Valerian and the History of French Science Fiction | NowThis Nerd

To celebrate the release of ’Valerian,’ Mike Calabro is going to tell you about the comic it’s based on and how it fits into the influential history of French science fiction. » Subscribe to NowThis Nerd: To a lot of American nerds, the name ‘Valerian’ might not mean all the much. But overseas, the French comic book ‘Valerian’ is some of the most important and influential scifi ever made. Everything from ‘Star Wars’ to ‘Independence Day’ owes a debt to ‘Valerian,’ and that’s just scratching the surface of the rich history of French science fiction. The history of French scifi begins with Jules Verne, the author of classics like ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’ and ‘From the Earth to the Moon.’ From there, French science fiction spilled out into the cinema, with New Wave filmmakers producing classics like Alphaville. But maybe the purest essence of French scifi comes from their comic books, especially Metal Hurlant. Moebius is just one of the