What do you think?
Rate this book
XIII #1
Il giorno del sole nero
Un uomo viene trovato con una pallottola in testa sugli scogli di un'imprecisata località americana. Viene salvato, ma quando riprende i sensi non sa dire chi è, da dove viene e che cosa significa il tatuaggio con la cifra "XIII" tra la spalla e il collo. Le cose si complicano ulteriormente quando un gruppo di sicari cerca di ammazzarlo... L'unica soluzione, dunque, è svelare il segreto che si cela nel suo passato, scoprire chi lo vuole morto e perché.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1984
13 people are currently reading
246 people want to read
About the author
Jean Van Hamme
748 books181 followersJean Van Hamme, is a Belgian novelist and comic book writer. He has written scripts for a number of Belgian/French comic series, including Histoire sans héros, Thorgal, XIII, Blake and Mortimer, Lady S and Largo Winch.
More on the brilliant, Jean Van Hamme:
http://lambiek.net/artists/v/van-hamm...
More on the brilliant, Jean Van Hamme:
http://lambiek.net/artists/v/van-hamm...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
March 19, 2021
A man washes up on the beach with a bullet in his skull. When he awakes he's amnesiac. Months later people come looking for him and the chase is on. This has some very strong Bourne Identity vibes going on. It still holds up for a comic originally published in 1984.
December 25, 2015
I was first acquainted with the series in the 1990’s through a shoot-them-out, puzzle solving computer game based on the script by Franco-Belgian comic writer Jean Van Hamme. I even tried a couple of the original hardbacks, but my French was not good enough at the time. I came back to XIII in 2014 when I found out that all 19 issues are finally available in English thanks to Cinebook. I’m glad I was patient, because I noticed the series was published over a period of 24 years, and I don’t think I would have enjoyed it as much if I had to wait a year or more for new instalments. (Which puts my grumbling about the six month schedule for a new Saga album to shame). Before I try to make a short resume of the story, a couple of observations:
- I will write one review for the whole 19 issues, as I am too far behind on my other book reviews to try to do individual recaps
- For some reason, the series never reached the same levels of popularity in the English language that it enjoyed on the Francophone and European market. I have seen some readers calling XIII a rip-off of the Bourne Identity novels, but as I am unfamiliar with those so I cannot comment on the subject.
- I am myself a big fan of the French comic book scene and of their ‘clear line’, realistic school of drawing inspired by Herve and his Tintin classics, so my rating may be higher that the series warrants
Originality aside, I have appreciated in the XIII series the blockbuster type, high paced action adventure plot, dealing mostly with top level political conspiracies, secret organizations involved in assassinations and military coups at home and abroad, the Mob fighting the Irish street gangs with some Oriental Triads and some Latin American insurrections thrown in; car chases, train chases, helicopter chases, speedboat chases and any other number of ‘chases’ where bullets are flying freely and the heroes are hanging on by the tips of their fingers mark every issue, with interludes of beautiful ladies with a tendency to lose their clothes either trying to kill or to seduce the protagonist. Enough humour is included to relieve the adrenaline rush and to compensate for the overall grim nature of the subject.
The plot is too complex to resume in only a few phrases, but it all starts when a wounded man is washed ashore on the Eastern coast of the United States. He has lost his memory and he has no identification except a tattoo of the number ‘XIII’ under his collarbone. Soon after he is nursed back to health by the elderly couple who found him he has to fight for his life against unknown assailants, demonstrating an uncanny ability in armed and unarmed combat. He will not stop running until the end of the series, and he will discover along the way about seven or nine possible identities, starting with a contract killer who recently assassinated the President of the US, and going through mercenary, spy, special operations soldier, guerrilla fighter, IRA revolutionary, and so on. People around him tend to die in painful and inventive ways, but he manages to gather in support a team that includes the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General, a retired General Attorney, a beautiful dark skinned Major with a stunning body that is as handy with weapons and martial arts as XIII, a French marquis, a fiery red-headed sergeant in special ops (called SPADS in the series), an Irish arms smuggler that may or may not be his father and a couple of wives. His adversaries are as diverse as his friends, starting with the new US president and going down the hierarchical ladder to the top CIA man, several Army Generals and Colonels, contract killers and foreign governments.
The locations are not as exotic as the ones seen in the other high octane thriller by Van Hamme set in the mega corporation world (Largo Wynch) but they are as beautifully drawn and rich in detail: a Rocky Mountains small town, a beach house in Maine, a prison in the desert, an island in the Caribbean, the Mexican highlands, Washington and New York and even Ireland. William Vance is the lead artist for the whole series and he is the main reason for my high rating of the comic, as the story itself is occasionally over the top, politically incorrect in the portrayal of women and too commercially oriented for a real top five spot on my lists.
Here is the list of the hardback titles. Each of them contains about three issues worth of regular American market comics. I recommend reading them in the order here, as the numerous secret identities and twists in the plot would be spoilers for later volumes.
1. The Day of The Black Sun, 1984 (Le jour du soleil noir)
2. Where the Indian Goes, 1985 (Là où va l'Indien...)
3. All the Tears of Hell, 1986 (Toutes les Larmes de l'Enfer)
4. SPADS, 1987 (SPADS)
5. Full Red, 1988 (Rouge Total, "Full Red Alert")
6. The Jason Fly File, 1989 (Le Dossier Jason Fly)
7. The Night of August 3rd, 1990 (La Nuit du 3 Août)
8. Thirteen to One, 1991 (Treize Contre Un)
9. For Maria, 1992 (Pour Maria)
10. El Cascador, 1994 (El Cascador)
11. Three Silver Watches, 1995 (Trois Montres d'Argent)
12. The Trial, 1997 (Le Jugement)
13. The XIII Mystery: The Investigation, 1999 (L'Enquête)
14. Danger to the State, 2000 (Secret Défense, "Top Secret")
15. Unleash the Hounds!, 2002 (Lâchez les Chiens !)
16. Operation Montechristo, 2004 (Opération Montechristo)
17. Maximilian's Gold, 2005 (L'or de Maximilien)
18. The Irish Version, November 2007 (La Version Irlandaise),
19. The Last Round, November 2007 (Le Dernier Round).
Recommended for fans of conspiracy theories, late 80’s glam fashions, realistic drawing and adult themed, action oriented comics.
September 27, 2022
Look at the standard review if you want plot but I didn't before I read the book and seeing it now makes me think it gives too much away.
This doesn't:
A few factions hunt the main character for reasons he doesn't yet know. It's the old amnesiac bit BUT it's done well because you put yourself in his shoes and pick and choose what to believe and put aside what to you doesn't jive but, more importantly, it keeps you second guessing what you're being "told" AND your own opinions that you thought you were so keen on!
ANYBODY can follow this with a high interest of interest:
The diversity of and interesting nature of the characters is the BEST part. Even the "extras", whether likeable or the opposite, are of the quality that make me want them to reappear farther along in the story.
The art is close behind- it's beautifully "Euro-Americano" in that way that the European artists capture America so well even though MANY of them had never even been here before rendering very detailed and altogether genuine backgrounds. The "skull-time" they must put into studying photos and the rest of the research really shows! The people are drawn with precision when static then become expressive once they show emotion or move in action and those who aren't "Caucasian" look much more "real" than MOST of the white U.S. artists render them.
When you think of the amount of black people that surround the bulk of U.S. guys (in particular) who draw in the big cities that they live in and/or study from- you really have to wonder why Europeans, who have many less around them, capture their differences SO MUCH BETTER!
The coloring and other facets of the illustration are also fabulous although I can't tell you why because I don't know the lingo or (technically) what I'm even looking at much of the time when it comes to implements and the like.
This doesn't:
A few factions hunt the main character for reasons he doesn't yet know. It's the old amnesiac bit BUT it's done well because you put yourself in his shoes and pick and choose what to believe and put aside what to you doesn't jive but, more importantly, it keeps you second guessing what you're being "told" AND your own opinions that you thought you were so keen on!
