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Valérian and Laureline #6
L'Ambassadeur des Ombres
Dans cet album qui plaide en faveur de l'auto-détermination des peuples, le lecteur émerveillé par l'imaginaire de Christin et Mézières découvre tout à la fois Point Central, formidable construction artificielle qui sert de port d'attache aux populations de l'univers, les délicieux Shingouz et l'adorable (quoique grognon) Transmuteur de Bluxte.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
5 people are currently reading
176 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 - 30 of 63 reviews
June 21, 2017
Saw the movie trailer of http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2239822/ and it seems the movie is at least loosely based on this comic. My fav Valerian comic book has an adaptation. Oh, I have such a high expectations! (take deep inhales and exhales)
June 25, 2017
Can I have a Bluxte converter too?? Please please please! All that... converting. Plus he's adorkable!
Wow, this one was probably the best so far! No wonder they picked it for movie. So many great ideas, so many species of humanoids and other creatures. Those worlds! And most important - Laureline finally gets all the action to herself! She's my fav!
Enjoying this series so much.
Wow, this one was probably the best so far! No wonder they picked it for movie. So many great ideas, so many species of humanoids and other creatures. Those worlds! And most important - Laureline finally gets all the action to herself! She's my fav!
Enjoying this series so much.
November 18, 2017
Finally got to the story that inspired the beautiful Luc Beson movie and have to say it was a fairly loose adaption. Once again we have a light story that takes a back seat to the imaginative backdrops, alien designs and implied histories of the species. It's a shame none of these stories are expanded into multiple issues.
Still if you love the details more than the overall picture it;s still a great read.
Still if you love the details more than the overall picture it;s still a great read.
December 16, 2017
This volume inspired for good Luc Besson's movie: a well done mix of mistery, police investigations, marvelous, romance, a Laureline more and more Barbarella like, political manifesto, awesome artworks and an heart-felt tribute to diversity.
Gettin'better and better.
December 13, 2017
My copy is hardback. Loved the story. :)
August 27, 2020
The series is nothing if not fairly consistent. I've yet to be wowed, but I've never felt as if it wasn't entertaining at least.
Ambassador of the Shadows is interesting because the movie, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets takes a lot from this work, despite sharing a name with book two of this series. It's fun as we navigate through the different locales of this massive station. What's interesting is this book focuses almost entirely on Laureline. Valérian is quickly taken prisoner as he tries to rescue the kidnapped ambassador from Earth.
Laureline must negotiate with the multitudinous cultures there who all share a similar philosophy of "Money talks." She's fortunately aided by a Grumpy Transmuter from Bluxte which can massively replicate almost anything fed it. Again and again she uses it to almost exhaustion to bribe her way to Valérian's location (and the ambassador's, but his part seems quickly anecdotal).
The end is anticlimatic. Finding the Ambassador we find the no one's intentions were pure in the end, and with some influence from Central Pointe's founders (Central Pointe being the name of the space station), he changes his tune. Meanwhile, the silent aliens who maintain the station take over. Just like that. In this case, the story once again just sort of stops.
The movie of course takes liberties which is probably for the best. It's interesting that some of Laureline's story is handed to Valérian as they pursue each other in the film. For this album, however, I think it works giving the story to her as we've seen them in the previous books and making her the protagonist and not just the sidekick definitely works and is fact one of the strengths of this graphic album.
Ambassador of the Shadows is interesting because the movie, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets takes a lot from this work, despite sharing a name with book two of this series. It's fun as we navigate through the different locales of this massive station. What's interesting is this book focuses almost entirely on Laureline. Valérian is quickly taken prisoner as he tries to rescue the kidnapped ambassador from Earth.
Laureline must negotiate with the multitudinous cultures there who all share a similar philosophy of "Money talks." She's fortunately aided by a Grumpy Transmuter from Bluxte which can massively replicate almost anything fed it. Again and again she uses it to almost exhaustion to bribe her way to Valérian's location (and the ambassador's, but his part seems quickly anecdotal).
The end is anticlimatic. Finding the Ambassador we find the no one's intentions were pure in the end, and with some influence from Central Pointe's founders (Central Pointe being the name of the space station), he changes his tune. Meanwhile, the silent aliens who maintain the station take over. Just like that. In this case, the story once again just sort of stops.
