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Terry Hooper-Scharf

Wednesday 8 August 2018

Cinebook The 9th Art: VALERIAN - SHINGOUZLOOZ INC.


Authors: Wilfrid Lupano & Mathieu Lauffray
Age: 12 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
PAPERBACK
Number of pages: 56 colour pages
Publication: May 2018
TOTAL: £7.99 INC. VAT


An apparently simple mission – apprehending a speculator-droid – turns into a race against time when the Shingouz drop in uninvited mid-arrest, begging Valerian and Laureline for protection against someone who means to kill them.

To the agents’ surprise, it’s an old friend who soon pops up in hot pursuit, guns blazing. The ensuing shoot-out does little to simplify an already complicated situation: our heroes’ favourite information brokers have managed to ... lose Earth in a card game!

"In the style of..." No. I am not sure whether it is because I have only ever known Christin & Meziere's work but I was not too keen on this. Whether another read of this book (I've read it twice now) will change my mind -or future volumes- I have no idea.  The art was just too modern a style which is not surprising since Dargaud only published it in 2017.  It was like looking at any other contemporary European comic album. And the story just did not impress.

The eccentricity and style that made Valerian and Laureline -now simply Valerian- is attempted but, no. That's quite depressing really. Oddly, the series in French is still Valerian and Laureline. Looking at the art again...no, none of that old style is there.  Maybe the next volume -if there is one- will change my mind?

As Cinebook no longer gives preview pages (bad idea) I have had to take page samples from a French site -Cinebook publishes in ENGLISH remember!









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