Comic strip writer Pierre Christin, who worked with many big names in the 9th art, died Thursday at the age of 86, publisher Dargaud announced. “He was a comic book scriptwriter – undoubtedly one of the greatest – writer, academic and professor,” recalled the publishing house in a press release.
After nearly 100 titles between the 1960s and 2020, his name remains mainly attached to the character of Valérian. The hero, whose name the science fiction comic strip bears, was born from his collaboration with a childhood friend, the designer Jean-Claude Mézières. It made Pierre Christin “a pillar” of Pilote magazine, recalls Dargaud.
A progressive screenwriter
A precursor, “Valerian” has greatly influenced all science fiction since the 1970s and particularly cinema. Some even suspect the creators of Star Wars of having been inspired by his boards to bring “Star Wars” into the world. Luc Besson, who adapted the comic strip in 2016, was also inspired by it for his cult “Fifth Element”, a film on which the designer Jean-Claude Mézières worked for a time.
A doctor of letters, the native of Saint-Mandé, near Paris, was one of those, with René Goscinny, who created the profession of comic book scriptwriter. He wrote for comics legends, such as Jacques Tardi, François Boucq and Enki Bilal. Pierre Christin also founded the Bordeaux journalism school (IJBA), wrote novels and produced plays. The 2019 Goscinny Prize was awarded to him at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, for all of his work.
“Pierre Christin is not only considered a major screenwriter in the history of comics, both by the richness of his work which is not limited to the Valérian series, but also by his desire to address social issues. Progressive, he is one of the first to dare to highlight a female character (Laureline) as a strong heroine”, underlined Dargaud, saluting “a great traveler, assiduous observer of our world, a cultured, curious man, loving to debate “.