31. Valérian - L'Intégrale Volume 3 by J.C. Mezieres and Pierre Christin

Now we are starting to get into the meat of this series and I can see that it really is very reminiscent of Star Trek (interestingly I somehow convinced my daughter to watch the first two episodes of the original Star Trek with me; she was not negative).  I'm also noting the playful tone of the first two volumes continues and even reinforces itself here, with a lot of the banter being Valérian treated as the big hero while quietly Laureline does much of the work behind the scenes (while worrying about Valérian).

 

L'Ambassadeur des ombres (1975)

This story was really cool, totally would have blown my mind if I had read it when I was a nerdy adolescent.  This is the cool joy and chaos that I suspect makes this series so influential.  The action here takes place on Point Central, which in and of itself is an awesome concept.  It's the first meeting point in space between two civilizations.  They connected their vessels to make a little space station.  Other civilizations came and joined them to the point that countless millennia later it is the meeting place for all known space beings, a massive, unregulated conglomeration of ships that is basically a massive, barely mapped, multi-celled world.

Valerian and Laureline are transporting (and supposed to be security guards for) the arrogant Terrian ambassador who plans to finally impose order on Point Central.  He (and Valerian) are promptly kidnapped and Laureline has to make her way through several fascinating cells of other civilizations to find them.  She is also responsible for the Transmuteur Grognon de Bluxe, a grumpy little creature who can eat one pearl or gold coin and then poop out thousands, so basically a walking wealth creator.

This one has a neat ending that both reveals some of the past of Point Central and has a pro-diversity anti-control message very appropriate to the period in which it was created (and a message even more necessary today).

Sur les terres truqués (1977)

This is the classic real world is like a videogame story, where Valérian is sent out on a mission to what looks like 20th century France but keeps getting killed.  It was a neat little story and perhaps they invented the concept here, but at this point, it`s been done so many times that the twist didn't seem all that special.  It was also was so typically french where the concept was that this mysterious designer had create simulations of ancient earth because he found its conflicts so fascinating, but except all the various simulations Valérian visits are basically in France and of course 19th century France.  So typically frenchly solipsistic. They love their Belle époque!  :)

Les Héros de l'équinoxe

This story is a fun opportunity for Mézières to really go to town with the art and design.  Four heroes representing different types of civilizations (aristocratic warriors, industrial collectivists, spiritual naturlists and humble Valérian) arrive at a planet that depends on a quest every generation to go the Island of Children and bring back new babies.  Their heroes have failed and gotten too old.  We get these great parallel panels, showing the four heroes first in their backgrounds and then as they go on the quest and battle the various challenges.  Of course, Valérian wins and gets to ball with this awesome fertility babe goddess creature.  A lot of fun.