Captured and imprisoned in the Roca Negra fortress, XIII is being tortured by the sinister Colonel Peralta. But, for all his pain and suffering, he's also in the same building as Maria, the woman who may be his wife. And they have plenty of dedicated, resourceful friends outside... as well as at least one traitor. Still unsure of his past, Jason McLane will have no choice but to become the man known as "El Cascador" to clean up Costa Verde once and for all.
Bad luck, shoddy equipment and hostile fauna have stranded Kim and her companions thousands of miles from the Antares expedition's base camp. Abandoned to their fate by the fanatical leaders who cannot abide Kim's independent streak, wracked by internal dissent, the little group must make its way back through an unknown, terrifying land a long journey that will raise many questions and cost many lives.
As the main body of the Antares expedition faces a catastrophic situation and seems doomed to failure, Kim's little group is still trying to establish contact with whoever kidnapped her daughter Lynn. But the fanatic Jedediah is still there, causing dissension and creating obstacles. Only Kim's strength of character, her determination to find her daughter, and her special bond with the alien Sven - Lynn's father - can still save them all...
The Antares mission is underway. Kim, her daughter and her companions are on board the interstellar ship that carries the would-be colonists. Conditions are far from ideal, though. The fanaticism and bigotry of a large number of the passengers, all members of the project leader's sect, are putting everyone on edge. As well, there are rumours of substandard equipment for the expedition. By the time they reach Antares, Kim and her friends are already disillusioned... and the worst is yet to come.
Kim's group, still stranded halfway across Antares, must get back to the base camp through a journey filled with deadly encounters. Meanwhile, at the base camp, a trip to the neighbouring planet source of the strange ray that vaporised Kim's daughter is being organised. The prospect of meeting an intelligent species, though, drives the religious fanatics in charge to clamp down on any person or activity deemed rebellious. As if a hostile world isn't enough, the colonists have brought their own worst enemy with them...
The long journey of the Neptune is well underway. Lady Vivian is
counting on her associate Long John Silver to take control of the
expedition. But Silver doesn't have enough men to take over the ship,
and Captain Hastings doesn't trust him. In the close quarters of a
tall ship, tensions rise; betrayal looms... Blood will be spilled
before the vessel reaches the Amazon, and a single act of routine
brutality will throw the Neptune into a maelstrom of death.
Kim's mission to the other Antares planet - the one from which came the mysterious beam that took her daughter - is underway, and the young woman desperately wants to believe she will find her missing child. One amongst her team has no shortage of faith, though: the insufferable Jedediah Thornton is convinced they are going to meet an advanced alien civilisation. And he will stop at nothing to ensure humanity's representative is a man of proper morals...
Humanity migrates to a new planet, the secrets of which Kim Keller will have to unravel. After the failure of the Betelgeuse colonisation mission, Kim is back on Earth, where she is an increasingly popular figure. Meanwhile, advance scouts on planet Antares have witnessed some distressingly strange events. Worried about the future of this new mission, the sponsors of the Antares project call upon Kim to accompany the first colonists, offering legal amnesty for Alexa and Mark in exchange. It's the beginning of a new adventure for the young woman and her friends.
The long journey of the Neptune is well underway. Lady Vivian is counting on her associate Long John Silver to take control of the expedition. But Silver doesnâEURTMt have enough men to take over the ship, and Captain Hastings doesnâEURTMt trust him. In the close quarters of a tall ship, tensions rise; betrayal loomsâEUR¦ Blood will be spilled before the vessel reaches the Amazon, and a single act of routine brutality will throw the Neptune into a maelstrom of death.
The story of Robin Hood has made a strong impression on Jesse James, and he would like to become a bandit with a big heart, like his hero. With the help of his brother Frank and his cousin Cole Younger, he decides to steal from the rich and redistribute the loot to the poorâ´S But soon the trio is keeping the stolen money and spreading terror wherever they go. At Nothing Gulch, Lucky Luke is more than ready for them. But will he be able to rid the town of these desperados, when the population, terrorized, does nothing to help him?
In this new volume, Lucky Luke has to clean out a whole city: Fenton Town, so named because, after being abandoned by the pioneers who founded it, it has been taken over by Dean Fenton, a desperado of the worst sort... Fenton Town has become the most depraved city in all of Texas. Lucky Luke makes a short visit to townâjust the time needed to put Fenton in prison and chase out the remaining rabble.But soon the Dalton Brothers take up the torch, and, following Fentonâs ideas, create... Dalton City, exclusively reserved for gangsters!!! They even capture Lucky Luke and force him to help them...
Belarus, in Soviet times. Irina is an unremarkable young woman growing up in an orphanage. One night, a mysterious visitor demands to see her and her best friend Julia. The latter goes first, then Irina is told she won't be needed after all. The next day, Julia has vanished without a trace... Thus begins a quest for truth and vengeance, from Minsk to Moscow to Washington - one that will lead Irina to discover her true calling.
