‘Valerian and Laureline’ flashback: ‘Shingouzlooz Inc.’ (2017) (Comic book review)

One of the most remarkable things about writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mezieres’ work on “Valerian and Laureline” from 1967-2103 is how little they farmed out the characters. It wasn’t because they weren’t interested in doing that – indeed, they had wanted Luc Besson to make a “Valerian” movie for decades before it happened – but for whatever reason, “V&L” didn’t get licensed out much. Exceptions are the 2007-08 animated series and 2017 movie, both of which (perhaps owing to their respective media) are re-inventions of the “Valerian” lore, not intended to be strictly faithful.

In 2013, Manu Larcenet wrote the first Expanded Universe story set in C&M’s “Valerian” comic universe, “The Jakolass Armor.” For whatever reason, it hasn’t been translated from French to English. But the second EU story has been: writer Wilfrid Lupano and artist Mathieu Lauffray’s “Shingouzlooz Inc.” (September 2017 in French, May 2018 in English). While it doesn’t perfectly capture the feel of C&M’s “Valerian,” it gets closer than the TV series or movie do, and it proves there’s artistic potential for plenty more “Valerian” spinoff fiction.

The hardest thing to do, it seems, is capture the Valerian and Laureline relationship. It seems so effortless on Christin’s part, but portraying a happy couple is not something in the wheelhouse of modern comic writers. (The TV series and movie don’t jump into happy coupledom. The TV show uses playful-bickering comedy, while the movie uses a romance origin story where one person is immature and the other resistant.)

Lupano has Laureline say “Well done, sweetie! I knew you could do it!,” and shows Valerian slightly miffed that life-sized organic Laureline dolls are being sold online to Laureline aficionados. The author is in the right ballpark, but it seems like only Christin and Mezieres can get this relationship precisely right.

In terms of individual characterization in “Shingouzlooz Inc.,” Laureline appropriately kicks the crap out of the magnate who is pushing the dolls (having ownership of Laureline’s DNA because he owns Earth – it’s a long story). Valerian is more comically put-upon than usual, as he’s beset by one problem after another, including being swallowed by a giant sea beast, while getting conflicting instructions from Laureline, the Shingouz trio and his Spatio-Temporal Agency boss. (This story is set in the first half of the saga, before the timeline reset wipes out Galaxity.)

If a bit broadly, Lupano captures the wild, comedy-tinged plotting and themes, as Valerian travels 3.5 billion years into the past in order to destroy the beacon that allowed Earth to be owned and traded. He then learns it can’t be destroyed, lest all Earth flora and fauna be wiped from history, thanks to a “Futurama”-esque twist involving a Shingouz with a runny snout. Lupano also peppers in environmental commentary/satire with the notion that the giant space whales that aim to pilfer Earth’s oceans are getting sick from the polluted water.

The most convoluted satire in “Shingouzlooz Inc.” comes via Mr. Zi-Pone, a sentient robot who contains two recognized nations (which he uses as tax havens) within his body. Valerian and Laureline are tasked with arresting him for tax dodging, but it’s clear that they – and Galaxity and the Spatio-Temporal Agency at large – are helpless to stop a supercomputer that can move money around faster than finance laws can be made or enforced. Besides, V&L’s boss is doing some insider trading (or something like that) of his own. This all fits snugly with the corporatism parodies that C&M tapped into.

The art by Lauffray – who did some “Star Wars” Thrawn trilogy covers for Dark Horse in the 1990s – is strong. Everyone looks like they’re supposed to, including Mr. Albert, who joins Laureline’s subplot. Lauffray doesn’t quite capture the softer side of our heroes – they are mostly in action mode – but that could be because the script doesn’t go there. Creatures and creations include a thought blob, various sea beasts and the robot Mr. Zi-Pone; they feel at home in Mezieres’ universe.

Slightly more warmth and humor between the two leads would be nice, but Lupano and Lauffray prove they know their way around the Valerian-verse in “Shingouzlooz Inc.” I hope they, and many other authors and artists, will be given more chances to play in this sandbox.

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My rating: