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Post by beccabear67 on Sept 3, 2019 14:45:04 GMT -5
I read the first one last night, so funny they modeled one of the characters on Sun Ra (just adding an extra 'e' at the end of his name) I guess he and his Arkestra were fairly popular in France in the late '60s? I wonder if Moondog will show up in a future story? Or perhaps Captain Beefheart meets The Swingle Singers?  |
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Post by codystarbuck on Sept 3, 2019 20:53:14 GMT -5
Finished The Wrath of Hypsis last night, concluding the fourth volume of the complete collection, and I'm honestly not sure if I want to keep going. I can see the series continuing to evolve in its own way, but the series seems to be spending less time developing its ideas, and the characters have become predictable. I do find it intriguing how this last volume began hinting back to the beginning of Valerian's career (as well as his apparent death), but I'm just not excited about this series the way I was at the start. So I guess I'm asking if it gets significantly better. If it's already at or near its apex, and I'm just not appreciating it as much as I should, I'll call it a day and move on to something I enjoy more. The next 3 form the collection that Byron Preiss put out, around the release of the Fifth Element. I thought they were a tremendous read. That's On the Frontiers, The Living Weapons and The Circles of Power. Your mileage may vary |
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Post by brutalis on Sept 4, 2019 10:03:03 GMT -5
Finished The Wrath of Hypsis last night, concluding the fourth volume of the complete collection, and I'm honestly not sure if I want to keep going. I can see the series continuing to evolve in its own way, but the series seems to be spending less time developing its ideas, and the characters have become predictable. I do find it intriguing how this last volume began hinting back to the beginning of Valerian's career (as well as his apparent death), but I'm just not excited about this series the way I was at the start. So I guess I'm asking if it gets significantly better. If it's already at or near its apex, and I'm just not appreciating it as much as I should, I'll call it a day and move on to something I enjoy more. Perhaps it is the "binge" reading of the series causing your fatigue Shax? Too much in too short of a time. This is why I have been doing my best to "keep it slow" in reading only 1 story every 2-3 weeks or so. There is such a build up and anticipation for me having known of the series for so many years and only now to finally purchasing them all. I really want to savor each story and enjoy immersing into the comics world without "blowing " through them too quickly. Take 3 Barks, rinse with some Rosa then gargle with some Sakai and then read another Valerian story. Repeat....  |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Sept 4, 2019 12:18:05 GMT -5
Finished The Wrath of Hypsis last night, concluding the fourth volume of the complete collection, and I'm honestly not sure if I want to keep going. I can see the series continuing to evolve in its own way, but the series seems to be spending less time developing its ideas, and the characters have become predictable. I do find it intriguing how this last volume began hinting back to the beginning of Valerian's career (as well as his apparent death), but I'm just not excited about this series the way I was at the start. So I guess I'm asking if it gets significantly better. If it's already at or near its apex, and I'm just not appreciating it as much as I should, I'll call it a day and move on to something I enjoy more. Perhaps it is the "binge" reading of the series causing your fatigue Shax? Too much in too short of a time. This is why I have been doing my best to "keep it slow" in reading only 1 story every 2-3 weeks or so. There is such a build up and anticipation for me having known of the series for so many years and only now to finally purchasing them all. I really want to savor each story and enjoy immersing into the comics world without "blowing " through them too quickly. Take 3 Barks, rinse with some Rosa then gargle with some Sakai and then read another Valerian story. Repeat.... I don't binge in the classical sense. When I read an adventure, it's my "me" time for the evening, curled up in my favorite reading chair, and luxuriously savoring each page . I seldom read two adventures in a single night. Sometimes I need a break from a series. I take lengthy breaks between my Savage Sword of Conan reads because it gets repetitive quickly; I'm reading more for the opportunity to escape into the genre once again than to savor an individual tale, but Valerian and Laureline wasn't that kind of work for me until recently. The earlier stories were each so incredibly SPECIAL and unforgettable . I haven't felt that way about the last few stories. If I'd never read the most recent ones, I don't feel I would have missed much. |
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Post by brutalis on Sept 16, 2019 8:18:24 GMT -5
Welcome to Alflolol.
With this story we get a return of ecological/sociological/industrial/political looked at through the eyes of science fiction. Essentially an interstellar family traversing space returns home after centuries away to find that Earth has colonized their home-world and the family as the 1st returnee's finds their world changed. As the rest of the Alflolians return they are placed onto a reservation (shades of USA!) to resume living upon their own planet. Chaos ensues as of course the land they are given is barren and useless for living and the Alflo's are not particularly pleased. Laureline who is in telepathic connection with the family's wife is causing issues and Valerian is essentially made the administrator of the returning travelers.