The mysterious events in Kenya are beginning to attract international attention - and maybe too much of it.After reporting to London, Kathy Austin returns to Kenya to continue her investigation. In the palace of Count Di Broglie, the young English woman finally meets the last survivors of the Remington expedition, but they lack material proof to support their stories. Kathy is ordered to obtain information on Irmanius, a rather inquisitive individual who's been snooping around the country. Who is he working for? The Americans, the Russians... or some considerably more foreign power?
From the shores of Lake Victoria, Kathy and Remington witnessed an extraordinary event: the coming of a massive UFO. Stunned by the sight, they're taken prisoners by Irmanius, who's working for the Soviets. Faced with the oddness of their situation and its potential dangers, though, Westerners and Communists decide to team up. A temporary alliance that may not survive the fantastic discoveries ahead of them.
After the extraordinary events of Lake Victoria, the Soviet agents let Kathy Austin and her companions go. On their way back to Mombasa, the group stops to speak to Lord Balmer, who was taken in by the Maasai. The Lord has lost his mind, and tells them a wild story of extraterrestrials and apocalypse... but is the story so fantastic after all? Will Kathy manage to find an explanation to the mysteries of Kenya - and maybe tangible proof?
Kenya, 1947. A hunting expedition led by American writer John Remington makes a startling encounter, and then vanishes without a trace. Shortly afterwards, Katherine Austin, agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service, arrives in Mombasa. Her mission: investigate a series of mysterious sightings and incidents, of which the disappearance of the Remington party could be the latest. Undercover as a teacher, courted by colleagues who may be working for competing secret services, she's about to enter a whole new reality...
Caleb (a human) and Mezoke (a Sandjarr) are paired up and trained as special agents to keep the intergalactic peace. This is a controversial and historic alliance given their races' longstanding enmity, and a lot of people are watching them. Their first mission is to keep war from breaking out between humans and Javlodes on the planet Senestam.
Caleb acts as a mediator between the warring factions while dealing with an attack by Stilvulls (highly destructive insects)-and he also has to contend with his feelings for charming doctor Kim Vandersel. Mezoke is on the planet Upssal, trying to appease the Javlodes
This third book of the collected edition contains volumes 6 to 8: Ambassador of the Shadows - the story that directly inspired Luc Besson's film - On the False Earths and Heroes of the Equinox. Over the course of these titles, among the finest in the series, Laureline takes her rightful place as the brains of the outfit, while Valerian fully embraces his role as anti-hero: always brave, but often a bit out of his depth. You will also find the end of the interview with Luc Besson and the authors, and an in-depth portrait of Jean-Claude Mézières, the artist.
On Puerto Blanco, life goes on. Captain Flynn is dead, murdered by his old nemesis. Emilio mourns his mentor and lover, yet finds unexpected companionship in Maria and Raffy. The three children left behind by the Barracuda have grown and found each other, but the dangers are many: De La Loya and his Spanish expedition; Ferrango, Maria's cuckolded husband; Flynn's killer; a scorned woman with a talent for poisons... And above all, a cursed diamond that carries madness and death.
After the events in Stockholm, Caleb and Mezoke have become renegades and are hunted by the entire Confederation. Inevitably they end up on Tetsuam, a gigantic itinerant space station that's the capital of crime in the galaxy. But while they attempt to sort out a future for themselves, and as Confederate space is recovering from the civil war, the Neuronomes - sentient ships previously thought eradicated - appear to launch random, devastating suicide attacks that kill thousands...
Following the Kuala Lumpur incidents, which almost prevented the Human-Sandjarr reconciliation ceremony from being held, the situation on Earth is increasingly tense. The mood has turned ugly, resulting in attacks against aliens and assassinations of isolationist personalities. Meanwhile, the circles of Confederate powers are afire with political manoeuvring, and Mezoke is on trial for high treason, a convenient scapegoat. But when the judges request that Caleb be brought out of his regenerative coma to testify, the Sandjarr agent's loyalty is put to the test...
After fleeing Confederate space, Caleb and Mezoke are hiding among a community of exiles disgusted by the corruption and violence infecting the galactic government. Caleb is recovering slowly, just as Angus, the living ship, is doing on a different world. But a powerful, dangerous psychic link seems to exist between them, and all are actively hunted by both the authorities and a terrorist group. When running ceases to be the answer, the only option left is resistance...
The unexplained deaths in the mangrove have not deterred authorities: The ceremonies will go on as planned in Kuala Lumpur, despite Mezoke's resistance and growing disagreement with Caleb. But the official optimism is soon dampened by news of further destruction, closer to the city. And when Nina and Angus return with the identity of the killer, an old enemy of the Confederation, the agents will be forced to act in desperation-and, maybe, to pay the ultimate price.
Welcome to the offices of Spirou Magazine. Everyone here is hard at work to keep the magazine ticking, from reporters to secretaries, including editor Fantasio and even, occasionally, Spirou himself. Everyone? Well, not quite... There's that office boy, Gomer. No one's entirely sure what his job description is, or how he got hired. One thing is certain, though: he's a walking disaster zone! From work-shirking scheme to disastrous invention, enter the hilarious world of the most famous layabout of all!