Blake & Mortimer: Forthcoming books

As I indicated here, a new Blake and Mortimer book is due to be published later in November: "Le Serment des cinq lords" ("The Pledge of the Five Peers") which will look at aspects of Blake's past.

And they are already working on the next book as well!

Artist Antoine Aubin will continue the drawing (having already replaced the late René Sterne), and writer Jean Dufaux will be taking over from Jean Van Hamme. The title will be "L'Onde Septimus" ("The Septimus Wave") and should be published in late 2013.

As the title indicates, it is of course a sequel to "The Yellow M". Searching the net I've already found a drawn page for this story in which Blake and his superior Colonel Cartwright discuss Olrik's escape at the end of the original book. Blake expresses annoyance at the fact that he knows nothing about Olrik's past: where he was born, his childhood etc. Hint? hint?

This story is currently being published in the newspaper "Le Soir" (which also published "Tintin" during the war).

These pages should be available every Saturday in Flash view on the "Le Soir" ketpaddle blog site, albeit in black-and-white.

And as our own Jock123 brilliantly guessed here the opening scenes concern Lawrence of Arabia at Reading station in 1919 and losing his suitcase containing the first draft of his memoirs.

I could, if you like, provide a week-by-week summary of the story. Anyone interested?

The Centaur Club, home of Blake & Mortimer forums on line (in French), has previews of the first three pages of "The Shadow of Septimus", the next volume in the series, and a sequel to The Yellow "M", in colour!

It looks very promising!

Has "Le Serment des cinq lords" been released yet in English?

No, the last "new" book was The Curse of the 30 Pieces of Silver, Book 2; currently they are part way through The Secret of the Swordfish, with Book 3 out in October.

I see, thanks! I've been collecting B&M for years. The nine "classic" titles by Jacobs - from "...Pyramid" to "..Necklace..." were released in Swedish in the 70s.

Much later I started buying the Danish editions, from "Professor Sato..." and some of the newly made albums.

I switched to the English editions from "Strange Encounter" and onwards. Regarding "Swordfish", I bought part 2 in Danish years ago, then part 1 in English earlier this year and now I'm waiting for part 3 :-)

According to Wikipedia, "The Oath of the Five Lords" will be released in 2014.

"L'Onde Septimus" ("The Septimus Wave") is due out in French on December 6 2013. I expect that Cinebook will release an English version before long. Jean Dufaux and Antoine Aubin have replaced Jean Van Hamme and the late René Sterne as writer and artist.

The book is already being advertised on the net, such as at Amazon France.

I love the cover: poor Olrik looks terrified being surrounded by a dozen Spetimus'. You almost feel sorry for him.