How french comics valerian met star wars theswca blog. French director luc besson is soon to release a motion picture called valerian and the city of a thousand planets, starring actors cara delevingne and dane dehaan. Volume 1 valerian et laureline english version french edition ebook. Win a valerian and the city of a thousand planets comic. I am pretty sure this is the first valerian comic from dargaud in 197071. Eight years later, star wars took everyone else on the same ride. Valerian is the most expensive french movie in history. Once upon a time there was a precocious 10yearold french child with dreams of hollywood stardom blazing in his young eyes and a wellread space opera comic book in his back pocket. On this earth of the future, galaxity is the capital of the mighty spacefaring terran empire. Valerian and the city of a thousand planets may have been a bust in the us and the uk but it was a blockbuster in france, home to the comic it was based on. Valerian and laureline, spacetime agents of the earths future, patrol our history to maintain the timeline. The french comic that may have influenced star wars. Valerian is the most expensive french film ever comic book. The french comics behind luc bessons valerian and the city of a.
Luc bessons valerian and the city of a thousand planets takes us beyond binge watching into the realm of binge seeing. The first story to be collected in comic album format was the city of shifting waters which was numbered 1 in the series. When luc bessons adaptation of the classic scifi comic valerian lands in movie theaters this week, itll be just a few months shy of the comic series 50th anniversary valerian first appeared in 1967 in the pages of pilote magazine, an. All valerian stories have been collected in anthology comics in a graphic novel format that comprise 21 volumes, a short story collection and encyclopedia. Luc bessons valerian and the city of a thousand planets wont hit the big screen until july 21, but fans will get an early taste at. Valerian and laureline are exploring syrte, capital planet of a system of 1,000 worlds. There had been french science fiction comics before valerian such as klines.
Valerian comic art gallery view comic arts, sketches, covers, paintings, and original art for valerian and laureline comics. Read this french comic that probably influenced star wars, before. Luc besson scifi comic adaptation valerian to star dane. A valerian comic is headed to free comic book day on may 6. Valerian is an agent for the spacetime police of galaxity, the powerful terran. In pipeline, augie provides commentary and criticism on a wide variety of comics past and.
Valerian and laureline comic read valerian and laureline. Valerian was a forerunner of the space opera in many ways. Writer pierre christin and artist jeanclaude mezieres created valerian in 1967 where it was first published in the french. What they find is a decaying empire led by decadent aristocrats, a population ripe for revolution, and a mysterious caste of masked wise men who discreetly pull the strings. Now they are sent to new york in 1986 to intercept galaxitys worst megalomaniac, xombulexcept that in 1986, the world is in ruins and new york is. Weapons and the circles of power in one volume reduced to us comic book. It became a comic book on its own in 1970 and now totals 27 different albums. Cinebook to publish new valerian and laureline comics in. In fact, for the fifth element, besson worked with valerian s artist mezieres, with the result that the. There are hints but you have to rely on a short history in the foreword. And among the countless little french children who fell in love with valerian and laureline was a 10yearold boy called luc besson, who would go on to become a filmmaker and direct such films as leon.
Valerian made its debut in 1967 in the french weekly magazine pilote. While valerian is mezieres only comic series, he has worked as an illustrator in. Sur les frontieres, 1988 no les armes vivantes, 1990 no 14 les cercles du pouvoir, 1994 no 15 valerian comic books valerian stories are published also in comic book format by fantasy flight publishing. Now they are sent to new york in 1986 to intercept galaxitys. A variety of sources flash gordon movie serials, the films of akira kurosawa, and mythological hero narratives, among others influenced the creation of the star wars franchise. First published in pilote magazine in 1967, the final installment was published in 2010. But some argue that an uncredited influence on star wars is the french science fiction comics series valerian and laureline. Read this french comic that probably influenced star. Valerian later valerian et laureline is a french belgian comic book series by jeanclaude mezieres and pierre christin published from 1967 to 2010 in the 28th century, earth is the center of a powerful galactic empire, governed along technocratic lines from its capital galaxity. Every valerian adventure from bad dreams to the rage of hypsis was first serialised in the francobelgian comics magazine pilote.
In honor of the mother of all recent superhero movies imo, lets talk about a comic book adaptation you might not be familiar with. Valerian and the city of a thousand planets is the new adventure film from luc besson, the director of the professional, the fifth element and lucy, based on the comic book series which inspired a. As a young boy, french filmmaker luc besson was transfixed by a comicbook series called valerian and laureline first published in 1967, written by french author pierre christin and boldly. Was star wars influenced by a french science fiction comic. A popular french scifi comic, i give a bit of background on the book and break down volume 6.
This is a collection that included 4 comic books from the valerian universe. The complete collection, volume 1 by pierre christin. Nowadays, its almost more unusual to see a blockbuster. Everything you need to know about valerian and the city of. To stand a chance to win a valerian and the city of a thousand planets comic book signed by luc besson, all you need to do is tell us the name of the science fiction comics series the film is. Collectors of valerian often prefer to search for the foreign dargaud editions. The basis of earths power and civilization is its mastery of time travel, which makes both instantaneous. Valerian and the city of a thousand planets 20174k hdr.
When bad dreams was eventually collected as an album, it was given the number 0 to reflect its position as the debut adventure in. Having not read any of the previous books, which apparently date back to the 1960s but are in. Their mission is to discover whether the syrtians could present a danger to earth. Of all the comic book movies coming out in 2017, valerian and the city of a thousand planets may be the most interesting. The film ends with valerian dane dehaan and laureline cara delevingne making love inside of a capsule, which is also how luc bessons the fifth element 1997 ended. Valerian is an interesting book because it reveals a foundational french sciencefiction comic of the 70s. So when i learned that besson will be adapting the french scifi comic valerian in 2017 i couldnt help but get excited. Valerian the complete collection volume 1 valerian et. In 1969, a french comic book took readers to the stars. Valerian and laureline have been around for 50 years, starting back in 1967. The french comics behind luc bessons valerian and the city of a thousand planets imagine a messy, exciting.
Since the discovery of spacetime travel in 2314, earth has lived in a semitechnological utopia. Valerian and the city of a thousand planets french. Valerian and the city of a thousand planets is eye candy. Originally published in french in 3 books by dargaud. With dane dehaan, cara delevingne, clive owen, rihanna. The french filmmaker behind boxoffice hits the fifth element and lucy is set to unveil his most ambitious sciencefiction spectacle yet, valerian and the. The french comics behind luc bessons valerian and the. Valerian and laureline are agents who protect mankind from rogue time travellers.
See more ideas about comic art, valerian comic and comics. Movies valerian is the most expensive french film ever. The french comics behind luc bessons valerian imagine a messy, exciting future before valerian was an outrageous movie, it was an odd, ambitious anime view all 11 stories. The source material for the film is a very famous french comic book series, valerian and laureline which has been longalleged to have had. Today, its a bit wordy, and less groundbreaking, but.
Galaxity, capital of the terran empire in the 28th century. The trailer also pointed out that valerian is based on a groundbreaking graphic novel. A dark force threatens alpha, a vast metropolis and home to species from a. The inaugural episode was serialized starting in the november, 1967 issue of the french magazine pilote and went on to become one of the bestknown, and most influential. Valerians comic book source material explained screen rant. Valerian et laureline helped inspire the sciencefiction landscape were familiar with. The professional, the scifi thriller lucy and scifi action movie the fifth element.
They collect the pilote strips and are about as hard to find as any valerian publication. The first trailer for luc bessons valerian and the city of a thousand planets offered a fascinating look at the movies heroes and the larger world they exist in. Valerian and the city of a thousand planets wikipedia. Valerian comics resources and useful links comic art site. Valerian also referred to as valerian and laureline is a space opera comic book created by the writer and artist team of pierre christin and jeanclaude mezieres. To celebrate the release of valerian, mike calabro is going to tell you about the comic its based on and how it fits into the influential history of french science fiction. Having not read any of the previous books, which apparently date back to the 1960s but are in french, the backstory as to how the pair met, what relationship they have and what they worked as is all a bit puzzling. The comic book behind valerian and the city of a thousand. A frenchjapanese animated adaptation of the series ran from october 2007 to march 2008 in the 28th century, earth is the center of a powerful galactic empire, governed along technocratic lines from its capital galaxity. The lasting impact of the littleknown french scifi comic.
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