Cover Image: Valerian and Laureline By...

Valerian and Laureline By...

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There was an issue with the file. I couldn't read a majority of the pages because... well they weren't there. So there's hardly anything I can say much about the book. I was really looking forward to it though because with the movie out, I wanted to try my hand at the comic that inspired it all.

Sad that I couldn't.

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I saw the film so I wondered about the graphic novel and I was not disappointed well drawn and a great read

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Valerian and Laureline are on a seemingly easy task to retrieve a piece of stolen tech in a vacation paradise, when next thing they know, their mission has taken a turn for the complicated and ridiculous- only the way it can for these two.

I first discovered Valerian a year or so ago as a movie trailer and I knew I had to know more. Once I discovered they were originally graphic novels in the 1970s, I got my grabby hand on the originals. Well, the stories were fun- full of action and mischief that I realized seemed to follow the two main characters, but I was not loving the art, not even a little.

When I saw that there was a new Valerian graphic novel coming out, I was interested to see how it would fit into the world. I am ever so happy to report that the story was just about perfect, with the characters being themselves, and yet still the worst case scenario happens anyway. Ideal example of what can go wrong, will go wrong- and I was super entertained. The best part was the art work for me, so much more eye catching and engaging, making me want to pick it and keep reading.

If you are looking for a fun sci-fi graphic novel adventure, I highly recommend this series!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

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I haven't read the original series or watched the movie (because it looks terrible). However, this was a great first exposure to the series. It's got a fun Hitchhiker's Guide vibe to it, with a lot of goofy curve balls thrown at our characters as they try and complete their mission. I'll probably have to seek out some of the originals after checking this out. And maybe I'll even break down and try out the movie if it's in the same vein.

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I did not love this story. I only wanted to read it because of the movie and I feel like Valerian is too good for Laureline and that he is overrated. Thank you for allowing the opportunity to read this ARC but I unfortunately will not be reading any more of te series.

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'Valerian and Laureline: Shingouzlooz Inc.' by Wilfrid Lupano with art by Mathieu Lauffray is my first exposure to this famous series that spawned a blockbuster movie. This isn't the original team that created the series, but I had a good time reading it.

When Valerian and Laureline take on a bounty missing to pick up a robot named Mr. Zi-Pone, it's going to be tricky. It's compounded by Zi-Pone's offer of bribery of a rare and highly sought after fish. When the Shingouzlooz crash land on the planet, things get even messier. With the fate of Earth on the line, can Valerian focus on what he needs to focus on?

At the beginning, there is a brief introduction by the artist. They mention that this was not going to be a mimic of the original series. Having never read the original series, I don't know how close they got to accomplishing that, but this one was a crazy caper of spinning plates that threatened to topple over. The art fits the story very well, and I'm glad I got to read this.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Europe Comics and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

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(Wow, turns out this has been a series since 1967! How have I never heard of it before? This means Han Solo could have been based on him instead of vice versa! And it was made into a film released this year?!!!
But for funsies’ sake, I’m leaving my original thoughts in.)
In a ship reminiscent of the Millennium Falcon, A Han Solo type and a beautiful redhead look for a cybernetic financial wizard. Once they find him, things get crazy.
It’s visually attractive, though not always logical. The bridge of the ship, for instance, is huge and empty with just the two of them. That is one surprised-looking fish. And my favorite line was, “Artificial intelligences love the old vintage look.”
The way I know Valerian is a parody of Han Solo is that he says, “I have a good feeling about this.”
“Your reputation pales before reality,” the Jabba-like creature tells her. I can only imagine. Have I mentioned how much I love redheads? “Your beauty is celebrated across the universe?” “It. . . it is?”
But as much as I enjoyed looking at the redhead—not as much as most of the male characters did, but still—the story was far too convoluted and seemed to be made up as it went along, much like the protagonists’ plans.

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I really enjoyed the movie, so I was really excited to read this as well and it did not disappoint! I hope they make this into a novel at some point

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A scattershot escapade in a poorly-presented sci-fi universe; this is OK, but certainly not lovable.

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I absolutely love Valerian and Laureline, the world, the characters, the relationship of the two, and all of the adventures that are part of this world.

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This is a cool sci-fi graphic novel. Not usually into that genre, but this one was a lot of fun.

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I have not read the previous incarnations of Valerian comics nor had I seen the movie. So I was going into this fresh and with no expectations. Unfortunately, this wasn't my cup of tea. I'm not a big fan of slapstick comedy, where people do stupid things and expect good results anyway. I think Douglas Adams fans will find a lot to love with Shingaouzlooz but I found it a tedious read.

Story: Valerian and Lurline track down a robot doing illicit major banking transactions - and end up embroiled in a bigger mystery when an old friend with a temporal accelerator on his Renault appears and messes up Valerian's assignment. Turns out, the Earth accidentally became owned by the strange creatures of Singouzlooz inc - and they promptly lost it in a card game. In between dealing with a cosmic tuna, the beheaded robot, and their friend Albert who wants to save the Earth, Lurline and Valerian are in over their heads.

Here, Valerian is your typical George Jetson of the Jetsons type - pretty dumb and managing to survive thanks to being paired up with smart female. Her role, mainly, is mostly to be the serious fall guy and for titillation / the requisite sex object in comics. The story is very "Hitchiker" with a lot of dumb people doing dumb things to create funny situations.

The art is an interesting contrast to the hijinks - it feels very 1970s in a Barbarella sort of way. I can't say I liked or hated it - it just sort of was there. Valerian was drawn suitably clueless and Lurline's capacity for stupidity was captured perfectly.

I skimmed through a lot. Much of the humor is in the dialogue to set off the sight gags but it was still overly wordy and felt kind of pointless. If you like silliness and 'The Jetsons' level of sci fi humor, this will likely appeal. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

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For whatever reason, I just didn’t connect with this story. The dialogue felt very stilted in many places but didn’t really move the narrative.

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