Valérian - Birds of the Master - Artist's Edition

Valérian, Legendary Adventures

Created at the end of the 60s by two geniuses of the comic genre, Pierre Christin (writing) and  Jean-Claude Mézières (art), Valérian is regarded as the epitome of science-fiction sagas. Millions of books were sold, the stories in them fascinating several generations of readers, but the universe of Valérian didn't stay just on paper: an anime (Japanese cartoon) was made in 2007 and a wonderful movie has been released in 2017 with many many thanks to Luc Besson!

History

Birds of the Master is the 5th volume of the Valérian series (re-titled Valérian and Laureline in 2007, on the 40^th birthday of the saga). First published in Pilote in 1973, this volume is the turning point of the saga, with a distinct maturation of the graphics as well as  the narration content. Birds of the Master has a political backstory, echoing the events of May 1968's social unrest. As a result, the story is dark and almost frightening, far from the usual publications at the time that were made for "kids"

Click below for a brief introduction to France's unforgettably turbulent month of May, 1968.

The adventure… in its Original Version and in Large Format !

The goal of Caurette Editions, with its collection Retour aux Sources, is to give readers an opportunity to discover the mysteries behind the inspiration and creation of legendary comic books, pre-eminent of which is the magnificent Valerian!

Thanks to the gracious and precious help of Jean-Claude Mézières, Pierre Christin, and the diligent efforts of dedicated collectors from all over Europe, we were able to find nearly 90% of the original pages more than 40 years after their creation! These pages were then scanned and digitalised in 4 colours by Dargaud Editions (and many thanks to them too!), in order to preserve the full integrity of the details that usually disappear during the printing process: pencil strokes, correction fluid...

The pages that we were unable to find were reproduced from black and white films of the printed book, and then layered on the same paper the artist used at the time. We really want to thank Philippe Poirier for his incredible work. He took care of the layout, and so many other things, surpassing all expectations, ultimately achieving the wonderful result we have today!

Exclusive Extras

We had the distinct privilege and pleasure to interview the authors. This rare opportunity has allowed us to add twelve pages describing the historical context of the story and provide many personal anecdotes regarding the creation process!

We also integrated amazing original documents, photographs, sketches, and more, many of them are rare and have never been published before!

Finally, as an unexpected coup de grâce, Jean-Claude Mézières and Pierre Christin accepted to sign this exceptional work !!

A splendid separate print

In addition, there is an exceptional separate print within the book: a facsimile of a page, colour printed (40 x 50 cm) and drawn by Jean-Claude Mézières.

This print is the closest reproduction of the original work, composed of two half-pages taped by the illustrator.

More information on : www.caurette.com

Click below for a brief introduction to two of France's most famous artists in the comic illustration genre!

Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières laid the foundations of science fiction in comics with their series Valérian. In 2007, they celebrated the 40th anniversary of the series during the Angoulême festival