XIII | |
---|---|
Date | 1984 |
No. of issues | 24 as of 2016 |
Page count | 44 pages |
Publisher | Cinebook, Ltd (Since 2010) |
Original publication | |
Language | French |
XIII (Thirteen) is a Belgian graphic novel series about an amnesiac who seeks to discover his past. It was created by writer Jean Van Hamme and artist William Vance. It is currently being written by Yves Sente and Youri Jigounov. The storyline of the first five volumes was adapted into a video game in 2003, also titled XIII, which was released on several platforms. A Canadian television film based on the series, XIII: The Conspiracy, was released in 2008. It was followed in 2011 by two seasons of a TV series, each 13 episodes, called XIII: The Series.
The series begins with a man awakening to find himself washed ashore in the eastern United States and suffering from amnesia. The only links to his past are a tattoo of the Roman numerals "XIII" on his collarbone and a photo of himself with a woman, who is identified as Kim Rowland, widow of U.S. Army captain Steve Rowland. Volumes 1 through 5 deal with "XIII" searching for his identity and past. He finds himself hunted by a contract killer, the "Mongoose", who works for a mysterious organization known as XX, which aims to mount a coup d'état against the U.S. government. XIII is rescued from XX's assassins by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Colonel Amos, who confronts XIII with video evidence that shows XIII assassinating the President.