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Valérian and Laureline #17
L'Orphelin des astres
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!
50 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1998
2 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Pierre Christin
209 books117 followersPierre Christin was a French comics creator and writer.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 14, 2017
Meh. Not in love with this one in slightest.
February 15, 2023
Laureline is at her sexiest from being subjected to acting -in various costumes- for a lusty-fare movie director!
August 31, 2020
Americans might know Valerian and Laureline from the 2017 film VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS...or maybe they won’t. That film didn’t exactly set the world on fire. I enjoyed it well enough, though, and it did make me curious about the original French comics on which it was based. Thus, sometime later, I picked up this book.
For the unfamiliar, I’ll note that Valerian and Laureline are something like cops who operate in both time and space. Comparisons to DOCTOR WHO could be drawn, but Valerian and Laureline are much more human than the Doctor. In ORPHAN OF THE STARS, Laureline, the female character, is clearly the brains of the two. Valerian, the male character, is more of a hot head, but he seems to be a good pilot, and I’m guessing that he has his uses. Regardless, the two have good chemistry here, if one can say that about fictional comic characters.
ORPHAN OF THE STARS is numbered as the 17th book in the series. I don’t know if it’s the 17th book overall or just the 17th book of the English editions. At any rate, potential buyers may wish to know that this is very much a serial, and ORPHAN OF THE STARS picks up where the previous volume presumably ended. Valerian and Laureline are on the run with a spoiled child who happens to be the Caliphette of Iksaladam. They are on an occupied futuristic asteroid and a group of mercenaries is hunting them. We don’t learn here why our heroes are helping this child or why the child is a fugitive, but that didn’t bother me. I knew what I needed to follow the story, and there is a conclusion, although I’m assuming that the next volume will also pick up storylines from this and maybe previous ones. Such is the nature of serial fiction.
Truthfully, my decision to start with Volume 17 was deliberate. The first book in a given series is seldom the best, and I wanted to see how VALERIAN AND LAURELINE had evolved over time. As it turns out, it’s evolved pretty well. As noted, the two leads are a good mix of personalities, but the science fiction trappings are also imaginative, and there’s some whimsical humor that appeals. European comics tend to be more story driven and less character driven than most American comics, and that seems to be largely the case here in that Valerian and Laureline don’t appear to have developed or changed much from issue to issue. I don’t consider that a bad thing, and the concept - similar, as noted, to that of DOCTOR WHO - allows for many different types of stories and settings.
ORPHAN TO THE STARS also has a lot of charm, and the humor is occasionally satirical and sharper than expected. One character, for example, is a seemingly elderly alien who has been attending college for 18 years. We’re told that this is typical of this society, and when Valerian and Laureline visit the university, there’s some sharp digs at higher education: The university itself is a gigantic building, with a new floor being added whenever someone devises a new discipline to study. The disciplines have names such as “anti-matter life forms” and “biological theology.” One professor teaches a class on “civic re-education” and another is famous for his theory of “applied gonzo-psycho-pedagogy.” Another scene skewers the entertainment industry, with a producer who polls viewers daily and quickly produces a show based only on what’s popular at a given moment.
Obviously, I did enjoy ORPHAN OF THE STARS. The question then becomes whether to continue with the series - possibly getting the earlier volumes as well as subsequent ones. The answer doesn’t come as easily as one might suppose. ORPHAN OF THE STARS is a 52 page book with a $13.95 US cover price. We know that there are 16 previous volumes, and the back cover advertises five more “coming soon.” This one did indeed read well on its own (even though it clearly wasn’t a stand alone story), but if I were to read more, I would probably want to read them in some kind of order. That, then, represents a fairly significant investment of time and money, and now, in my mid-50s, I’ve become more stingy with both. There’s no question in my mind, though, that a number of people will love this, and those drawn to ongoing storylines, fun characters and imaginative science fiction should definitely give VALERIAN AND LAURELINE a try.
For the unfamiliar, I’ll note that Valerian and Laureline are something like cops who operate in both time and space. Comparisons to DOCTOR WHO could be drawn, but Valerian and Laureline are much more human than the Doctor. In ORPHAN OF THE STARS, Laureline, the female character, is clearly the brains of the two. Valerian, the male character, is more of a hot head, but he seems to be a good pilot, and I’m guessing that he has his uses. Regardless, the two have good chemistry here, if one can say that about fictional comic characters.
ORPHAN OF THE STARS is numbered as the 17th book in the series. I don’t know if it’s the 17th book overall or just the 17th book of the English editions. At any rate, potential buyers may wish to know that this is very much a serial, and ORPHAN OF THE STARS picks up where the previous volume presumably ended. Valerian and Laureline are on the run with a spoiled child who happens to be the Caliphette of Iksaladam. They are on an occupied futuristic asteroid and a group of mercenaries is hunting them. We don’t learn here why our heroes are helping this child or why the child is a fugitive, but that didn’t bother me. I knew what I needed to follow the story, and there is a conclusion, although I’m assuming that the next volume will also pick up storylines from this and maybe previous ones. Such is the nature of serial fiction.
Truthfully, my decision to start with Volume 17 was deliberate. The first book in a given series is seldom the best, and I wanted to see how VALERIAN AND LAURELINE had evolved over time. As it turns out, it’s evolved pretty well. As noted, the two leads are a good mix of personalities, but the science fiction trappings are also imaginative, and there’s some whimsical humor that appeals. European comics tend to be more story driven and less character driven than most American comics, and that seems to be largely the case here in that Valerian and Laureline don’t appear to have developed or changed much from issue to issue. I don’t consider that a bad thing, and the concept - similar, as noted, to that of DOCTOR WHO - allows for many different types of stories and settings.