Valerian does fight the good political fight as best he can for the Alflo's but Laureline and the "alien"s are not making his "job" any easier. Eventually after trying to co-op the Allflolians into workers (which fails) the Alflolians choose to leave after having endured enough hardships. The original Alflolian family is unable to leave as their ship is too badly damaged. Valerian provides the perfect solution taking the family to Galaxity where they will be be made ambassadors and have plenty to eat and drink without doing any real work (which is the way of life for the Alflolian people) the rest of their lives.
Some heavy handed storytelling and yet there are bits and pieces providing interest. Every member of the Alflolians gains a unique and special power as they mature (wife is telepathic, 1 child becomes a healer, another helps create plant growth) to adult. The idea of travelling space due to curiosity of other cultures, spacecrafts created from the very soil of the planet, having little interest in wealth or material goods and even less interest in working. All could be expanded upon but are essentially throw away concepts left to the imagination of the reader to explore.
The artwork is splendid and creative with a very European consistency we American's seldom see in Science Fiction art or movies. It makes for a beautiful comic and fairly if unexciting but entertaining story.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Sept 16, 2019 13:20:30 GMT -5
I loved how seamlessly the comedic moments were inter-spliced with moments of wisdom and an important, but heavy-handed message about colonialism.
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Post by brutalis on Sept 16, 2019 16:56:53 GMT -5
I loved how seamlessly the comedic moments were inter-spliced with moments of wisdom and an important, but heavy-handed message about colonialism. Really enjoyed how annoyed and irritated the Governor of Technorog got during the story and the more Valerian became indifferent to it all and was doing all that he could for the Alflolians! |
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Post by brutalis on Oct 15, 2019 9:12:46 GMT -5
Birds of the Master, the final story found in The Complete Valerian book 2 finds Val and Laureline as incidental characters with the story being the focal point. Our heroes actually do very little other than being participants in the story line itself. The overall story being how the planets population is "slaves" for the "Master" who remains unseen until the very end. Most of the story deals with the hardships of everyone endures under threat of "the birds" the Master controls forcing the population to endlessly wander the countryside to provide nourishment on the Master's behalf. Everyone is in rags, overworked, starving and ultimately left to die on the side of the road and the population is in such fear they grudgingly accept this routine day in and day out. Eventually someone will revolt but the "crowd" never stands together against the Master until Valerian does his usual speech after Laureline realizes that only with the strength of everyone can the Master be defeated. The Master turns tail and runs (visualized as a giant blob of what?) freeing the world where those who are there suddenly indulge themselves and immediately become as horrible as the Master. Val/Laureline manage to change the suddenly free slaves and shock them into thinking and guiding them towards doing the right thing so that ALL can benefit and live freely.
Quite a moralizing and preachifying story here of how the masses can and will endure subjugation without uniting to fight back. Some very detailed artwork showing the progression and improving skills of Mezieres in visualizing the worlds which Christin comes up with. I am seeing less "adventure/thrills" and more emphasis upon sociological concepts as Christin seems to becoming more comfortable as a writer utilizing his creations to show us the horrors of what our future may become. A difficult balancing act, which future editions will tell the tale of his success (which it must be since, the series continues) or not. Still, for the most part an interesting story crafted well which asks us the readers to think and participate in being more than "just" readers of a story.
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Post by berkley on Oct 16, 2019 3:47:50 GMT -5
I loved how seamlessly the comedic moments were inter-spliced with moments of wisdom and an important, but heavy-handed message about colonialism. Just out of curiosity, did you mean to type 'not heavy-handed' ? I thought it was done really well, myself. Yes, the productivity-obsessed technocrats of Technorog aren't painted with much nuance, but their single-minded focus is an accurate reflection of reality.
But I also thought that the underlying sense, in contrast to the ostensibly happy ending, was actually very pessimistic: |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Oct 16, 2019 7:35:50 GMT -5
Finished The Wrath of Hypsis last night, concluding the fourth volume of the complete collection, and I'm honestly not sure if I want to keep going. I can see the series continuing to evolve in its own way, but the series seems to be spending less time developing its ideas, and the characters have become predictable. I do find it intriguing how this last volume began hinting back to the beginning of Valerian's career (as well as his apparent death), but I'm just not excited about this series the way I was at the start. So I guess I'm asking if it gets significantly better. If it's already at or near its apex, and I'm just not appreciating it as much as I should, I'll call it a day and move on to something I enjoy more. For my money, that’s where the series culminates. The title went through its high adventure, enthusiastic phase; then a more mature phase with more political and philosophical concepts (and more humour)! With the four final books we have a coda of sorts dealing with the fact the series lasted for longer than expected, as the far future of 1986 had arrived without the end of civilisation occurring. The series actually ended there for a while. Because the conclusion was open ended, it was possible to add to the saga, but although I did enjoy the following books, they never reached level of the earlier ones. They were pretty much, as far as I am concerned, the equivalent of the later Elric books by Michael Moorcock. More of the same, which is often nice, but does not strike me as necessary. |
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Post by brutalis on Jun 15, 2020 7:58:29 GMT -5
Finished up book 3 of the Complete Collection which includes Ambassador of the Shadows from 1975 and which is more or less (really less, just the barest of connections as the main movie plot) the basis of Luc Besson's movie, along with On the False Earths and Heroes of the Equinox. This collection is for my money one of the best editions as you get 3 entirely different styles of adventures for Valerian and Laureline which gives them both moments to shine. By this point writer Pierre Christin and Mezieres are a well oiled team with each doing their best work and inspiring each other to greater heights. The stories are superb and the artwork mesmorizing and intricately intoxicating!
