Valérian and Laureline
Valérian: Spatio-Temporal Agent is a French comic book (bande dessinée) science-fiction series created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières. The series centres around the adventures of spatio-temporal agent Valérian and his redheaded companion Laureline as they travel the universe through space and time.
Valérian first appeared in issue #420 of Pilote magazine and continues today with the latest installment published in 2004. The series has been translated into several languages, including English, German (as Valerian and Veronique), Dutch (as Ravian: Tijd/ruimte-agent), Swedish (as Linda och Valentin) and Brazilian Portuguese (it was once a weekly feature of the influential newspaper "O Globo").
Concept and Setting
The original setting for the series was the 28th century. Humanity has discovered the means of travelling instantaneously in time and space. The capital of Earth, Galaxity, is the centre of the vast Terran Galactic Empire. Earth itself has become a virtual utopia with most of the population living a life of leisure in a virtual reality dream-state. The Spatio-Temporal Service protects the planets of the Terran empire and guards against temporal paradoxes caused by rogue time travellers. Valérian and Laureline are two such spatio-temporal agents.
However, since the album The Rage of Hypsis, the pair have become freelance trouble-shooters, travelling the future and the present offering their services to anyone willing to hire them.
In the first two albums, Bad Dreams and The City of the Moving Waters, Valérian travels through time in a two-seater device, the XB27, which transports him to the various relay stations that Galaxity has hidden throughout time (e.g. in Bad Dreams the relay is hidden below a tavern, in The City of the Moving Waters it’s hidden underneath the Statue of Liberty!). In subsequent albums Valérian and Laureline use the saucer-shaped astroship XB982 (which made its debut appearance in 1969 in the short story The Great Collector). The astroship is able to travel anywhere using a spatio-temporal jump, a sort of hyperspace drive enabling near-instant transportation anywhere in space and time.
The initial albums were generally straightforward good versus evil adventure stories that employed a great many well-worn clichés. However, as the series progressed, the situations typically arose from misunderstandings or ideological differences between various groups that could be resolved through reason and perseverance. The core theme of the stories is an optimistic liberal humanism: the adventures aren’t about defeating enemies but about exploring, facing challenges, and celebrating diversity.
Another concept that developed was Galaxity as a proxy for Western democracy; contrary to its benign self-opinion it is imperialistic and prone to a corrupt real-politik. Other themes include:
- Natural simplicity is superior to technological superiority
- The evolution of advanced beings leads to psychic powers without need of mechanality
- Women can manipulate males sexually without being manipulated themselves
Valérian
Valérian was born on Earth, in Galaxity, capital of the Terran Galactic Empire in the 28th century. He joined the Spatio-Temporal Service in 2713. He has been trained to think that Galaxity is always right and even when he receives orders that go against his sense of right, he will, sometimes reluctantly, follow them. He much prefers to be a man of action than sitting around pondering what course to take next.
Initially, the early stories present Valérian as a typical square-jawed hero figure, who is strong and dependable (although an early running joke was that, despite being a time-traveller, he always arrives late). However, as the series progresses, he is increasingly portrayed as somewhat knuckle-headed. In World Without Stars he gets recklessly drunk on the colonists' home-made booze, in On the False Earths, the historian, Jadna, views him as useful only as cannon-fodder and nothing else while in Heroes of the Equinox he comes across as woefully inadequate compared with the other champions. Although devoted to Laureline, he can be led astray by other women, most notably in Heroes of the Equinox and the Métro Châtelet, Direction Cassiopeia/Brooklyn Station, Terminus Cosmos two-parter.
When Galaxity disappears into the mists of time in The Rage of Hypsis, he contemplates following his Chief into oblivion much to Laureline's horror. Even afterwards he feels the loss of Galaxity, as it is his birthplace, much more than Laureline.
The name Valérian is a corruption of the Slavic name Walerian which means “brave” or “valiant”.
Laureline
Laureline is a peasant girl from 11th century France who rescues Valérian from the enchanted Forest of Arelaune in the debut adventure Bad Dreams. When she accidentally discovers Valérian is a time-traveller, he is forced to bring her back with him to Galaxity where she is trained as a Spatio-Temporal Agent and assigned as his partner.
In the early stories Laureline generally sits in the background while Valérian saves the day in whatever situation the pair have found themselves in. However, as the series develops, Laureline's position begins to change. World Without Stars, in which the two characters are separated for most of the adventure, allows Laureline to step out from under Valérian's shadow for the first time and she proves to be more than an equal to Valérian in ensuring that their mission succeeds.
Welcome to Alflolol brings Laureline's rebellious nature to the fore – unlike Valérian she has not been born and raised by Galaxity and is prepared to not only question their authority but openly rebel against them when their orders run contrary to her sense of morality. It also demonstrates her impulsive streak – she sides with the native Alflololians against Galaxity and Valérian with no thought for the personal consequences she may have to face herself. Her position as the true star of the series is cemented in Ambassador of the Shadows, which is virtually a solo adventure for her as she searches the vast space station Point Central for the kidnapped Valérian and the Earth Ambassador. Later, when acting as independent agents, it is Laureline who questions the ethics of some of the jobs they are forced to take to make ends meet – notably in The Living Weapons.
Despite being independent and efficacious, like Barbarella before her, Laureline is not afraid to exploit her considerable sex appeal if it is to her advantage.
The name “Laureline” was invented by Mézières and Christin who were seeking a name that would mean “medieval” and “soft”. The name has proven popular and there are now several thousand women in France who bear the name Laureline, the first one born in 1968, just a year after the publication of Bad Dreams. There have also been variations such as “Loreline” and “Laurelyne”.
Other Characters
Mr Albert
Mr Albert is Galaxity's contact on 20th century Earth. He makes his first appearance in Métro Châtelet, Direction Cassiopeia. He is a retired gentleman who drives a Renault 4CV and lives in the suburbs of Paris, France. He maintains a wide range of contacts in government and scientific circles as well as with many experts in fields outside the mainstream such as UFOlogy, telepathy, sorcery etc. He is also a pigeon fancier and uses his carrier pigeons to relay messages between some of his contacts. Unlike Valérian, he tries to avoid getting involved in the thick of the action and never acts impulsively, always preferring to take his time about things. He enjoys the finer things in life – gourmet cuisine, fine wines and likes to take things easy.
The Shingouz
The Shingouz are a group of three corrupt aliens who trade in information. They make their first appearance in Ambassador of the Shadows.
Bibliography
Albums
- 1983 – Bad Dreams (Les Mauvais Rêves)
- When a rogue technocrat called Xombul sabotages Galaxity's Dream Service and flees into the Middle Ages, spatio-temporal agent Valérian is ordered to follow and apprehend him.
- 1970 – The City of the Moving Waters (La Cité des Eaux Mouvantes)
- Xombul escapes from prison and flees into the past to 1986, a time when a great catastrophe has caused the polar ice cap to melt. Searching the flooded streets of New York, he encounters sinister robots ransacking the archives of the United Nations.
- 1971 – Empire of a Thousand Planets (L'Empire des Mille Planètes)
- Valérian and Laureline are ordered to investigate Syrte-the-Magnificent, the Empire of a Thousand Planets. Who are the mysterious Authorities and what is the dark secret at the heart of the empire?
- 1972 – World Without Stars (Le Pays sans Etoiles)
- A rogue planet, Zahir, threatens the newly formed Earth colonies on Uxbar. Travelling to Zahir, Valérian and Laureline discover a hollow planet ravaged by a never ending war of the sexes. Both sides must be reunited if catastrophe is to be averted.
- 1972 – Welcome to Alflolol (Bienvenue sur Alflolol)
- Earth's industrial colony Technorog is thrown into chaos when the planet's indigenous population suddenly turns up and claim their home, which they call Alflolol, back. Valérian and Laureline must find a way to enable the natives and the colonists to live together in harmony.
- 1973 – Birds of the Master (Les Oiseaux du Maître)
- Crash landing on a strange planet, Valérian and Laureline are enslaved by the minions of the mysterious Master and his terrifying Birds-of-Madness.
- 1975 – Ambassador of the Shadows (L'Ambassadeur des Ombres)
- While on a diplomatic protection mission, Earth's ambassador to Point Central is abducted along with Valerian. Laureline travels from section to section of Point Central in search of the kidnappers.
- 1977 – On the False Earths (Sur les Terres Truquées)
- India, the 19th century, Valérian, acting as a soldier in the British Army is part of a force attacking a Hindu temple. Entering the temple, Valérian finds an alien communications device. Reporting back to Laureline, he is surprised and shot, he plunges into a river and then straight out into space. Laureline looks on in horror – this is the 206th time she has watched Valérian die...
- 1978 – Heroes of the Equinox (Les Héros de l’Equinoxe)
- Valérian competes, as Earth's representative, with three other champions from other worlds to find out who is the most suitable to repopulate the sterile planet of Simlane.
- 1980 – Métro Châtelet, Direction Cassiopeia (Métro Châtelet, Direction Cassiopée)
- Valérian is in Paris, 1980 investigating mysterious apparitions in the metro. Laureline has been dispatched to the Constellation of Cassiopeia to find the source of the apparitions. What connection to they have to the two powerful multinationals Bellson & Gambler and W.A.A.M.?
- 1981 – Brooklyn Station, Terminus Cosmos (Brooklyn Station, Terminus Cosmos)
- Continued from Métro Châtelet, Direction Cassiopeia . Valérian attempts to discover where the fourth apparition will manifest. Laureline continues her search in Cassiopeia. All sides come together in Brooklyn, New York...
- 1984 – The Ghosts of Inverloch (Les Spectres d'Inverloch)
- Laureline is in Scotland, the guest of Lady Seal. Valérian is hunting for a native of Glapum't. Albert is in London, en route to Scotland. The Shingouz are on Rubanis seeking information on the location of the planet Hypsis. Lord Seal is in the United States being updated on sabotage of the world's military hierarchy. The Chief of the Spatio-Temporal Service watches Galaxity fade into the mists of time. Who is the ghost of Inverloch Castle and why has he called this disparate group of people together?
- 1985 – The Rage of Hypsis (Les Foudres d’Hypsis)
- Continued from The Ghosts of Inverloch. The team sets out from Inverloch in search of Hypsis. What consequences will Valérian and Laureline's intervention have for the future of Galaxity?
- 1988 – On the Frontiers (Sur les Frontières)
- A series of unexplained accidents at nuclear power stations alerts Valérian, Laureline and Albert that someone may be attempting to return Earth's history back onto the course they derailed in The Rage of Hypsis. Following the trail across the borders of many countries, Valérian comes face to face with a ghost from the past...
- 1990 – The Living Weapons (Les Armes Vivantes)
- Running short of money and with an astroship in need of a service, Valérian takes Laureline to the planet Blopik with a mysterious special delivery.
- 1994 – The Circles of Power (Les Cercles du Pouvoir)
- Valérian and Laureline are on Rubanis, their astroship is desperate need of repair but they have no money. Reluctantly, they accept a job from Colonel Tloc, the chief of police – to find out who is controlling Rubanis from the Circle of Power.
- 1996 – Hostages of the Ultralum (Les Otages de l'Ultralum)
- Valérian and Laureline are enjoying a luxurious cruise when the son of the caliph Iksaladam is kidnapped, and Laureline with him, by the Mortis Quartet. Allying himself with some old acquaintances, Valérian attemps to rescue them.
- 1998 – Orphan of the Stars (L'Orphelin des Astres)
- Continued from Hostages of the Ultralum. Pursued by the Mortis Quartet, Valérian and Laureline reach the Asteroids of Shimballil with the califon.
- 2001 – In Uncertain Times (Par des Temps Incertains)
- The trinity of Hypsis attempt to prevent the multinational Vivaxis from pursuing a line of genetic research. Valérian and Laureline move closer to learning the mystery behind the disappearance of Galaxity.
- 2004 – On the Edge of the Great Void (Au Bord du Grand Rien)
- Valérian and Laureline are reduced to being shopkeepers while trying to discover information about the disappearance of Earth. At the same time an expedition is about to leave for the Great Void, the unknown region at the edge of the universe...
- To be announced – The Order of the Stones (L'Ordre des Pierres)
- Continued from On the Edge of the Great Void. Currently in production.
Short Stories
Seven short stories were also published in the digest sized Super Pocket Pilote and later collected in Across the Pathways of Space (Par Les Chemins De l’Espace) (1997):
- The Great Collector (Le Grand Collectionneur)
- The Cogs of Uxgloa (Les Engrenages d'Uxgloa)
- Tsirillitis the Asteroid (Tsirillitis l'Asteroide )
- The Sad Planet (La Planete Triste)
- Funny Specimens (Droles de Specimens)
- The Fflumgluff of Friendship (Le Fflumgluff de l'Amitie)
- Triumph of Technology (Triomphe de la Technique)
Other Publications
In addition, two volumes of the illustrated encyclopedia The Inhabitants of the Sky: The Cosmic Atlas of Valerian and Laureline (Les Habitants du Ciel: Atlas Cosmique de Valérian et Laureline) have been published (ISBN 2205039210 (Volume 1) and ISBN 2205049844 (Volume 2)).
English Translations
The first Valerian album to be translated into English was Ambassador of the Shadows which was serialised across four issues of the magazine Heavy Metal in 1981 (Volume 4, Number 10 (January 1981) to Volume 5, Number 1 (April 1981)).
Ambassador of the Shadows was later republished in English in album format as were World Without Stars, Welcome to Alflolol and Heroes of the Equinox by the short-lived Dargaud-USA in the United States of America in 1983 and 1984 and in the United Kingdom by Hodder-Dargaud in 1984 and 1985.
Heroes of the Equinox was republished in July 1996 in black and white by Fantasy Flight Publishing (an offshoot of Fantasy Flight Games) in two issues as standard American sized comic-books as part of an unsuccessful attempt to translate and print several European comic book series such as Spirou and Lucky Luke. [1]
In November 2004, iBooks published Valerian: The New Future Trilogy (ISBN 0743486749) collecting the albums On the Frontiers, The Living Weapons and The Circles of Power in one volume reduced to standard American comic book size.
Television series
An animated Valérian series was first proposed in the early 1980s. Mézières produced concept art for an episode titled The Asteroids of Shimballil (Les Astéroïdes de Shimballil). These were published in 2000 as an appendix to the album release of Bad Dreams.
In 1991, Dargaud Films financed the production of a three minute pilot, directed by Bernard Deyriès and animated by Studio 32 in Paris and Luxembourg, but nothing came of this venture. [2]
Currently, an animated series is being made. Reportedly a French-Japanese co-production involving Statelight, Dargaud and Luc Besson’s Europacorp, it is to be directed by Satou Eiichi and will consist of 40 episodes, it is currently expected some time in 2006.