The Delphs are an artificial species who depend entirely on an extremely rare substance, that not only allows them to live and reproduce, but also fuels their creative talents – for the Delphs are the most sought-after storytellers in the galaxy. They call upon Galaxity to find a new source of it, as their own is exhausted. The problem is, the only available deposit is on 21st century Earth, and the agents on station … are still going to high school! Pierre Christin created Valerian and Laureline in 1967 with Jean-Claude Mézières after working in the USA with him. He also works in collaboration with other artists such as Tardi and Bilal and writes novels and film scripts. Virginie Augustin is an artist and animator, who's worked on a Corto Maltese animated film, with Wilfrid Lupano ( Shingouzlooz Inc. ) on series Alim le Tanneur , and is the illustrator of a biography of Joe Carstairs, Joe la pirate .