ANYBODY can follow this with a high interest of interest:
The diversity of and interesting nature of the characters is the BEST part. Even the "extras", whether likeable or the opposite, are of the quality that make me want them to reappear farther along in the story.
The art is close behind- it's beautifully "Euro-Americano" in that way that the European artists capture America so well even though MANY of them had never even been here before rendering very detailed and altogether genuine backgrounds. The "skull-time" they must put into studying photos and the rest of the research really shows! The people are drawn with precision when static then become expressive once they show emotion or move in action and those who aren't "Caucasian" look much more "real" than MOST of the white U.S. artists render them.
When you think of the amount of black people that surround the bulk of U.S. guys (in particular) who draw in the big cities that they live in and/or study from- you really have to wonder why Europeans, who have many less around them, capture their differences SO MUCH BETTER!
The coloring and other facets of the illustration are also fabulous although I can't tell you why because I don't know the lingo or (technically) what I'm even looking at much of the time when it comes to implements and the like.
August 28, 2024
Such an exciting, iconic and classic series by Van Hamme & Vance !
In my top 10 Jean Van Hamme:
https://youtu.be/jW-k-MPF0RA
August 21, 2014
The first volume in one of the most successful French album series ever. A traditional action/mystery story that seems to have borrowed quite a lot from Robert Ludlum´s The Bourne Identity.
The story in this first album feels very much like a tease. A man is washed ashore with a bullet wound to the head, and when he recovers he seems to have lost all personal memory. Soon he's attacked and hunted by various fractions of what seems to be an international spy network, and in the process he realises that he's very well trained at hand-to-hand and armed combat. He then sets out to try to figure out who he is and why people are trying to kill him. And about there the first album ends.
This is not really my kind of story, or rather, this is a kind of story that I would prefer to see in a film or a TV-series. I must admit, though, that Van Hamme lives up to being what must by now amount to the best paid scriptwriter in comics, and delivers a story that has me quite interested in where it's going.
The art by William Vance is very realistic, in a 1980s kind of way. It's crisp and clear and each character has their own... well, character. There are no easy copies with a few changes to hair or clothing, as is fairly usual in action comics with illustrators of a more limited artistic scope. Everyone seems to be a living, breathing person. Still, it's a bit dull in its precise and realistic manner. I like it when the draughtsmen take a bit more of an artistic license and interprets feelings and emotions more visually.
I'm right now setting out to re-read the first few albums of this series, which were originally published in French the 1980s and in Danish in the 1990s, since a new Danish publisher has picked up where the old one stopped several years ago. But mostly I want to understand this hugely successful series, that has kept French readers enthralled for almost three decades now. So far it's good entertainment, so I'll keep going.
The story in this first album feels very much like a tease. A man is washed ashore with a bullet wound to the head, and when he recovers he seems to have lost all personal memory. Soon he's attacked and hunted by various fractions of what seems to be an international spy network, and in the process he realises that he's very well trained at hand-to-hand and armed combat. He then sets out to try to figure out who he is and why people are trying to kill him. And about there the first album ends.
This is not really my kind of story, or rather, this is a kind of story that I would prefer to see in a film or a TV-series. I must admit, though, that Van Hamme lives up to being what must by now amount to the best paid scriptwriter in comics, and delivers a story that has me quite interested in where it's going.
The art by William Vance is very realistic, in a 1980s kind of way. It's crisp and clear and each character has their own... well, character. There are no easy copies with a few changes to hair or clothing, as is fairly usual in action comics with illustrators of a more limited artistic scope. Everyone seems to be a living, breathing person. Still, it's a bit dull in its precise and realistic manner. I like it when the draughtsmen take a bit more of an artistic license and interprets feelings and emotions more visually.
I'm right now setting out to re-read the first few albums of this series, which were originally published in French the 1980s and in Danish in the 1990s, since a new Danish publisher has picked up where the old one stopped several years ago. But mostly I want to understand this hugely successful series, that has kept French readers enthralled for almost three decades now. So far it's good entertainment, so I'll keep going.
October 17, 2015
My review is for the original series that is 1 to 19 volume.
Story of a super spy, the series starts of great with the protagonist (Mr.XIII) having amnesia, reminded me a lot of Jason Bourne. Each volume feels like a Hollywood spy thriller movie, the plot keep getting bigger and more absurd, but that’s how the genre is. It’s a close knit story, the adventures of Mr.XIII trying to find his past and in process saving the world took the author about 25 years to complete, its tremendous achievement to keep the story straight and interesting for so long.The storytelling does have common cliches with the genre, still it kept me hooked on, I kept coming back for more and ended up finished all 19 volumes in two days.
This is the second series I have picked by Jean Van Hamme (the other being Thorgal, which is a better series). He is the best comic book writer i have read, his writings have a feeling of epic saga to them, they are long, well paced and have interesting characters. In both the series of his that i have read the hero is strong, kind and lucky while it’s the woman characters who are cleaver, resourceful and the schemers.
The art is good, gives a realistic feel to the character and settings. Makes you feel like you are watching a serial instead of reading a comic, a lot of time i kept reading the over the limit plot as i was enjoying the art.
To measure the success of the series in Europe one has to realize, the comic book inspired a movie, a television series and a game.
Story of a super spy, the series starts of great with the protagonist (Mr.XIII) having amnesia, reminded me a lot of Jason Bourne. Each volume feels like a Hollywood spy thriller movie, the plot keep getting bigger and more absurd, but that’s how the genre is. It’s a close knit story, the adventures of Mr.XIII trying to find his past and in process saving the world took the author about 25 years to complete, its tremendous achievement to keep the story straight and interesting for so long.The storytelling does have common cliches with the genre, still it kept me hooked on, I kept coming back for more and ended up finished all 19 volumes in two days.
This is the second series I have picked by Jean Van Hamme (the other being Thorgal, which is a better series). He is the best comic book writer i have read, his writings have a feeling of epic saga to them, they are long, well paced and have interesting characters. In both the series of his that i have read the hero is strong, kind and lucky while it’s the woman characters who are cleaver, resourceful and the schemers.
The art is good, gives a realistic feel to the character and settings. Makes you feel like you are watching a serial instead of reading a comic, a lot of time i kept reading the over the limit plot as i was enjoying the art.
To measure the success of the series in Europe one has to realize, the comic book inspired a movie, a television series and a game.
March 11, 2018
I am not usually into amnesiac stories, but this one kept me reading. There are only a few translated into English that I can find, but I will likely read what I can get my hands on.
September 7, 2024
Als kind mocht ik regelmatig in de lokale bieb stripboeken lenen en ik weet dat XIII daar ook altijd te vinden was. Afgaande op de cover leek het me niks. Het was een stijl die mij als kind niks deed, als volwassene overigens nog steeds niet. Te serieus, zichzelf te serieus nemend ofzo.
Maar ik wilde mijn horizon op stripvlak weer eens wat verbreden en om die reden verschillende voor mij onbekende stripboeken aangeschaft, waaronder dus dit verhaal.
Ik kan eigenlijk nog niet goed oordelen. Het is een introductie van een verhaal. Na 20 pagina's begon ik wel door te krijgen dat er niet genoeg tijd was om hier nog iets anders van te maken dan een introductie. Tot nu toe niet echt origineel ook, een al te bekend verhaal over een man die leidt aan amnesia. Nu is de vraag..gaat dit nog ergens naartoe leiden wat verrast, want in dat geval zou de volgende delen aanschaffen van waarde zijn...ik ga daar nog eens op kauwen. Drie sterren voor nu.
Maar ik wilde mijn horizon op stripvlak weer eens wat verbreden en om die reden verschillende voor mij onbekende stripboeken aangeschaft, waaronder dus dit verhaal.
