How a French comic series quietly shaped the visual language of modern science fiction
In short: Created in 1967 by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières, Valérian and Laureline defied the era's square-jawed hero tropes. By blending space opera with humanist politics and vivid, alien-filled landscapes, the series became a landmark that left undeniable traces on cinematic giants like Star Wars and The Fifth Element.
Originally titled Valérian: Spatio-Temporal Agent, the series debuted in Pilote magazine as a reaction against the prevalent, fearless boy-scout archetypes of the time. Christin and Mézières sought to create a banal protagonist with no extraordinary means of action. While Valérian was a trained agent of the 28th-century Terran Galactic Empire, his partner Laureline—a peasant girl from 11th-century France—quickly evolved from a side character into the series' true star. Her independence, intelligence, and refusal to blindly follow imperial orders challenged the genre's conventions, drawing inspiration from the burgeoning feminist movement and Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex.
The series is celebrated for its optimistic liberal humanism, where conflicts are resolved through reason rather than violence. As the narrative progressed, the stories moved away from simple good-versus-evil plots to explore complex themes like environmentalism, the rejection of machismo, and the dangers of imperialist real-politik. Mézières’s art was central to this vision, providing what critic Pepo Pérez likened to a National Geographic on a cosmic scale. His boundless inventiveness in depicting futuristic architecture and otherworldly species created a lived-in aesthetic that later influenced major science fiction films.
The impact of Valérian on pop culture is profound, though often understated. Mézières was famously dazzled and jealous upon seeing Star Wars, noting visual similarities to his own work. He later produced a satirical illustration showing his characters meeting Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa. Beyond film, the series’ influence extended to other comics, with artists like Walt Simonson and Gil Kane adopting its visual style. Even after the final installment was published in 2010, the series remains a testament to how science fiction can serve as a sophisticated vehicle for social commentary and artistic innovation.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Valérian and Laureline
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