The movie of course takes liberties which is probably for the best. It's interesting that some of Laureline's story is handed to Valérian as they pursue each other in the film. For this album, however, I think it works giving the story to her as we've seen them in the previous books and making her the protagonist and not just the sidekick definitely works and is fact one of the strengths of this graphic album.
May 12, 2017
The universe is vast, and intelligent life has arisen on many worlds. Over millennia, these different lifeforms have spread out from their points of origin and met each other. Sometimes, these meetings have led to friendly interaction, sometimes they have ended in interspecies war. No one remembers precisely when, or who did it, but an artificial habitable environment was created to serve as a meeting place for diplomats. Each new species has added on to that space station to create Point Central, our last, best hope for peace.
Now at last it is Earth’s turn to preside over the Council in the Hall of Screens, and the new ambassador from that planet has big plans. Plans so big, he needs to be guarded by top spatio-temporal agents Valerian and Laureline.
Valerian and Laureline is a French comic book series originally published from 1967 to 2010, very popular in European comics, and an influence on the look and feel of the movie The Fifth Element. A new live-action movie version is coming out this summer, so I thought I’d check in on the source material.
The future Earth civilization, Galaxity, is based on time travel technology, which their space travel utilizes for faster than light speed. This technology is dangerous in the wrong hands, thus the need for special time/space agents.
Valerian is a native of the 28th Century, and initially is quite respectful of authority, and does not question his orders, even when they seem ethically dubious. That said, he is a good-hearted fellow who does the right thing as he sees it when the chips are down. While in Middle Ages France, he recruited Laureline as a guide, and she proved so effective that he brought her home with him as an agent.
While Laureline is a fast learner who quickly adjusts to her new surroundings, she has an outsider’s view of them. A fiery redhead, Laureline is impulsive and suspicious of authority figures, especially when their behavior is fishy. (She initially was scheduled to be a “girl of the week” but was so well-received by the audience that she became the co-star.)
Earth’s ambassador initially emphasizes the “ass”, but that quickly becomes moot, as both he and Valerian are abducted by mysterious parties immediately upon arrival at Point Central. Laureline must track them down through the labyrinthine construction and clashing cultures of the diplomatic station. Comic relief is provided by a cowardly protocol officer Laureline dragoons into service as her sidekick.
The story becomes something of a shaggy dog when things going on in the background make the heroes’ actions irrelevant in the big picture, but this volume is important to the continuity because it introduces two recurring elements. The Grumpy Transmuter from Bluxte is an astonishingly rare animal that can create copies of any item it ingests; since it’s a tiny animal with a small mouth, it’s limited to things like gems and pharmaceuticals. Since the galactic community has no common currency, it’s like a portable cash machine and becomes Laureline’s pet. Also, the Shingouz, greedy information brokers who will dispense helpful data in exchange for large payments. Laureline becomes one of their favorite customers and they frequently appear in later stories.
The art is good, with the setting allowing the artist to go wild with interesting alien designs. I’m not a fan of the coloring, though, which is often garish and inconsistent. In particular, the humans often have bright orange skin.
There’s some violence, but it’s non-lethal, and one scene takes place in an alien brothel where we see some scantily-clad aliens (including Laureline in a disguise.) Say a PG-13 rating.
Recommended to fans of science fiction adventure and/or French comics.
Now at last it is Earth’s turn to preside over the Council in the Hall of Screens, and the new ambassador from that planet has big plans. Plans so big, he needs to be guarded by top spatio-temporal agents Valerian and Laureline.
Valerian and Laureline is a French comic book series originally published from 1967 to 2010, very popular in European comics, and an influence on the look and feel of the movie The Fifth Element. A new live-action movie version is coming out this summer, so I thought I’d check in on the source material.
The future Earth civilization, Galaxity, is based on time travel technology, which their space travel utilizes for faster than light speed. This technology is dangerous in the wrong hands, thus the need for special time/space agents.
Valerian is a native of the 28th Century, and initially is quite respectful of authority, and does not question his orders, even when they seem ethically dubious. That said, he is a good-hearted fellow who does the right thing as he sees it when the chips are down. While in Middle Ages France, he recruited Laureline as a guide, and she proved so effective that he brought her home with him as an agent.