Ik kan eigenlijk nog niet goed oordelen. Het is een introductie van een verhaal. Na 20 pagina's begon ik wel door te krijgen dat er niet genoeg tijd was om hier nog iets anders van te maken dan een introductie. Tot nu toe niet echt origineel ook, een al te bekend verhaal over een man die leidt aan amnesia. Nu is de vraag..gaat dit nog ergens naartoe leiden wat verrast, want in dat geval zou de volgende delen aanschaffen van waarde zijn...ik ga daar nog eens op kauwen. Drie sterren voor nu.
September 1, 2018
Brilliant!
October 11, 2025
Sah quel plaisir de retrouver cette série… que hâte de la suite
April 5, 2014
The start of one of the most famous modern french-belgium comics.
I read this a long time ago but I am taking advantage of a newly published integrale to re-read everything and catch-up with the story.
I read this a long time ago but I am taking advantage of a newly published integrale to re-read everything and catch-up with the story.
February 16, 2022
Une bd a intrigue super bien construite et dont le scénario très mystérieux nous accroche tout de suite
J’ai moins adhéré avec le style de dessin et le texte à longueur mais je vais tenter de lire la suite quand même pour l’histoire.
J’ai moins adhéré avec le style de dessin et le texte à longueur mais je vais tenter de lire la suite quand même pour l’histoire.
November 5, 2024
Première lecture de XIII, je suis agréablement surprise. Le dessin a pris un petit coup de vieux mais l’histoire est prenante et on a envie d’en savoir plus.
December 11, 2022
Original title: Le jour du soleil noir
XIII: A man’s quest for his past and his identity.
This reprints the introduction to a Belgian graphic novel series that debuted in 1984, with new stories still being published. The root of the story, an amnesiac who seeks to discover his past as a deadly contract killer (just one possibility), is similar and perhaps inspired by the 1980’s Jason Bourne novels of Robert Ludlum.
In XIII, the main character (XIII tattooed on his collarbone) washes ashore on the coast where an elderly couple (missing their son killed in military action) heal him with the aid of a neighbor (who’s an disgraced alcoholic doctor) and nurse him back to health.
The art is European style, very detailed and told within small panels as there is a lot of story. The pacing and illustrations are solid, producing a very cinematic feel.
When his location is discovered and he is pursued by ruthless unknown agents, XIII leaves to begin his investigation into his identity.
He remembers only that he’s physically skilled and knows how to handle a gun. Before the 48 page Volume One ends he’s been detained by crooked police (who know enough to want to locate his stash of money), and pursued by “The Mongoose” (leader of a mysterious organization). He also runs into Colonel Amos, who shows him evidence that he assassinated the President.
While it’s assumed that the scenes within XIII occur in the United States and that Colonel Amos is part of the FBI, the story never clearly identities these perhaps because of the international audience.
There’s a lot to like here and I’ve been intrigued by this story ever since I read Issue #1 from the former comics publisher Alias. Marvel collected the first three volumes but I seem to have missed that. The Cinebook versions are a little pricey ($11.95 for what amounts to 2 monthly comics) but I’m intrigued enough by this story that I may break down and start seeking it out.
Volume One ran for twenty issues, eighteen completed by the original creative team. Volume Two, with new creators, started in the 2000’s and is still going.
XIII: A man’s quest for his past and his identity.
This reprints the introduction to a Belgian graphic novel series that debuted in 1984, with new stories still being published. The root of the story, an amnesiac who seeks to discover his past as a deadly contract killer (just one possibility), is similar and perhaps inspired by the 1980’s Jason Bourne novels of Robert Ludlum.
In XIII, the main character (XIII tattooed on his collarbone) washes ashore on the coast where an elderly couple (missing their son killed in military action) heal him with the aid of a neighbor (who’s an disgraced alcoholic doctor) and nurse him back to health.
The art is European style, very detailed and told within small panels as there is a lot of story. The pacing and illustrations are solid, producing a very cinematic feel.
