Heroes of the Equinox
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Heroes of the Equinox (Les Héros de l’Equinoxe) |
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| Date | 1978 |
| Series | Valérian and Laureline |
| Publisher | Dargaud |
| Creative team | |
| Writers | Pierre Christin |
| Artists | Jean-Claude Mézières |
| Colorists | Evelyn Tran-Lé |
| Original publication | |
| Published in | Pilote magazine |
| Issues | M47 to M50 |
| Date of publication | 21 March 1978 to 27 June 1978 |
| Language | French |
| ISBN | |
| Translation | |
| Publisher | Dargaud Publishing International (USA) Hodder Dargaud (UK) |
| Date | 1983 (USA) 1985 (UK) |
| ISBN | |
| Translator | Suzi Baker |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | On the False Earths |
| Followed by | Métro Châtelet, Direction Cassiopeia |
Heroes of the Equinox is volume eight in the French comic book (or bande dessinée) science fiction series Valérian and Laureline created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières.
Valérian, accompanied by Laureline, is one of four representatives from different races dispatched to the planet Simlane. Landing their astroship at Simlane's astroport, Valérian discovers he is the last to arrive. They are greeted by the members of the Simlane Great Assembly and taken to the city, which is crumbling and falling into ruin. The entire population is made up of old men and women. The head of the assembly explains that the people of Simlane are sterile and that every hundred equinoxes a new generation must take over. The best of the men of Simlane are sent to conquer the Island of Children but this time all that have left have either never returned or have returned mutilated in some way and no children have been forthcoming. So the leaders of Simlane have resorted to seeking champions from other worlds in order to repopulate the planet.
Arriving at the Great Theatre, Valérian meets the other champions – Irmgaal of Krahan, Ortzog of Bourgnouf and Blumflum of Malalum. Each in turn demonstrates their powers: Irmgaal cleaves a great rock in two with his flaming sword, Ortzog uses his mighty chains of freedom to smash a pillar, Blumflum destroys another pillar by growing vines around it that strangle it. Beside them Valérian looks rather pathetic when he uses his sharp shooting skills to shoot the top off one of the remaining pillars. The four champions are brought to the pier to set off for Filene, the Island of Children where they must reach the summit. The challenge will last three days – on the first day they will confront material forces, the second monsters from the animal kingdom and on the third traps of the spirit. Laureline asks what happens after the third day, she is told that nobody knows since those who succeed never return – children in their image arrive in vessels pushed by the last wave of the equinox. Just then all four champions fly away from Simlane towards Filene.
Reaching Filene, each champion chooses a different route to follow to the summit of the mountain. Valérian is challenged by rockfalls and narrow crevices, Irmgaal by stifling mists and lava flows, Ortzog by deadly cold that almost freezes him solid and Blumflum by the blazing sun of a searing desert. But, while Irmgaal's sword hacks through the molten rock, Ortzog's chains shatter the ice and Blumflum's seeds create an oasis in the desert, Valérian loses his footing a tumbles to the bottom of a rocky crevasse.
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