Review by Frank Plowright
After 52 years of adventuring Pierre Christin gave Valerian and Laureline a happy ending of sorts in The Time Opener, and then turned his world over to other creators. However, he seems to have had a change of heart, and with the sad death of his long term collaborator Jean-Claude Mézières in 2022, it’s Virginie Augustin who joins him on this new journey.
The unexpected ending Christin conceived for Valerian and Laureline was to have their ages set back to childhood giving them a chance at a new future, growing up on Earth in the 21st century under the supervision of that era’s Space Temporal agent Mr. Albert. It’s not a fate Christin messes with, yet he also simultaneously sets a problem involving many of his creations from previous Valerian and Laureline adventures. Not all those adventures toward the end ranked with his best, but a few did, and Where Stories Are Born is nearer the upper end of the scale because it’s exquisitely constructed in a way only a very experienced storyteller could have achieved.
Much seems just a meander. Looking back on old supporting characters is excuse enough for that, but there’s a greater purpose, along with some social commentary. Satirically, everything is set in motion because a TV stream is endangered, and Christin ensures more than enough wonder of nature and tradition to underline the hollowness of TV being a priority. A mismatched group of people are gathered, some inexplicable objects are shown, and around two thirds of the way through it all kicks into place.
Augustin makes the wise choice to draw as she would anyway rather than modify her style to make the art resemble that of Mézières. She’s actually far less cluttered in her depictions, and when needed there’s a serenity about the cast that wasn’t always present before. There’s a harmonious geniality to the way things work out, and Augustin’s cartoon delicacy is important in supplying it.
Any series fan sad at the way things ended and wishing there could be one last outing should have that wish satisfyingly fulfilled by Where Stories Are Born.