While Laureline is a fast learner who quickly adjusts to her new surroundings, she has an outsider’s view of them. A fiery redhead, Laureline is impulsive and suspicious of authority figures, especially when their behavior is fishy. (She initially was scheduled to be a “girl of the week” but was so well-received by the audience that she became the co-star.)
Earth’s ambassador initially emphasizes the “ass”, but that quickly becomes moot, as both he and Valerian are abducted by mysterious parties immediately upon arrival at Point Central. Laureline must track them down through the labyrinthine construction and clashing cultures of the diplomatic station. Comic relief is provided by a cowardly protocol officer Laureline dragoons into service as her sidekick.
The story becomes something of a shaggy dog when things going on in the background make the heroes’ actions irrelevant in the big picture, but this volume is important to the continuity because it introduces two recurring elements. The Grumpy Transmuter from Bluxte is an astonishingly rare animal that can create copies of any item it ingests; since it’s a tiny animal with a small mouth, it’s limited to things like gems and pharmaceuticals. Since the galactic community has no common currency, it’s like a portable cash machine and becomes Laureline’s pet. Also, the Shingouz, greedy information brokers who will dispense helpful data in exchange for large payments. Laureline becomes one of their favorite customers and they frequently appear in later stories.
The art is good, with the setting allowing the artist to go wild with interesting alien designs. I’m not a fan of the coloring, though, which is often garish and inconsistent. In particular, the humans often have bright orange skin.
There’s some violence, but it’s non-lethal, and one scene takes place in an alien brothel where we see some scantily-clad aliens (including Laureline in a disguise.) Say a PG-13 rating.
Recommended to fans of science fiction adventure and/or French comics.
April 20, 2022
Swedish/English
Första riktiga seriealbumet med Linda och Valentin som jag läser på år och dar' med tanke på att det föregående som jag läste "Jakolassens rustning" mer var ett hyllningsalbum och även en parodi över Linda och Valentin.
Jag tyckte inte att det var mer en medelmåttigt och detsamma gäller även det här seriealbumet. Även det här är snyggt tecknat och har en något mer engagerande handling, men mycket mer än så är det inte.
Och sedan all denna text. Som sagt, inte alls vad jag vill ha när jag ska läsa serier. Någon måtta får det vara. Minnet sviker mig för jag kommer inte alls ihåg att det var så här mycket text från när jag läste seriealbumen när jag var yngre.
Jag har ett album och en guide kvar att läsa och det seriealbum som jag har kvar att läsa har av vad jag kan se om möjligt ännu mera sprängfyllda pratbubblor.
Det här seriealbumet gavs ut som en specialare under 2017 inför att Luc Bessons film skulle ha premiär. Det innehåller längst bak i albumet, lite info om skapandet av filmen med intervjuer med Luc Besson själv, Éric Gandois (storyboardtecknare), Patrice Garcia (konceptdesigner) och Hugues Tissander (produktionsdesigner) samt lite bilder från filmen samt bilder från produktionen inför filmandet.
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Not my cup of tea. A decent story at best and way to much text to read for my liking. I want my comic books with less text to read and where the drawings do the most of the storytelling. However it is very nicely drawn, I give it that.
Första riktiga seriealbumet med Linda och Valentin som jag läser på år och dar' med tanke på att det föregående som jag läste "Jakolassens rustning" mer var ett hyllningsalbum och även en parodi över Linda och Valentin.
Jag tyckte inte att det var mer en medelmåttigt och detsamma gäller även det här seriealbumet. Även det här är snyggt tecknat och har en något mer engagerande handling, men mycket mer än så är det inte.
Och sedan all denna text. Som sagt, inte alls vad jag vill ha när jag ska läsa serier. Någon måtta får det vara. Minnet sviker mig för jag kommer inte alls ihåg att det var så här mycket text från när jag läste seriealbumen när jag var yngre.
Jag har ett album och en guide kvar att läsa och det seriealbum som jag har kvar att läsa har av vad jag kan se om möjligt ännu mera sprängfyllda pratbubblor.
Det här seriealbumet gavs ut som en specialare under 2017 inför att Luc Bessons film skulle ha premiär. Det innehåller längst bak i albumet, lite info om skapandet av filmen med intervjuer med Luc Besson själv, Éric Gandois (storyboardtecknare), Patrice Garcia (konceptdesigner) och Hugues Tissander (produktionsdesigner) samt lite bilder från filmen samt bilder från produktionen inför filmandet.
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Not my cup of tea. A decent story at best and way to much text to read for my liking. I want my comic books with less text to read and where the drawings do the most of the storytelling. However it is very nicely drawn, I give it that.
July 24, 2018
The film {Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets} adaptation was definitely made based on this story. It manage to carry most of the elements, while still being different and bizarre enough to keep both of them interesting. I really enjoyed the different feel of this series and the imaginative constructs of the authors.
November 25, 2017
Cette histoire est une des meilleures de Valérian à date! Celui la et "L'empire des mille planètes" sont les plus attirantes à mon avis. Vois l'origine et comment Point Central ce développe était vraiment impressionnant! Une belle station spatiale pleine de sections intéressantes et d'extra terrestres uniques. Vraiment captivant. L'art est absolument inspirant.
J'ai lu ce volume il y a quelque jours et hier soir j'ai finalement eu la chance de visionner le film de Valerian. Même si le titre de l'histoire prend inspiration de "L'empire des mille planètes" c'est actuellement de "L'Ambassadeur des Ombres" qu'il est basée. Une belle surprise et je suis chanceux de l'avoir lu avant de voir le film! C'est certainement quelque chose de voir ces éléments sur l'écran! Tandis qu'il y avait un nombre de choses changées la plus part des situations and personages demeurent plus ou moins intact. J'étais satisfait de l'adaptation même si les acteurs n'étaient peut êtres pas les meilleures!
Si vous lisser seulement deux des tomes de Valérien celui la devrait être le deuxième!
J'ai lu ce volume il y a quelque jours et hier soir j'ai finalement eu la chance de visionner le film de Valerian. Même si le titre de l'histoire prend inspiration de "L'empire des mille planètes" c'est actuellement de "L'Ambassadeur des Ombres" qu'il est basée. Une belle surprise et je suis chanceux de l'avoir lu avant de voir le film! C'est certainement quelque chose de voir ces éléments sur l'écran! Tandis qu'il y avait un nombre de choses changées la plus part des situations and personages demeurent plus ou moins intact. J'étais satisfait de l'adaptation même si les acteurs n'étaient peut êtres pas les meilleures!
Si vous lisser seulement deux des tomes de Valérien celui la devrait être le deuxième!
January 7, 2017
Internet chatter has it that the upcoming movie "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" may be based on this issue of "Valérian and Laureline" so I thought I'd read it (English version) before the movie comes out. The main characters are amusing and there are numerous alien species. (Laureline's relationship with the "grumpy transmuter from Bluxte" is enjoyable.) I look forward to seeing how the relationship between Valérian and Laureline is portrayed on the screen. This graphic novel makes it seem like Laureline is the one who "gets things done" and Valérian is the one who gets into trouble and provides help in his own special way. The drawing and coloring are nice with enough detail to keep you interested.
May 1, 2024
A mixed bag.
This volume has the best art so far and the most interesting creatures and designs. Mezieres’ depiction of the vast galactic spaceport, central point, is visionary and must have informed Star Wars. It’s a delightful blend of cultures and races, ships coming and going, winding tunnels, brothels, mock battles, canals etc. All very imaginative and compelling and drawn in a wonderful cartoon style.
Now for the bad — this is Christin’s worst script yet, and he hasn’t exactly been hitting it out of the park. After Valerian and the earth ambassador are kidnapped for unknown reasons, Laureline sets out to recover them, a goose chase that takes her all around central point. While the hunt offers many sights, there is never any danger, nor is their a purpose,
SPOILER
as Valerian and the ambassador are returned by the kidnappers, a benevolent race of super-beings who act as universal guardians.
/SPOILER
Laureline relies on an alien creature, a little money factory, to solve all of her problems. I’m sure Christin thought he was making a point about capitalism and exploitation, but it falls flat, and the repeated deus ex machina gets old fast. The shoe-horned ramblings on war and peace are equally trite and facile.
This volume has the best art so far and the most interesting creatures and designs. Mezieres’ depiction of the vast galactic spaceport, central point, is visionary and must have informed Star Wars. It’s a delightful blend of cultures and races, ships coming and going, winding tunnels, brothels, mock battles, canals etc. All very imaginative and compelling and drawn in a wonderful cartoon style.
Now for the bad — this is Christin’s worst script yet, and he hasn’t exactly been hitting it out of the park. After Valerian and the earth ambassador are kidnapped for unknown reasons, Laureline sets out to recover them, a goose chase that takes her all around central point. While the hunt offers many sights, there is never any danger, nor is their a purpose,
SPOILER
as Valerian and the ambassador are returned by the kidnappers, a benevolent race of super-beings who act as universal guardians.
/SPOILER
Laureline relies on an alien creature, a little money factory, to solve all of her problems. I’m sure Christin thought he was making a point about capitalism and exploitation, but it falls flat, and the repeated deus ex machina gets old fast. The shoe-horned ramblings on war and peace are equally trite and facile.
June 25, 2021
Now this, this was fun and funky! The story (up until the end at least) was engaging and fast-paced without being too rushed. Laureline really shines in this one - she's determined, thinks on her feet and takes no bullshit - and her interactions with the other characters were really enjoyable. It's not a secret that I love Mèziéres art and especially his brushwork, but this volume was really something! The character and environmental design was so neat and some even delightfully non-human, the transitions and panel compositions worked really well and the colouring by Evelyne Tran-Lé is so bright and vivid - perfect for a fun space story! My only dislikes about this volume is, as often happens, how absolutely rushed the conclusion and conflict became in the final couple of pages. There simply wasn't time to actually explore what happened and why, which was a bummer since there seemed to be some relevant politics happening behind the scenes that I would have loved to see explored further.
The worldbuilding, character development and story suffers from this rush, but otherwise I really enjoyed this volume.
The worldbuilding, character development and story suffers from this rush, but otherwise I really enjoyed this volume.
August 5, 2017
Nu dit boek verfilmd is, is het een mooie gelegenheid om dit boek te herlezen. Anders dan de film is dit eigenlijk Laureline's avontuur: zij struint door de diverse werelden van het centrale punt op zoek naar haar geliefde en de verdwenen ambassadeur. De achtergrond van macht, corruptie en onzedelijkheid is veel subtieler aanwezig dan in de film, dat in feite een ander verhaal vertelt, zij het met elementen van dit album, zoals de omzetter, de Shingoos, de Bagoulins, de Suffuss, de Groubos en de schelpenwereld van de nobele wezens waarom het allemaal draait. In de strip is dat een machtig volk dat tot inkeer is gekomen (Laureline noemt ze nota bene 'paternalistisch'), in de film is het veel meer het cliché van de nobele wilde. De strip is ook moderner dan de film dat we Laureline zien in het bordeel, en dus mannelijke hoeren, maar ik begrijp wel dat ze in de film voor Rihanna kozen. Enfin, 'De ambassadeur der schaduwen' is een van de beste Ravianverhalen en, hoe kan het ook anders, beter dan de film, die niettemin het centrale punt fantastisch in beeld heeft gebracht.
March 24, 2018
This is the first graphic novel I've ever read (okay, so I'm a book snob.) Didn't quite know what to make of it at first, though I was quickly enchanted by J.C. Mézières fantastic illustration. His creatures and settings seem endlessly imaginative and exquisitely rendered. The English text seems to be a word for word translation from the French original and at times takes a bit of deciphering. This is not altogether a bad thing, as it retains a flavor of the original.
The story is straight adventure, more about perseverance and loyalty than theatrical heroics, and without any inane violence. I'm picking up the anti-Gaullist message of the Valarien et Laureline series. Plus a bit of second-wave feminism.
I came to this graphic novel via the Luc Besson film. He's a brilliant guy, and figured something he's passionate about is worth checking out.
The story is straight adventure, more about perseverance and loyalty than theatrical heroics, and without any inane violence. I'm picking up the anti-Gaullist message of the Valarien et Laureline series. Plus a bit of second-wave feminism.
I came to this graphic novel via the Luc Besson film. He's a brilliant guy, and figured something he's passionate about is worth checking out.
January 20, 2019
I can see why this book was chosen as the source for the Valerian feature film. The plot isn't as simplistic as previous books, and there's a bit of a mystery to be solved which engages you all the way through. I'm not sure if I enjoyed this book more because I'd already seen the movie on which it was based, or just because it was actually the best book so far.
That said, it still wraps up a bit quickly and . . . well, perhaps confusedly. I'm not sure I entirely understood what happened in the last couple pages. I hit the final page and went "Huh? That's how it ends?"
The movie takes quite a few liberties with the plot (as expected) and creates a much better story out of it. (Yes, I actually enjoyed the movie!) But many of the book's elements remain.
That said, it still wraps up a bit quickly and . . . well, perhaps confusedly. I'm not sure I entirely understood what happened in the last couple pages. I hit the final page and went "Huh? That's how it ends?"
The movie takes quite a few liberties with the plot (as expected) and creates a much better story out of it. (Yes, I actually enjoyed the movie!) But many of the book's elements remain.
May 19, 2022
"¿Quién amenaza el futuro diplomático de la Tierra? ¿Y quiénes son las misteriosas Sombras? Point Central es una estación espacial multicultural que sirve como una especie de Naciones Unidas para la galaxia. Con la tarea de proteger al nuevo embajador de la Tierra, Valerian es secuestrado junto con su cargo en un ataque de comando relámpago. Depende de Laureline hacer todo el trabajo pesado y atravesar las sórdidas entrañas de la estación mientras intenta localizarlos y rescatarlos y descubrir quién los secuestró y por qué". La sinopsis lo explica mejor que yo. Lo que os puedo decir es que se trata de uno de los tomos más interesantes de la serie. Además aparece el carismático transmutador gruñón de Bluxte.
June 4, 2017
I am probably suffering a little from overload from this series, now having read eight of them in quick succession, and even though I read this one in order, this review comes after having read On the False Earths and Heroes of the Equinox, neither of which I liked as much. In general this is probably one of the strongest volumes with an interesting story, lots of action and characters - though as seems to be the usual trend, the humans appear to be particular douches. Luckily they are not the main focus, rather the aliens are. It is nice to have a much more Lauraline focused story for a change, and the whole setting is really well realised, both written and drawn.
My only real criticism is the ending, which largely makes the whole plot irrelevant, and then there is a further twist which makes even that irrelevancy moot. A weak ending seems to be a typical feature of these books. So saying, I probably would have given this a bit of a better review if I had done so directly after having read it and not waited and read more of the series first.
My only real criticism is the ending, which largely makes the whole plot irrelevant, and then there is a further twist which makes even that irrelevancy moot. A weak ending seems to be a typical feature of these books. So saying, I probably would have given this a bit of a better review if I had done so directly after having read it and not waited and read more of the series first.
December 29, 2017
Here's the one that the movie is (mostly) based on, and what a delight to find out that Valerian gets konked on the head early and it's for the most part a Laureline adventure. Christin and Mézières have slowly been shifting the portrayals of the main characters to idealistic go-getter on Laureline's part and doofus on Valerian's part.
This book kinda suffers from the same problem as "Empire de Mille Planètes" where the plot just gets resolved through to a last minute change of heart/reveal from the antagonists, and our heroes kinda just get lectured to a little.
I'm so glad Luc Besson thought we needed a star-making Dane DeHaan turn, though...
This book kinda suffers from the same problem as "Empire de Mille Planètes" where the plot just gets resolved through to a last minute change of heart/reveal from the antagonists, and our heroes kinda just get lectured to a little.
I'm so glad Luc Besson thought we needed a star-making Dane DeHaan turn, though...
September 5, 2017
An OK read. Lame storyline. The grumpy metabolizer was the only gimmick holding everything together... and reveals where Nibbler, Lila's pet in Futurama, comes from. Mostly boring and flat and badly told. Luc Besson, of course, fucks everything up even worse. There are series that are better told, better drawn, and so underrated that they escape everybody's radar. I'm talking about Morvan and Buchet's Sillage, of course. God forbid Besson discovers it.
January 17, 2023
A fun story that was made into a middling movie. Varlerian and Laureline are sent to galactic United Nations where each species lives in a large pod of their own constructions and only talk to each other via telescreens. This organization is so old that several sentient species only exist on this world, their own planet having died out millennia ago. Our heroes escort the new Earth ambassador to the planet and he is immediately kidnapped.
December 19, 2024
This was a fun adventure in a space station full of interesting creatures and environments. This is the story the the film Valerian and the City of 1000 Planets is based, though there are quite a few major differences but lots of stuff that's recognisable.
I'm not a fan of the art style, but enjoyed the story.
This edition also has an interview with the authors about the adaptation to the movie which is a nice bonus.
I'm not a fan of the art style, but enjoyed the story.
This edition also has an interview with the authors about the adaptation to the movie which is a nice bonus.
July 31, 2017
This episode was fun. Laureline had more to do and was the ultimate saviour of the day. It had some cool ideas that were more interesting than some of the earlier stories. I liked the notion of Point Central and the general shadiness of the goings on there. Some similarities could be drawn between that set up and the basic premise of Babylon 5.
August 16, 2017
Tähän asti paras Valerian, ehkä siksi että tässä ei ollut Valeriania lainkaan. Laureline hoitaa hommat yksin tässä kirjassa - tai no yhdessä Bluxtin Yrmyttävän Transmutaattorin kanssa. Tässä oli paljon niitä scififantasiaelementtejä, joista tykkäsin erityisestä pikkupoikana. Olisipa tiennyt näistä sarjakuvista silloin.
August 22, 2017
Ce Valérian dans lequel Valérian n'apparaît presque pas était très rafraîchissant !
Toutefois, je trouve encore une fois que la trame narrative n'est pas assez travaillée et que l'intrigue n'est pas vraiment intéressante.
Mais j'ai quand même mis 3 étoiles car voir Laureline sur le devant de la scène (là où elle mérite d'être) était super.
Toutefois, je trouve encore une fois que la trame narrative n'est pas assez travaillée et que l'intrigue n'est pas vraiment intéressante.
Mais j'ai quand même mis 3 étoiles car voir Laureline sur le devant de la scène (là où elle mérite d'être) était super.
January 22, 2019
Mind bendingly imaginative stunningly drawn sci fi epic in which manly Valerian and his pneumatic girl (suitable 1970s kick ass independent woman) rescue the Earth's Ambassador at Point Central, a mashed together collection of bits of alien worlds. Pretty sexist and dated but spectacularly well drawn.
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June 9, 2020 Nostalgia from my 1980'es childhood.
Even though I now find the stories, plots and characters rather short
and maybe even shallow. I love the rich inspiring universe.
Also it's almost like a quest for Easter-eggs, to see how much other fiction since these came out, has been inspired from them c¨,)
Even though I now find the stories, plots and characters rather short
and maybe even shallow. I love the rich inspiring universe.
Also it's almost like a quest for Easter-eggs, to see how much other fiction since these came out, has been inspired from them c¨,)
March 28, 2023
The best of the stories so far, and the one closest to being good. Unfortunately, it just kinda flops the ending and it just sort of ends. For an "episode" called Ambassador of the Shadows, there wasn't that much political intrigue, but there were some cool alien species at least.
I probably liked it because Laureline was mostly the protagonist.
I probably liked it because Laureline was mostly the protagonist.
June 19, 2017
In this adventure of the classic French series. Laureline takes center stage and is featured almost exclusively throughout. Another fine chapter in the epic series, even if Valerian is hardly involved at all. This is classic golden-age sci-fi with a modern twist.
June 27, 2017
Una BD a la que ya se le nota la edad, si la hubiera leído hace 20 o 30 años creo estaría en mi lista de entrañables como Asterix o Proteo Fuerza 10.
Lo más valioso de la saga, los personajes secundarios.
Todo apunta a que la película será muuuuy buena… ya veremos…
Lo más valioso de la saga, los personajes secundarios.
Todo apunta a que la película será muuuuy buena… ya veremos…
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