When his location is discovered and he is pursued by ruthless unknown agents, XIII leaves to begin his investigation into his identity.
He remembers only that he’s physically skilled and knows how to handle a gun. Before the 48 page Volume One ends he’s been detained by crooked police (who know enough to want to locate his stash of money), and pursued by “The Mongoose” (leader of a mysterious organization). He also runs into Colonel Amos, who shows him evidence that he assassinated the President.
While it’s assumed that the scenes within XIII occur in the United States and that Colonel Amos is part of the FBI, the story never clearly identities these perhaps because of the international audience.
There’s a lot to like here and I’ve been intrigued by this story ever since I read Issue #1 from the former comics publisher Alias. Marvel collected the first three volumes but I seem to have missed that. The Cinebook versions are a little pricey ($11.95 for what amounts to 2 monthly comics) but I’m intrigued enough by this story that I may break down and start seeking it out.
Volume One ran for twenty issues, eighteen completed by the original creative team. Volume Two, with new creators, started in the 2000’s and is still going.
February 2, 2022
Who Am I?!
Not expecting much from the start, as the amnesia thing is very overplayed in cinema, comics, anime, manga, ad infinitum, this comic does get intrigue going in the right direction. There are pieces along the way that lets the reader put together the puzzle in a very organized, logical way. Our hero has skills, if not memory, and emotion which is usually lacking in these kinds of tropes. Around him are characters with histories, details, and motives that lift him out of the mire. Not wallowing in the fog for long though, as the action picks up, events unfold, and powerful players emerge. Credit goes to well thought-out writing as well as character development.
On the ‘needs improvement’ side, the artwork (although well illustrated) seems dated by a few decades, which likely comes from needing funding for a shader or someone to make the cover and back art into the pages themselves. There were moments of guessing who was doing what to who in a few panels when it should’ve been obvious to the reader. To be fair, the game has a comic-book style, so there’s that. Some interesting ‘directing’ with different angles or perspectives would’ve also helped.
Overall, I’m interested in getting the next one to see how it goes, or perhaps playing the game now knowing some background on the story.
Not expecting much from the start, as the amnesia thing is very overplayed in cinema, comics, anime, manga, ad infinitum, this comic does get intrigue going in the right direction. There are pieces along the way that lets the reader put together the puzzle in a very organized, logical way. Our hero has skills, if not memory, and emotion which is usually lacking in these kinds of tropes. Around him are characters with histories, details, and motives that lift him out of the mire. Not wallowing in the fog for long though, as the action picks up, events unfold, and powerful players emerge. Credit goes to well thought-out writing as well as character development.
On the ‘needs improvement’ side, the artwork (although well illustrated) seems dated by a few decades, which likely comes from needing funding for a shader or someone to make the cover and back art into the pages themselves. There were moments of guessing who was doing what to who in a few panels when it should’ve been obvious to the reader. To be fair, the game has a comic-book style, so there’s that. Some interesting ‘directing’ with different angles or perspectives would’ve also helped.
Overall, I’m interested in getting the next one to see how it goes, or perhaps playing the game now knowing some background on the story.
September 17, 2018
For me this was a re-read of the story after several decades. Story of the amnesiac found on the shore by an elderly couple sounds very much like beginning of Jason Bourne story.
But this is where all similarities end because XIII is involved in something much nastier than even Bourne. And this shows in way that XIII is pretty much on the run from everyone (government official and unofficial services, corrupt cops, unknown killers and mercenaries) from the day he tried to find out more about himself.
XIII's life story is never truly revealed (no flash-backs, nothing; we only follow the information as revealed by other people he encounters along the way), and while he tries to find more about himself he accidentally kicks the hornet's nest and causes all sorts of fallout and people start getting murdered just by being associated with him.
Great start for the series.
Highly recommended for all thriller fans.
But this is where all similarities end because XIII is involved in something much nastier than even Bourne. And this shows in way that XIII is pretty much on the run from everyone (government official and unofficial services, corrupt cops, unknown killers and mercenaries) from the day he tried to find out more about himself.