Ambassador of the Shadows is a totally different story than what you will see in the movie. Entirely a Laureline story with Val being a small piece it shows Laureline's growth into a strong, individual character actually usurping Valerian's top spot. Rather sad that Besson totally screwed up in the movie making Laureline the damsel in distress requiring saving when with this story the reverse is true and she is the one rescuing Valerian from his troubles.
On the False Earths is a splendid, intricately woven story of time travel with Valerian being cloned into a virtual army of himself in order to investigate different time lines in search of the villain. The kicker: the clones are only functional for 3 hours before they "die" and of course they all act and function believing they are the "original" Valerian. A really fun kicker of a story and in the end Leureline delivers THE BEST definition of herself and women in general saying: Woman is a miracle of divine contradiction and asking Valerian to buy her some more Champagne...
Heroes of the Equinox sends Valerian on a quest alongside 3 others in a contest to assist the barren inhabitants of Silmane. Every hundred equinoxes heroes travel to participate in the contest. Whichever hero succeeds is never seen again but a large group of children looking like the hero will appear. This time there has been no hero to succeed. At the end the heroes all meet and are asked the question of what each hero envisions for the future of the Simlane people. Of course each wants "their" vision to resemble who and what they are in essence. Valerian states he would prefer the generation to choose for themselves. He wins. And the reward is to mate with the beautiful Great Mother to father the next generation of Simlane babies. Valerian proudly performs his duty and when babies begin appearing back on Silmane then Laureline follows his trail to find a now miniature Val whom she furiously (he was having sex with the Great Mother of course) carries back and leaves the planet.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 15, 2020 21:56:58 GMT -5
Love Heroes of the Equinox, especially the satire of Marvel heroes in the competitors...  |
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Post by brutalis on Jun 16, 2020 7:55:01 GMT -5
Love Heroes of the Equinox, especially the satire of Marvel heroes in the competitors... Oh yes, provided me some good chuckles during the reading. |
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Post by brutalis on Mar 28, 2021 14:51:49 GMT -5
Started up the Complete Collection Volume 4 and all I can say is WOW. The earlier stories draw you in imaginatively creative artistic fantasy and sci'fi visuals and then you open this volume with Chatelet Station, Drstination Cassiopeia with Valerian and Laureline on separate missions yet still in communication. He in the past on Earth while she is deep in space.
This one pulls you in deeply with the writing and then you find yourself entranced with Valerian's investigation in the past. Such subtle beauty and old world European splendor in depth and details. I find myself after this 1st chapter having to stop and pore over the panel. Looking closely at the nuances of Val in a world he doesn't know and splendor of Laureline in a world unknown. Exquisite silent panels all telling a heartfelt story meant to be truly felt and viewed intently.
This is not the juvenile care free Val we have been reading before. Now there is a more contemplative, quiet reverent soul in need of his muse and his intelligent and inquisitive muse who desperately needs him as well. Truly this one I will need to find time to digest and read once more before I begin the next concluding chapter.
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Post by brutalis on Apr 5, 2021 21:02:03 GMT -5
Brooklyn Line, Terminus Cosmos part 2 continuing the story is just as sublime, beautiful and artistically splendid. Mexieres is giving vivid, inventive life to Christin's creative writing. This book has has quickly jumped to a favorite spot for me along with the series as a whole. The intertwining story with Laureline and Val on solo missions which connect in the end is delightful. We find Valerian making his usual dumb mistake with a beautiful woman (an enemy agent of course) which irritates Laureline to no end, but she doesn't explode in frustration but let's her anger guide her, so much as becoming more determined and in charge of herself and Val. Watta woman!
Cannot yell of the delight I find in Meziere's incredible line work. The layout, the faces, the landscape, the aliens all have a depth of richness and character you don't see from many artists. What began as cartoonish over the top humorously drawn is now nuanced, detailed and captivating. This is artwork you can lose yourself in, lost for a day simply poeing over each panel to find new things which draw your eye and attention. Stupendous!
Christin has to be complimented for creating such wondrous characters while placing them into unique instances. Moments in time and space which demands you MUST go back and read it again for fully absorbing all there is.
Again, WOW. Young me might have enjoyed this but adult me LOVES it.
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