Pierre Christin, prolific writer of bande dessinee, including Valerian and Laureline, has passed away, according to Le Monde. He was 86.
Christin, with artist Jean-Claude Mezieres, created Valerian and Laureline for Pilote magazine; the first story was published in 1967. Between then and 2019, a total of 23 graphic novels were published, creating one of the most prominent science fiction storylines of Franco-Belgian comics. Christin’s longtime collaborator on valerian and Laureline, artist Jean-Claude Mezieres, passed away in 2022 (see "R.I.P. Meziers").
Christin was a jazz pianist and journalist before turning to comics, and spent time in California as a young man. He created what became the school of journalism at Bordeaux University.
He continued to write for Pilote throughout the 70s, working with a variety of artists including Tardi, Boucq, and Vern. He wrote numerous original graphic novels with a variety of other artists through the decades, and was also a novelist and writer of illustrated books.
Valerian and Laureline was adapted into a French-Japanese animated series in the 00s, and Luc Besson directed the feature film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, which was released in 2017 (our reviewer liked it, see "Confessions of a Comic Book Guy").

Prolific Writer of BD, Including 'Valerian and Laureline'
Posted by Milton Griepp on October 10, 2024 @ 1:52 am CT

MORE COMICS
Shop Talk, July 2025
July 25, 2025
All this and more in this month's edition of Shop Talk, our roundup of retailer news.
In Which Jean Grey Survives the Dark Phoenix Saga
July 25, 2025
What If…? Jean Grey survived the end of the Dark Phoenix saga?
MORE NEWS
Supplementary Booster Set for the Guardian Class
July 25, 2025
Legend Story Studios will release Mastery Pack Guardian, a supplementary booster set for Flesh and Blood TCG, into retail.
By Modiphius Entertainment
July 25, 2025
Modiphius Entertainment announced two new Doom board games.