[THE SHADOW]

Created & Written by: Alain Page (Jean-Emmanuel Conil) (1930- ).

L'Ombre (The Shadow) is -- or claims to be -- Frédéric-Jean Orth, a name which itself maybe an alias for the last heir of an illustrious family. The name "Orth", however, begins with an "O", which is also the Shadow's signature. L'Ombre is a master of disguise. Few men know his real identity. He usually acts under a disguise, discovered only at the end. His only trusted confident is Alexis, a big, burly adventurer. L'Ombre is a Knight Errant -- he protects widows and orphans, punishes bad guys, and like his more famous model, Simon Templar, a.k.a. The Saint, does not hesitate to take his cut of the villains' ill-gotten gains. L'Ombre's nemesis is police commissioner Voisin, who once arrested him. Biographer Alain Page knows L'Ombre, whom he meets regularly.

Publishing History 1. L'Ombre Joue à Cache-Cache [The Shadow Plays Hide-and-Seek] (FNAv 21) 2. L'Ombre Mène le Bal [The Shadow Leads the Dance] (FNAv 24) 3. L'Ombre Gagne la Belle [The Shadow Wins the Last Hand] (FNAv 26) 4. L'Ombre Abat son Jeu [The Shadow Shows His Cards] (FNAv 29) 5. L'Ombre ne sait pas Chanter [The Shadow Does Not Know How To Sing] (FNAv 31) 6. L'Ombre Prend son Vol [The Shadow Takes Off] (FNAv 33) 7. L'Ombre pour la Proie [The Shadow and his Prey] (FNAv 35) 8. L'Ombre Prend le Large [The Shadow Goes Away] (FNAv 37) 9. L'Ombre Revient de Loin [The Shadow Returns] (FNAv 39) 10. L'Ombre Se Dissipe [The Shadow Vanishes] (FNAv 41) 11. L'Ombre Nage entre Deux Eaux [The Shadow in Troubled Waters] (FNAv 43) 12. L'Ombre Porte l'Estocade [The Shadow Strikes] (FNAv 46) 13. L'Ombre sort de l'Ombre [The Shadow Leaves the Shadows] (FNAv 48) 14. L'Ombre Etait dans la Tombe [The Shadow Was Inside the Tomb] (FNAv 52)

The Author Alain Page is a prolific author of thrillers, many of which contain some science-fiction or fantasy elements. He created the series of novels starring L'Ombre for the L'Aventurier (The Adventurer) imprint of Editions Fleuve Noir in 1958 to compete with Fayard's line of Saint novels. In fact, the Ombre novels are written in the same style, with similar types of chapter headings. A few years later, he created the character of super-spy Calone for the Espionnage imprint of Fleuve Noir. Calone was also adapted in comic-book form by Aredit. Page also wrote two classic genre series for French television: the first, Les Compagnons d'Eleusis [The Brotherhood Of Eleusis] (which he novelized the same year, in 1975) is about a secret society of modern alchemists decides to use vast quantities of gold to destroy the modern world's emphasis on material values. The second, Le Mutant [The Mutant] (which he novelized the same year, in 1978) is about a mutant child, Saül Masson, who grows up to become an elusive genius and eventually takes over mankind with mind-controlling implants.

Thanks to Marcel Pfefferlé.