A Valerian Artists Edition reproducing the original art for Châtelet Station, Direction Cassiopeia, the ninth comic book album in the Valerian and Laureline series. With extra materials. Signed by the two creators. Jean-Claude Mézières passed away in 2022.

From the publisher:

After the success of the Birds of the Master, Caurette Editions are continuing to publish giant-sized new editions of the legendary Valerian books, printing from the original pages.

Released in 1980, Châtelet Station, Direction Cassiopeia is another turning point in the Valerian and Laureline adventure series. As Laureline is exploring the cosmos, Valerian is confronted with the end of the 80's on Earth. Meaning the everyday life of readers when this volume came out!!

Châtelet Station, Direction Cassiopeia is the 9th volume of the adventures of Valerian. Published in the French magazine Pilote Mensuel in 1980, it's the beginning of a somptuous diptych where Pierre Christin will deploy all of his talent as a scriptwriter to take us from the Earth to the Moon to Cassiopeia through a complex and delightful plot. It's also the first volume of the series where the action is taking place exactly at the same period as it was written: the 80's; this allows us to all the more appreciate Jean-Claude Mézières' incredible talent for the art of narration and drawing. Halfway between the end of the 30-year post-war boom and the problems on planet Zomuk, the Adventure is back, for our greatest pleasure!

The Adventure is still in the original language, and in Large Format! The goal of Caurette Editions, with its collection Retour aux Sources, is to give readers an opportunity to discover the mysteries behind the inspiration and creation of legendary comic books, such as the magnificent Valerian!

Thanks to the precious help of Jean-Claude Mézières, Pierre Christin and the diligent efforts of dedicated collectors from all over Europe, we were able to find almost 90% of the original pages more than 40 years after their creation! These pages were then scanned and digitalized in 4 colors by Dargaud Editions, in order to preserve the full integrity of the details that usually disappear during the printing process: pencil strokes, correction fluid.

Exclusive Extras

We had the distinct privilege and pleasure to interview the authors. This rare opportunity has allowed us to add twelve pages describing the historical context of the story and provided many personal anecdotes regarding the creation process!

We also integrated amazing original documents (photographs, sketches, and more). Most of them have never been published before!

Finally, as the unexpected icing on the cake, Jean-Claude Mézières and Pierre Christin agreed to sign this exceptional work!!

In addition, there is a separate 40 x 50 cm color print laid in the book: a facsimile of a page drawn by Jean-Claude Mézières. This print is the closest reproduction of the original work, composed of two half-pages taped by the illustrator.

And as an extra bonus: a printed facsimile of Jean-Claude Mézières original script of Châtelet Station, Direction Cassiopeia

• Limited edition of 499 copies, numbered and signed by the authors
• Hardcover, printed with metallic ink and gloss lamination
• Cloth spine with silver hot stamping
• Endpapers with silver print-in perforation pattern
• Full color printing of the original pages
• 25 extra pages, including 12 pages full of exclusive pictures, a bonus interview with the authors (in French) and many panels never published before
• 80 pages printed on luxurious Fedrigoni 170g paper, signatures sewn with an endband to reinforce the structural integrity of the spine
• Plus a real-sized replica print (40 x 50 cm) of an original page
• A protective package designed specifically to shield and protect the book