Stakkels amerikanere. De har hverken fået “Blueberry” komplet eller “Linda & Valentin” (eng. Valérian) komplet, sølle syv albums med agenterne i tid og rum, er det blevet til i USA. Da det store geni Harvey Kurtzman så “Linda & Valentin”, udbrød han, “WOW!”, og det er ikke kun mig, der har husket dette citat. På engelsk har jeg det tykke bind fra iBooks, men de lukkede, og siden har der ikke været noget “Linda & Valentin” på engelsk. Men nu går der rygter om en “Linda & Valentin” Intégrale på dansk, og det ville være fjong, for nogle af de gamle danske albums er svære at finde og ret pebrede. Andre har så været trykt i 2. oplag, så de skulle være lettere at finde. Jeg håber, Mézieres vil signere i København igen. Mézieres er en main man!
fra http://savagecritic.com/2007/08/my-life-is-choked-with-comics-5-valrian.html
The brainchild of writer Pierre Christin (who would also write several stories for Enki Bilal) and artist Jean-Claude Mézières, Valérian has been in release since 1967, where it debuted in the pages of the famed comics magazine Pilote, which was already the home of the mighty Astérix and the famed western serial Blueberry. Christin and Mézières had attended school together as boys, and they reunited in the US of the mid-’60s, as Christin worked in Utah as a visiting professor and Mézières had been spending time as… an actual cowboy. Together, they created a hugely influential and popular sci-fi work, which has resolutely avoided catching on in the US, at least.
There are currently 21 ‘core’ Valérian albums. The most recent was just released earlier this year. Of those, a grand total of seven have been officially translated into English and released for US consumption. Of those seven, two have been released no less than three times, including the obligatory run in Heavy Metal, and several different book collections from publishers like NBM. I don’t have every iteration of all of these; rather, I have a series of four oversized albums released by Dargaud Canada Ltd. (later Dargaud International Publishing Inc.) from 1981-83, and a trade paperback omnibus titled : The New Future Trilogy, collecting three albums (somewhat in the style of the ill-fated DC/Humanoids venture) and released by iBooks in 2004.
It’s interesting to see how the early books in particular are sold. The Dargaud volumes (and Dargaud is also the French publisher, so keep in mind I’m talking about the English-language wing of the time) don’t contain any indication on the back cover as to what’s exactly in these comics – rather, there’s a solid wall of laudatory (if selective) quotes from American comics professionals, reading like:
“…one of my favorite SF epics…”
JIM STERANKO
“…truly beautiful comic artwork…”
ROY THOMAS
“…A wonderful balance of intellect and craft… a comic page that is structurally whole…”
WILL EISNER
“…tite ass shit indeed, Broseph…”
HARVEY KURTZMAN
Wait, no. Kurtzman’s quote was simply “…WOW!” But you get the point.
Og her er forsiden til det flotte “Valérian” opsamlings-album, der udkom i 2004 på iBooks, tre historier samlet på engelsk:
amazon.com review:
Review
“A wonderful balance of intellect and craft . . . a comic page that is structurally whole.”
Product Description
VALERIAN is a saga that every fan of Star Wars and Star Trek will identify with and love. Valerian and his beautiful, sharp-witted and sharp-tongued partner, Laureline, live adventures set against visually stunning backgrounds: complex architectural inventions, futuristic machines, otherworldly landscapes, and odd-looking aliens that are staples of artist Mezieres’s seemingly boundless visual inventiveness. The stories are gripping and of epic proportion, sweeping along in trilling, hyper-space speed.
amazon.com customer review:
| By | Grendel Khan (Xanadu) – |
Valerian: The New Future Trilogy marks a turning point in the long running graphic novel series created by Jean-Claude Mezieres and Pierre Christin. Fans of Luc Besson’s “The Fifth Element” will immediately recognize Mezieres images, right from the cover. The flying taxi speeding through the mega-city is one of the defining elements of the movie; and, it was inspired by this book. In fact, Mezieres was one of the conceptual artists for the film, along with Jean “Moebius” Giraud.
Valerian chronicles the adventures of Valerian and Laureline, spatio-temporal agents for the Galaxity. What does that mean? They are secret agents and troubleshooters who work throughout time and space. This volume marks a turning point, as they no longer have Galaxity resources to aid them. This volume consists of three stories: “On the Frontiers”, “The Living Weapons,” and “The Circles of Power”. “On the Frontiers” deals with a rogue spatio-temporal agent who wishes to bring about the destruction of Earth, in order to recreate the Galaxity. “The Living Weapons” tells the tale of a pointless war between two factions, and a troup of actors caught in the middle. “The Circles of Power” relates the story of political corruption and maneuvering. Each story is well told, with doses of humor and irony, and a wonderfully light graphic style. Mezieres fills his worlds with wonderfully bizarre aliens and lush architecture and scenery. His work is somewhat stylized, but very engaging. Christin is a masterful writer who imbues the dialogue with wit and intelligence.
Valerian and Laureline are two of the greatest characters of European graphic sci-fi. Laureline is one of the prototypes of the strong capable female protagonist, while Valerian often ends up as her comic foil, although he is also very capable. He just has a tendency to overdo things.
The Valerian series has been highly influential in the world of European graphic novels and science fiction. Its influence has even reached these shores, particularly in the world of Star Wars. There are numerous similarities in the look and population of both series, although Valerian predates Star Wars. From the design of Valerian’s ship, to the strange alien creatures, you will find many familiar things.
This book is well worth a look and will leave you wanting more. Unfortunately, it is the only collection of Valerian currently available in the US, in English. However, despite what the Amazon listings state, previous Valerian volumes have been available in the US, from Dargaud International. These long out-of-print volumes included “Ambassador of Shadows,” “World without stars,” “Welcome to Alflolol,” and “Heroes of the Equinox.” I highly recommend each and every one.
Og her er forsiden til bind 2 af den franske Valérian et Laureline Intégrale udgave, 164 sider fed science fiction. Tør man håbe på en dansk Linda & Valentin Intégrale? Eller må sådan et ønske forblive science fiction?
Og vi skal lige kigge lidt i bogen:
