Like most fans, I thought “Volume 22: Memories of the Futures” (2013) was the final “Valerian and Laureline” book, but artist Jean-Claude Mezieres and writer Pierre Christin came back with one last (for now?) book, “Volume 23: The Future is Waiting,” in 2019.
As with the previous entry, this reads like a gift to fans; its five short stories revisit famous characters and tropes (and some weaknesses) of the saga. The collection is up to the duo’s usual storytelling and artistic standards but is not an entry point; it’s for already-hooked fans.
First work since the movie
Created from 2013-18 (and colored by the duo’s longtime colleague Eveline Tranle) the stories in Vol. 23 mark the first work that post-dates the 2017 “Valerian” movie. Mezieres and Christin are not influenced by Luc Besson’s film, just as they didn’t make any adjustments for the “Time Jam” cartoon before that; they’re content with their own sandbox (which they should be, because it’s better – although I have soft spots for those alternate takes, too).
As it’s been a while since I read volumes 0-22, I didn’t get all the connections here, but it doesn’t matter that much from an entertainment standpoint as I loved returning to V&L’s loving banter and Mezieres’ imaginative creatures and backgrounds.
In the first story, which loosely ties in with “The Circles of Power” (15), Valerian and Laureline are sent by the government on a recon mission to check out the base of a rival Rubanis faction right there on Point Central; I thought it was a different location till it gets clarified later in the story.
I guess this space station (the basis for the movie’s City of a Thousand Planets) is huge, after all. One of C&M’s weaknesses is putting a tidy bow on their stories, and this one’s solution is confusing. But it does end with Laureline in a skimpy outfit, so congrats to them for effectively distracting the reader.
Always adventurous
Story No. 2 is a romp with “The Living Weapons’ ” (14) Schniarf – the creature that is tame and loyal when its head-weapon is tied down, a fierce blasting gun when loosened. It’s a nice undercover mission for Laureline, who takes advantage of the dimwitted prison guards’ lackadaisical attitude — like Valerian does in the wider story, if I recall – to free the Schniarf.
I’m reminded of another reason I love “V&L”: While the stakes are real, they are always adventurous in tone rather than grim, and even a prison has a soft underbelly to exploit with cleverness.
Story No. 3, which revisits “Hostages of Ultralum”/“Orphan of the Stars” (16-17), shows how – whatever you think of the dictatorial form of government – there can be good and bad dictators. The Caliphette of Iksaladam is young and selfish, and would therefore rule in chaotic fashion.
So Valerian temporarily takes the throne and is amusingly beloved for his mercy and kindness. But we can see the disorder creeping in before Laureline bails him out.
Forever young
The last two stories bring us forward (or back?) to the Young V&L portion of the saga, which came at its very end in “The Time Opener” (21). Christin gives us another three-way Holy Trinity debate between a Mafia-type as God, a hippie-type as Jesus and a clock as the Holy Spirit.
Because it’s simpler than what’s portrayed in “The Wrath of Hypsis” (12), it’s more immediately humorous and likeable.
Story No. 5 sticks with Young V&L for a very cute capper as the two kids are prodigies at flying and horseback riding, respectively. For reasons they don’t understand (but we do), these tasks are second nature to them.
A military official believes V&L can be sent on a mission and the time-ship journey will return them to their normal adult ages (and then the return trip would de-age them – I love how Christin is so breezy with the rules).
Uncle Albert gets talked into it, the Shingouz are the couriers (including the one who is in love with Laureline – an example of blatant and successful fan service), and everyone presumably lives happily ever after in a time loop.
It almost makes me want re-read the whole saga, but being greedy, there’s something I’d like even better: for Mezieres and Christin (or other writers – “Shingouzlooz Inc.” was fun) to surprise us with even more stories in the future. Or the past. You know what I mean.
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