Mézières - Lot 144

Mézières JEAN-CLAUDE MÉZIÈRES VALÉRIAN Welcome to Alflolol (T.4), Dargaud 1972 Original plate no. 18, prepublished in Pilote no. 640, February 10, 1972, accompanied by coloring by Évelyne Tranlé (22.5 × 27.5 cm). Signed. India ink on paper 39.3 × 49.6 cm (15.47 × 19.53 in.) On Technorog, a planet colonized and industrialized by humans, Valérian and Laureline witness the return of their ancient inhabitants, the Alflololians, after four millennia of cosmic exile. In this album, Christin and Mézières deliver a biting satire of productivism, pollution and alienation through work, while denouncing the arrogance of Western societies towards peoples who live differently. The confrontation between Valérian, a conciliatory diplomat, and Laureline, outraged by the fate of the Alflololians - despised and parked in reserves - who are nonetheless hedonistic and joyful, is at the heart of this story, which remains strikingly topical. We can't fail to admire Mézières' creativity in drawing the alien characters and animals, the suits and uniforms, the spaceships and the architecture of the megalopolis. A summit of semi-realistic drawing that has influenced many a contemporary, including Georges Lucas and Luc Besson.