XIII

A long-running Belgian thriller from Dargaud Benelux, XIII follows a man found adrift with no memory and a mysterious Roman-numeral tattoo, pulling readers through a dense conspiracy involving a shadowy organization and a presidential assassination. Launched in 1984 by writer Jean Van Hamme and artist William Vance, the series is a cornerstone of European espionage comics, known for its taut, puzzle-box plotting and cinematic black-and-white artwork. After Van Hamme and Vance’s initial run, the series continued with writers like Yves Sente and artists like Iouri Jigounov, sustaining its intricate, globe-spanning narrative across 29 issues. Its influence on the genre is significant, setting a high bar for amnesia-driven thrillers in comics.