Le Rayon U
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Le Rayon U (The U Ray) is a
Publication history
In 1941, the outbreak of
In 1974 Jacobs reformatted Le Rayon U in order to include speech bubbles. This version was published in Tintin magazine and in book form by Dargaud-Le Lombard.
The cartoonist Jean Van Hamme will give a sequel to the Le Rayon U titled La Flèche Ardente will be released in 2023, the sequel is scripted by Van Hamme and illustrated by Christian Cailleaux and Étienne Schréder.[3]
English translations of both Le Rayon U and La Flèche Ardente were published by Cinebook in September 2023 and scheduled for February 2024, respectively.
Synopsis
Le Rayon U is set on an Earth-like planet which combines elements of the distant past, present and far future. Two of its nations, Norlandia and Austradia, are in conflict. A Norlandian scientist, Marduk, has devised a weapon called the "U Ray", but requires a mineral called uradium in order to put it to actual use.
Marduk therefore organises an expedition into an unknown part of the planet in order to find the uradium. Those accompanying him include: his assistant Sylvia Hollis; the explorer Lord Calder; Adji, Calder's Indian manservant; and Major Walton and Sergeant Mac Duff of the Norlandian secret service.
The
Characters
In itself Le Rayon U is a classic of Belgian science fiction, but the influence of Flash Gordon cannot be denied:
- The Austradian Emperor Babylos III resembles Ming the Merciless;
- In appearance, Marduk, Lord Calder and Major Walton are similar to Hans Zarkov, Prince Barin and Flash Gordon respectively;
- Like the dark-haired Dale Arden, the dark-haired Sylvia Hollis is coveted by almost every male character she meets, be it man or beast!
Dagon, the main villain, was modelled on Jacobs himself. Marduk, Calder and Dagon were to be the models for Mortimer, Blake and Olrik, in Jacobs's classic series Blake and Mortimer.
References
- ^ ISBN 2871301913(p. 55).
- ^ a b Lambiek Comiclopedia. "Edgar Pierre Jacobs".
- ^ "Vervolg De "U"-straal na 80 jaar in 2023". Stripspeciaalzaak (in Flemish). 2022-09-18. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
External links
- Le Rayon U article on Cool French Comics