ⅩⅠⅠⅠ (Thirteen) is a Franco-Belgian comic book series written by the Belgian Jean Van Hamme and drawn by the Belgian William Vance. ⅩⅠⅠⅠ is similar to Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity in that both protagonists have amnesia. ⅩⅠⅠⅠ first appeared in 1984, and was later published by Dargaud. In 2004 the storyline of the first five volumes was adapted into a video game, also titled ⅩⅠⅠⅠ, that was released on several platforms. The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Jean Van Hamme (born January 16, 1939) is a Belgian novelist and scenario writer of comic books. ... Comic Book Artist is an American magazine primarily devoted to anecdotal histories of American comic books, with emphasis on comics published between the 1960s and the present-day. ... William Vance, pseudonym for William van Cutsem (born August 9, 1935) is a Belgian comic book artist. ... Active companies AC Comics Adhouse Books Alias Enterprises Alternative Comics Antarctic Press Arcana Studios Archie Comics (formerly MLJ) Mighty Comics (Defunct, also known as Radio Comics) Red Circle Comics (Defunct) Aardvark-Vanaheim (Cerebus the Aardvark reprint collections only) Avatar Press Beckett Comics Bongo Comics BroadSword Comics Carabosse Comics Claypool Comics... Les Éditions Dargaud is a publisher of Franco-Belgian and French comic book series. ... Tintin, one of the most famous Belgian comics Franco-Belgian comics are comics written in Belgium and France. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Jean Van Hamme (born January 16, 1939) is a Belgian novelist and scenario writer of comic books. ... William Vance, pseudonym for William van Cutsem (born August 9, 1935) is a Belgian comic book artist. ... The Scarlatti Inheritance, Ludlums first book, published 1971. ... The Bourne Identity is a spy fiction thriller by Robert Ludlum about an amnesiac who must discover who he is and why several different groups, including an assassin and the CIA, are trying to kill him. ... Amnesia (or amnaesia in Commonwealth English) is a condition in which memory is disturbed. ... Les Éditions Dargaud is a publisher of Franco-Belgian and French comic book series. ... A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... XIII (pronounced: Thirteen) is a first-person shooter video game released for PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Mac and the PC, and based on the Belgium XIII comic series of the same name. ...

Volumes

Only the first three volumes were translated to English in the initial run by Catalan Communications, but Alias Comics is publishing all the volumes starting 2005 as comic books. 3 issues have been released so far. English titles in the below list are translations of the original titles , and may change for the actual albums if and when they are released in English. Page five from New York/Miami (Catalan, 1990) by Jacques Loustal and Philippe Paringaux, translated by Elizabeth Bell. ... Alias Enterprises is a US publishing company. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Most volumes consisted of three individual issues during the initial run, not otherwise named or numbered.

1. The Day of The Black Sun, 1984 (Le jour du soleil noir, English: "The Black Sun Day")
2. Where the Indian Walks, 1985 (Là où va l'indien...)
3. All the Tears of Hell, 1986 (Toutes les larmes de l'enfer)
4. SPADS, 1987 (SPADS)
5. Red Alert, 1988 (Rouge total, "Total Red")
6. The Jason Fly File, 1989 (Le dossier Jason Fly)
7. The Night of 3rd August, 1990 (La nuit du 3 août)
8. Thirteen Against One, 1991 (Treize contre un)
9. For Maria, 1992 (Pour Maria)
10. El Cascador, 1994 (El Cascador)
11. Three Silver Watches, 1995 (Trois montres d'argent)
12. The Verdict, 1997 (Le jugement)
13. The ⅩⅠⅠⅠ Mystery: The Research, 1999 (The ⅩⅠⅠⅠ mystery: L'enquête)
14. Danger to the State, 2000 (Secret défense, "top secret")
15. Unleash the Dogs!, 2002 (Lâchez les chiens !)
16. Operation Montechristo, 2004 (Opération Montechristo)
17. Maximilian's Gold, 2005 (L'or de Maximilien)
18. The Last Round, To Be announced (Le Dernier Round). Last one of the series.

Photograph of Maximilian I, circa 1857-1867. ...

Storyline

The series starts when a man washes up on a shore in Peacock Bay in the East Coast of the United States, suffering from amnesia, with only a 'ⅩⅠⅠⅠ' tattoo to link him to his past. Volumes one through five deal with ⅩⅠⅠⅠ searching for his identity and his past, only to find himself confronting the "conspiracy of the XX" which aims to a coup d'état in the United States. They form a closed story arc, ending with the destruction of the "conspiracy of the XX". Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... A coup détat (pronounced ), or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government through unconstitutional means by a part of the state establishment that mostly replaces just the top power figures. ...

In the first volume ⅩⅠⅠⅠ washes ashore, and soon finds himself hunted by a contract killer known as the Mongoose for reasons unknown to him. ⅩⅠⅠⅠ departs to the city of Eastown, where he is recognised by many as Steve Rowland. Once again hunted by the Mongoose's men, ⅩⅠⅠⅠ manages to escape with the help of Colonel Amos, a government agent in charge of the investigation of the murder of American President William Sheridan, a crime ⅩⅠⅠⅠ seems to have committed. ⅩⅠⅠⅠ first manages to escape the Mongoose with Amos' help, and then flee Amos' hands.

In the second volume ⅩⅠⅠⅠ's search for his identity leads to his capture by army General Carrington, who confirms ⅩⅠⅠⅠ's identity as Steve Rowland, and reveals to ⅩⅠⅠⅠ Rowland was an operative working under Carrington. "Rowland" is returned to his home in Southbourg by Carrington's aide Jones. ⅩⅠⅠⅠ does not recognise anyone, but he is recognised by his father Jeremie Rowland and others. However Rowland's wife Kim is nowhere to be found. After an encounter with Amos, who still considers ⅩⅠⅠⅠ his prime suspect but is willing to let him go for now, ⅩⅠⅠⅠ is tricked by Jeremie Rowland's young wife Felicity: Felicity kills Jeremie Rowland and Steve's uncle Matt, letting ⅩⅠⅠⅠ take the blame. He escapes with Carrington's help, and meets with Kim at Kelownee Lake in the north. Kim reveals to him she is tattood as well, wearing tattoo number XVII. Kim then betrays ⅩⅠⅠⅠ to the police and disappears again, and ⅩⅠⅠⅠ, "Steve Rowland", is tried and found guilty for the murder of the Rowlands, and sentenced to maximum security prison.

The third volume finds ⅩⅠⅠⅠ in a facility for the criminally insane. Meanwhile Amos and Carrington meet up, and they begin to realize that ⅩⅠⅠⅠ is not Rowland and not the murderer of president Sheridan, but a body double. Carrington provides the papers of a Ross Tanner, who fits ⅩⅠⅠⅠ's physique, and is likely his true identity. Nevertheless Amos decides to leave ⅩⅠⅠⅠ in prison. Carrington and Jones hatch an escape plot, and manage to free ⅩⅠⅠⅠ, after an encounter with one of the Mongoose's killers, Irina Svetlanova.

Volume four begins with ⅩⅠⅠⅠ, using the name of Ross Tanner, in a training facility of the SPADS. Amos learns that Carrington invented the Tanner identity, and finds that ⅩⅠⅠⅠ's true identity was Jason Fly. Shortly after this discovery he reveals Judge Allenby, a member of Amos' agency, as one of the conspirators. Meanwhile ⅩⅠⅠⅠ is nearly killed by SPADS head Seymour MacCall. Together with one of the SPADS, Betty Barnowsky, Rowland once again escapes with the help of Jones. Barnowsky is taken along as she has evidence linking Rowland with MacCall, and can thereby prove the conspiracy.

At the start of volume five ⅩⅠⅠⅠ, Jones, and Barnowsky meet up with Marquis de Préseau, a rich land owner. Préseau helps them return to the USA. Meanwhile Carrington has been arrested by the conspirators, as they prepare to take over the country during a large-scale military operation. ⅩⅠⅠⅠ and the women meet with Colonel Amos, who brings them into contact with Walter Sheridan. Sheridan helps ⅩⅠⅠⅠ infiltrate the military centre of operations, and together with President Galbrain they manage to stop the conspiracy at the last moment.

At the end of the story arc ⅩⅠⅠⅠ believes he has found his old identity as "Jason Fly", and is prepared to continue his life normally, even if his memories have not yet returned. The entire conspiracy, with the exception of the illustrous Number I, has been killed or captured, and ⅩⅠⅠⅠ has the support of new President Walter Sheridan.

In the following volumes ⅩⅠⅠⅠ takes up the investigation about his past. Volumes six and seven bring ⅩⅠⅠⅠ to Greenfalls, a snowy town in the Rocky Mountains, where the story revolves around the fate of his father in the McCarthian 1950s. ⅩⅠⅠⅠ learns that his father, "Jonathan Fly", was murdered by the local Ku Klux Klan chapter, after they found out Fly's real identity was Jonathan MacLane, a "red" journalist who had to flee after suffering under McCarthy's witch hunt. Despite another murder attempt by the Mongoose, ⅩⅠⅠⅠ leaves Greenfalls after having taken revenge on the murderers of his father, and with a good idea that he has finally found his true identity as Jason MacLane. White Goat Wilderness Area, Alberta, Canada Longs Peak of the Rocky Mountains as depicted on the Colorado state quarter The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America. ... Joseph Raymond McCarthy McCarthyism took place during a period of intense suspicion in the United States primarily from 1950 to 1954, when the U.S. government was actively countering American Communist Party subversion, its leadership, and others suspected of being Communists or Communist sympathizers. ... Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ...

In volume eight, ⅩⅠⅠⅠ is approached by President Sheridan to become a special agent, charged with finding the still at large Number I. ⅩⅠⅠⅠ uses the presidential backing to track down Kim Rowland, and learns she is General Carrington's daughter. ⅩⅠⅠⅠ, Jones, and Kim are caught by the Mongoose, who traps them on a yacht, and explodes it. ⅩⅠⅠⅠ has to chose between rescuing Kim or Jones, and choses the latter. Kim Rowland is lost and presumed dead. ⅩⅠⅠⅠ is now convinced that he has learned the identity of Number I, and confronts Walter Sheridan with this. Although he cannot prove it, ⅩⅠⅠⅠ swears he will make Sheridan pay, and leaves the nation.

In the following volumes the action takes place in and around Costa Verde, a small nation in Central America where ⅩⅠⅠⅠ once led a revolution under the identity of "El Cascador". ⅩⅠⅠⅠ gets involved after revolutionary Maria de Los Santos claims to have been his wife. ⅩⅠⅠⅠ's belief in his identity is shattered: he learns that El Cascador was known as "Kelly Brian", and possibly an IRA operative. Eventually Maria becomes president of the country, despite a plot by the National Security Agency, led by Frank Giordino, to have her and ⅩⅠⅠⅠ killed. Map of Central America Central America is a central region of the Americas. ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA; more commonly referred to as the IRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the army or the RA) is an Irish Republican paramilitary organisation dedicated to the end of British rule in Northern Ireland and to a United Ireland. ... NSA seal The National Security Agency / Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) is believed to be the largest United States government intelligence agency. ...

During the revolution ⅩⅠⅠⅠ met up with Irish native Sean Mullway, who claims to be ⅩⅠⅠⅠ's real father. However, he also confirms ⅩⅠⅠⅠ's identity as "Jason MacLane". The history of ⅩⅠⅠⅠ's Irish decent is revealed, and ⅩⅠⅠⅠ learns that his mother was the sister of Giordino, who accidentally murdered her. The Giordinos are revealed as a Mafia family. At the end of the volume ⅩⅠⅠⅠ is offered amnesty by the American ambassador, who explains that ⅩⅠⅠⅠ's help is needed: Carrington has apparently gone insane. The Mafia, also referred to in Italian as Cosa Nostra (which translates as Our Thing), is an organized criminal secret society which evolved in mid-19th century Sicily. ...

In volume twelve ⅩⅠⅠⅠ finds himself once again confronted by his old enemy, the Mongoose. The corrupt American president Sheridan is kidnapped by General Carrington, who blames Sheridan for Kim's death. In a televised "trial" Sheridan is revealed to the American public as a conspirator, with ⅩⅠⅠⅠ and the Mongoose testifying. In the aftermath of the event the NSA director Giordino accidentally kills Sheridan, after Sheridan has killed the Mongoose.

Volume thirteen (ⅩⅠⅠⅠ) is a special issue, where two journalists retrace the first twelve issues, clarifying and expanding the storyline.

Volumes fourteen to seventeen continue the storyline. While in exile in Costa Verde, ⅩⅠⅠⅠ and his father Mullway decide to attempt to find a treasure hidden somewhere in Mexico by their ancestors. Meanwhile Giordino fabricates evidence revealing ⅩⅠⅠⅠ as one Seamus O'Neill, an IRA operative who trained under Fidel Castro. As O'Neill ⅩⅠⅠⅠ is wanted by the USA, but again manages to escape. He also survives an assassination by Irina Svetlanova, who has taken over the Mongoose's operation. After many setbacks the treasure is found, and then lost again. Meanwhile Giordino is finally removed from duty by the new President, who has received evidence from ⅩⅠⅠⅠ and Mullway revealing Giordino as not only a capo of the Mafia, but also as the true killer of Walter Sheridan. Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (pron. ...

Volume eighteen, expected in 2006, is to be the last album written by Van Hamme. Vance is expected to continue the series with a new writer, whose name has not yet been revealed.

Popularity

First released in 1984 as a serial in the popular Belgian paper Spirou magazine, ⅩⅠⅠⅠ was an instant hit among Spirou readers. The first three issues were released as a single hardback volume by Spirou published Dargaud the same year, a trend continued for later issues. By the time of the eighth issue, Thirteen against one, sales of the hardback had reached 140,000 copies, and the publisher belatedly realized that they have a bestseller on their hands. Promotion started, including a special drawing by the French national lottery in 2000 with 1,500,000 tickets and a €13,000 grand prize. cover of Issue #1 Spirou magazine is a Belgian comics magazine. ... Les Éditions Dargaud is a publisher of Franco-Belgian and French comic book series. ...

Translations

Originally in French, ⅩⅠⅠⅠ was quickly translated into Dutch, and translations in other languages such as German, Polish and Italian quickly followed.

ⅩⅠⅠⅠ was first released in English in 1989 as Code ⅩⅠⅠⅠ, but after the first three volumes publication ended in 1990 when the publisher went out of business. Alias Comics is publishing the title as a series of comics. They have released 3 issues so far in 2005, each issue covering about half an album. Alias Enterprises is a US publishing company. ...

ⅩⅠⅠⅠ video game

Main article: XIII (game) XIII (pronounced: Thirteen) is a first-person shooter video game released for PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Mac and the PC, and based on the Belgium XIII comic series of the same name. ...

ⅩⅠⅠⅠ was adapted as a 2003 video game released for PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, the PC, and the Apple Macintosh. The plot of the game is an adaption of the first five volumes of the comic series. A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sonys second video game console, the successor to the PlayStation and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3. ... The Nintendo GameCube (Japanese: ゲームキューブ; originally code-named Dolphin during development; abbreviated as GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the 128-bit era; the same generation as Segas Dreamcast, Sonys PlayStation 2, and Microsofts Xbox. ... The Microsoft Xbox is a sixth generation era video game console first released on November 15, 2001 in North America and Puerto Rico , then released on February 22, 2002 in Japan, and on March 14, 2002 in Europe. ... Diagram of a typical modern PC. A personal computer or PC is usually a microcomputer whose price, size, and capabilities make it suitable for personal usage. ... The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh, or Mac, line of personal computers is designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ...

See also

• Belgian comics

Belgium is an important country with a huge production of comics in all sorts relative to its size and population. ...

External links

• ⅩⅠⅠⅠ official website