XIII's life story is never truly revealed (no flash-backs, nothing; we only follow the information as revealed by other people he encounters along the way), and while he tries to find more about himself he accidentally kicks the hornet's nest and causes all sorts of fallout and people start getting murdered just by being associated with him.
Great start for the series.
Highly recommended for all thriller fans.
January 10, 2025
The series starts off as a Jason Bourne rip-off - at least this first volume does - but quickly becomes its own entity, involving a presidential assassination and various groups, none of which seem to be on the side of angels vying over a man whose only identifying mark is the roman numeral XIII tattooed on his collarbone. This is a violent fun comic that kept me interested all the way through, the first of some thirty installments.
Much of the praise is given to Jean Van Hamme for the work, but not enough credit is lauded on William Vance whose excellent artistry is really what sells the book. For action and visual tension in a scene Vance ranks right up there with Kirby in my opinion.
Much of the praise is given to Jean Van Hamme for the work, but not enough credit is lauded on William Vance whose excellent artistry is really what sells the book. For action and visual tension in a scene Vance ranks right up there with Kirby in my opinion.
October 11, 2021
This is a great book with one huge caveat, it is guilty of flagrant plagiarism, copy/pasting its initial setting from The Bourne Identity, a novel that came out 4 years before XIII.
That aside I had fun with it, Van Hamme as a voice in comics that I really vibe with, his dialogue and gift of perfect pacing make his books a breeze to get through.
The art is good until it becomes amazing on that final scene at the end, the pouring rain, the colours turning pastel, the emotions!
That aside I had fun with it, Van Hamme as a voice in comics that I really vibe with, his dialogue and gift of perfect pacing make his books a breeze to get through.
The art is good until it becomes amazing on that final scene at the end, the pouring rain, the colours turning pastel, the emotions!
March 3, 2021
A fisherman finds a man washed up on the shore. An alcoholic ex-doctor, Martha, patches him up, but he's lost his memory. Lots of people remember him, though, and they're coming with guns. A thriller from 1984 that still works well. His relationship with Martha was interesting.
September 24, 2021
Brilhante . Parece um filme. Um homem sem memória que parece ser um assassino profissional e que tem de descobrir a verdade, quando todos o querem matar. Um argumento inteligente e que agarra e um desenho com muita qualidade
October 22, 2025
Un polar que l'on préférerait sous forme de livre. Et est-ce un défaut d'impression? Les dessins semblent fort bons mais manquent de netteté.
Le Premier volume donne en tout cas envie de lire la suite, mais pourquoi reprendre l'assassinat de JFKennedy?
Le Premier volume donne en tout cas envie de lire la suite, mais pourquoi reprendre l'assassinat de JFKennedy?
June 20, 2017
Great BD - a refreshing way to follow storyline, something between series and a book
January 15, 2018
Great story about a secret agent with memory loss, except this is only the first episode, and now I want to know the whole story.
April 4, 2018
Mittlerweile sieht man den Zeichnungen an, daß sie vor 34 Jahren (1984) entstanden, aber dieser Comic setzte neue Maßstäbe und ist immer noch lesenswert.
July 7, 2018
Olipas se mainiota viihdettä komealla ja vauhdikkaalla taiteella. Paljon parempi avaus kuin moneen muuhun.
February 23, 2019
Un gran inicio de una de las más famosas sagas franco-belgas. No decepciona para nada
July 19, 2019
This book is right up my alley and I can't believe I hadn't read it sooner. Big thanks to my friend Conor who found it for me at the book fair.
December 30, 2019
J’ai découvert cette série cette année dans la bibliothèque d’un chalet enneigé dans le Vermont. Me suis laissée happée par le rythme, la richesse des surprises.
April 8, 2020
Relecture de XIII. Comme dans les séries TV, l histoire rebondit tant que l on s'y perd. Je vais donc m offrir le luxe de lire toute les albums d un trait. Cela rajeunit.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews