Jean-Claude Mézières and
Pierre Christin created
Valerian in 1967 after working in the USA together, one as a cowboy, the other a teacher. While
Valerian is
Mézières' only comic series, he has worked as an illustrator in many other areas, including designs and sets for
The Fifth Element, and he was awarded the Grand Prix du festival d'Angoulême in 1984.
Christin also works in collaboration with other artists such as
Tardi and
Bilal and writes novels and film scripts.