et les manifestations mondaines, qu'une affaire dans laquelle il est impliqué risque de faire éclater la famille et le scandale, de ruiner des années de dur travail... Pierre Christin, Aveyronnais de coeur, scénariste et auteur des plus grands succès de bande dessinée de ces dernières années, nous donne ici son troisième roman. Un roman de moeurs aux résonances balzaciennes, où amour, ambition et pouvoir, rivalisent. Une chronique de ces familles provinciales dont l'opiniâtreté au gain n'a d'égal qu'un sens inné des affaires.
Les Églantiers... Un vieux petit quartier de banlieue comme tant d'autres où, dans les jardinets, on repique ses poireaux en attendant l'heure du pastis. Un coin sans histoires, en somme... Des histoires à raconter, il y en a pourtant trop pour Jean Doineau, l'écrivain sans passé ni futur, enfermé dans sa caverne à flanc de coteau. Et puis, que cherche donc le candidat Durban, éternel étudiant qui furète partout pour amasser du matériel en vue d'une hypothétique thèse de doctorat ? Et quelle action exemplaire voudrait donc mener l'ex-cinéaste engagé Dallencourt ? Et pourquoi dit-on qu'il y a un monstre enfermé dans la clinique où s'affairent médecins et psychiatres ? Et pourquoi un responsable politique de haut niveau ressort-il dans le plus grand secret un dossier que l'on croyait clos ? À travers la transformation violente des Églantiers, promus Zone d'Aménagement Concerté, c'est la grande déglingue d'un monde quotidien réduit à n'être plus qu'une informe mosaïque de ZAC, ZUP et autres ZAD, que raconte le roman de Pierre Christin. Un roman où les langages s'affrontent, où les lectures se superposent, où les vies se croisent avec passion. Un roman à suspense aussi et surtout car, sous l'humour et le mystère, le drame se prépare, énorme, stupide, définitif. À moins que tout rebondisse de façon aussi tardive qu'inattendue...
This is the story of two women. One of those women is Lady Sheringham, interviewed in her manor house, the other is Emma Piggott, who has just passed away in her London apartment, alone.
To the former, life has been kind. She's gone from Shanghai to Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpar, from governess to sultana. She lives in the lap of luxury, engaged in an endless cycle of drinks parties, outings on horseback and the delicious little scandals of the British colonial community. This is a woman destined never to know hardship, other than the loss of loved ones.
Emma Piggott, a teacher at St. John's, has lived a gray and stagnant life, experiencing Asia only through newspaper articles that she carefully cuts out collects, but never leaving the Whitechapel neighborhood where her parents kept a grocery store.
And yet, something unites these two women--a little detail, nothing at all really, mere chance, or perhaps just a nightmare that troubles Lady Sheringham's sleep from time to time...
Prolific comic book author Pierre Christin, who penned the game-changing classic sci-fi series "Valerian and Laureline," switches to autobiography here to bring us the thoughtful, enlightening tale of two vastly different lands, the American West during the civil rights movement and the counter-culture phenomenon, and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War, as seen through the eyes of an inquisitive French artist and journalist with a love for travel, intellectual query, gypsies, and jazz. Christin and his faithful road companion and "Valerian" co-creator Jean-Claude Mézières drive across landscapes ranging from Utah to Bulgaria in a series of cars each more dilapidated than the next, encountering people and adventures of all kinds in a story that is part travel journal, part geo-political documentary, and part artistic coming-of-age.
Who is Lena? What is she up to? Does she even know her mission? Setting out from an East Berlin neighborhood that is home to former dignitaries, she goes about passing out small, innocent-seeming gifts from Budapest to Transylvania to Kiev. She crosses the Danube delta, the Black Sea, Anatolia, and the Aleppo bazaar. Each time, she crosses borders incognito, claiming to have nothing to declare. A journey at once timeless and inextricable from the great issues of our age, "Lena" combines the intimacy dear to André Juillard and Pierre Christin's predilection for vast geopolitical canvases.
Ever calm, classy, and resourceful, Edith Hardy is on the case again. When pharmaceutical magnate Le Cauchois asks her to wangle an invitation to the Red Baroness's exclusive gatherings of Soviet sympathizers, Edith isn't sure she should say yes-until an invitation falls right in her lap. Next thing, she's off to the Baroness's château in the snowy Ardennes, where she runs smack dab into a triangle of intrigue. Le Cauchois is working for French intelligence, the Baroness with the Russians, and a handsome acquaintance for the CIA-a convenient fellow to have around when a lady lands herself in hot water!
Edith Hardy runs a small detective agency off an unassuming alley in the 13th arrondissement. It's the 1950s, and foreign forces are busy vying for power in a Paris still recovering from World War II. Edith has a good heart and a missing husband, and her attempts to do right by her small world get her caught up in far larger, darker affairs. A classic Pierre Christin script-a strong sense of place and history, humane leftist sympathies-combines with Annie Goetzinger's indelible artwork to deliver a stylish mystery for fans of classy whodunits.