ORPHAN TO THE STARS also has a lot of charm, and the humor is occasionally satirical and sharper than expected. One character, for example, is a seemingly elderly alien who has been attending college for 18 years. We’re told that this is typical of this society, and when Valerian and Laureline visit the university, there’s some sharp digs at higher education: The university itself is a gigantic building, with a new floor being added whenever someone devises a new discipline to study. The disciplines have names such as “anti-matter life forms” and “biological theology.” One professor teaches a class on “civic re-education” and another is famous for his theory of “applied gonzo-psycho-pedagogy.” Another scene skewers the entertainment industry, with a producer who polls viewers daily and quickly produces a show based only on what’s popular at a given moment.
Obviously, I did enjoy ORPHAN OF THE STARS. The question then becomes whether to continue with the series - possibly getting the earlier volumes as well as subsequent ones. The answer doesn’t come as easily as one might suppose. ORPHAN OF THE STARS is a 52 page book with a $13.95 US cover price. We know that there are 16 previous volumes, and the back cover advertises five more “coming soon.” This one did indeed read well on its own (even though it clearly wasn’t a stand alone story), but if I were to read more, I would probably want to read them in some kind of order. That, then, represents a fairly significant investment of time and money, and now, in my mid-50s, I’ve become more stingy with both. There’s no question in my mind, though, that a number of people will love this, and those drawn to ongoing storylines, fun characters and imaginative science fiction should definitely give VALERIAN AND LAURELINE a try.
October 23, 2017
Following on directly from the previous book, the Orphan Of The Stars sees Valerian and Laureline in the odd position of being in possession of a small child, and what’s more, a small child who just happens to be the heir to richest person in the galaxy. Pursued by the Quatuor Mortis, a group of four harmonious bounty hunters, our trio find themselves relentlessly chased and constantly under threat, with the situation made worse by being separated from their ship. They need to be able to evade capture and, somehow, offload the burden that is the Caliphette of Iksaladam.
This volume opens with a nicely constructed conundrum as Valerian and Laureline are chased through some sort of space-born facility but lacking a ship, meaning they’re in serious trouble and at a very real risk of capture. Fortunately they’ve collected a couple of handy items on their travels, and by putting these to use they’re able to give themselves a fighting chance.
At the risk of the Caliphette becoming a permanent member of the group, something needs to be done with the child once and for all, for his best interests as well as their own, which places Valerian and Laureline in an interesting moral position as, after all, they’re not his parents nor legitimate guardians. It’s quite the conundrum.
There aren’t that many volumes to go before we reach the conclusion of the tale, so it’s intriguing as to whether Valerian and Laureline will be able to return their lives to their previous normality or instead, at least, find some sort of status quo they can be happy with. Until then there are a few stories yet to tell.
This volume opens with a nicely constructed conundrum as Valerian and Laureline are chased through some sort of space-born facility but lacking a ship, meaning they’re in serious trouble and at a very real risk of capture. Fortunately they’ve collected a couple of handy items on their travels, and by putting these to use they’re able to give themselves a fighting chance.
At the risk of the Caliphette becoming a permanent member of the group, something needs to be done with the child once and for all, for his best interests as well as their own, which places Valerian and Laureline in an interesting moral position as, after all, they’re not his parents nor legitimate guardians. It’s quite the conundrum.
There aren’t that many volumes to go before we reach the conclusion of the tale, so it’s intriguing as to whether Valerian and Laureline will be able to return their lives to their previous normality or instead, at least, find some sort of status quo they can be happy with. Until then there are a few stories yet to tell.
November 25, 2017
Vähän erilainen toimeksianto: kalifin pojan kuskaus koulusta toiseen, tietenkin läpi vaarallisten tilanteiden. Viimeinen erillinen tarina ennen kolmen albumin loppukähinää. Oikeastaan vasta näiden viimeisten kirjojen aikana olen alkanut päästä kunnolla näihin sisään ja nyt on jo vähän nostalginen fiilis valmiiksi kun tiedän että kohta loppuu.
December 13, 2017
En lidt tynd historie: L & V er på flugt fra dødens kvartet (musikalske lejemordere) med et irriterende barn... Undervejs komme gnavpotveksleren i brug, men da den er flad lader Linda sig hyre til en underlødig filmoptagelse...
July 1, 2018
Valerian, Laureline, a pizza delivery guy and other weird aliens try to protect the Chaliph’s son on the second part of this story arc started with Hostages of Ultralum. Very interesting designs and locales but weak plot.
June 23, 2018
Good, consistent story. Writers starts to understand how to write proper stories. I would have wanted this to have better art, though. Now it's "just" good.
September 14, 2018
Humour manquant de finesse. Scénario inconséquent. C'est du n'importe quoi.
March 28, 2019
Un autre transmuteur grognon de Bluxte hihihi J'aime bien cette histoire... Elle a de la ressource Laureline. Merci Christin et Meziere pour cette heroine hors du temps.
September 7, 2020
The continuation of the previous novel. The heroes hunt for a safe place for the kid of one of the most wealthy sheiks in the galaxy pursued by enemies all the way.
October 12, 2022
Bit weird that the plot of this one is that our heroes have abducted a child from his father… But the art!
March 3, 2024
4/5 A fun book to read. I had a good enjoyable experience with this. I definitely want to read more. If you are interested in European and/or science fiction comic books then I recommend it!
January 10, 2017
Definitely the low point of an otherwise amazing serie. The action jumps around without any logic. Humor is too easy.
April 13, 2017
The art work is absolutely brilliant, and that makes it interesting, however the story is not and it feels rushed
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews