XIII

In the late 1990s, Carlsen published the Danish edition of XIII, a taut eight-issue espionage thriller that follows an amnesiac man on a desperate quest to uncover his own identity after being found with a bullet in his head and a mysterious key around his neck. Written primarily by Jean Van Hamme and Niels Søndergaard, with William Vance providing the crisp, cinematic art, the series is a masterclass in paranoid, page-turning intrigue, weaving a complex conspiracy that helped define the modern European graphic novel. Its blend of sharp dialogue and Vance's detailed linework made it a standout in the Belgian-French tradition of serialized suspense.