Created by writer Jean Van Hamme and artist William Vance, XIII (Thirteen) is a Belgian graphic novel series about an amnesiac who seeks to discover his past.
Everything begins when a man washes ashore near an old couple’s house, barely alive. He has forgotten everything, including his name. The only clues to his identity are a key sewn into his clothes and a bullet wound to the head. and the number XIII tattooed on his shoulder. A meager start to reconstruct one’s self. Any resemblance to Jason Bourne is not fortuitous, as Bourne Identity has inspired the central character and the story’s premise.
The first 5 volumes of XIII have been adapted into a video game in 2003. Two TV series were based on the comic book, XIII: The Conspiracy in 2008 and XIII: The Series in 2011 which lasted two seasons.
XIII Reading Order:
I. Original Series:
Those books form the First cycle in French, written by Jean Van Hamme and drawn by William Vance. The story that the creators wanted to tell is complete here and you don’t have to read what follows afterward (I personally only read the original series).
- The Day of the Black Sun
- Where the Indian Walks
- All the Tears of Hell
- SPADS
- Full Red
- The Jason Fly Case
- The Night of August Third
- Thirteen to One
- For Maria
- El Cascador
- Three Silver Watches
- The Trial
A special album, labeled as the thirteen volume in France, called The XIII Mystery : L’Enquête (The XIII Mystery: The Investigation) was released at this stage. It retraces the twelve previous volumes by following the investigation of two journalists and is presented like an investigation file.
- Top Secret
- Release the Hounds
- Operation Montecristo
- Maximilian’s Gold
- The Irish Version
- The Last Round
A follow-up to L’Enquête was published in 2018, called L’Enquête, deuxième partie, retracing the last six volumes of the series.
II. New Series
A relaunch for XIII with a new intrigue surrounding him, despite the fact The Last Round was considered the last of the series. XIII was too popular to be stopped, and a new series quickly followed, written by Yves Sente and drawn by Youri Jigounov.
Here is the story: After all his adventures across the American continent, after defeating his many enemies, XIII is trying to live a simple life in the house he inherited, where it all started. It’s not always easy – not everyone is happy to have such an infamous man in the area, and his skills are in high demand with some people of varying integrity. His memories are still locked away, too, and some people want to keep it that way…
- The Day of the Mayflower
- The Bait
- Return to Green Falls
- The Martyr’s Message
- Jason McLane’s Inheritance
The XIII History (not translated to my knowledge) is a more heavy-on-text comic book, retracing the links between American history and the XIII history.
III. XIII Mystery
A spin-off that follows and elaborates on some of the supporting characters from the XIII comic series. Each volume is written and drawn by a different team. Jean Van Hamme wrote Volume 13, Judith Warner.
- The Mongoose
By Xavier Dorison and Ralph Meyer. Prequel partially set immediately before the first page of the first XIII volume. - Irina
By Éric Corbeyran and Philippe Berthet. Covering Irina’s formative years during the Cold War. - Little Jones
By Yann and Éric Henninot. Explore the story of Major Jones and General James E. Wittake. Set in an alternative version of the ’60s. - Colonel Amos
By Alcante and François Boucq. - Steve Rowland
By Fabien Nury and Richard Guérineau. Recount how Rowland joined the organization known as The XX. - Billy Stockton
By Laurent-Frédéric Bollée and Steve Cuzor. This volume relates how Billy Stockton became an assassin – a character XIII meets in the third volume of the main series. - Betty Barnowsky
By Joël Callède and Sylvain Vallée. This volume is set after Full Red. - Martha Shoebridge
By Frank Giroud and Colin Wilson. Explores the past of Martha Shoebridge, the doctor who saved XIII in the first volume. - Felicity Brown
By Matz and Christian Rossi. Recount the events surrounding Felicity Brown between Where the Indian Walks and For Maria. - Calvin Wax
By Fred Duval and Corentin Rouge. Tells about Calvin Wax’s involvement with William and Wally Sheridan. - Jonathan Fly
By Luc Brunschwig and TaDuc. Set during the days preceding The Night of August Third. - Alan Smith
By Daniel Pecqueur and Philippe Buchet. The last days of the real Alan Smith, the son of Sally and Abe Smith. - Judith Warner
By Jean Van Hamme and Olivier Grenson. A follow-up to L’Enquête, deuxième parties, set before The XIII History. - More Coming Soon!
