Captain Francis Blake of MI5 and Professor Philip Mortimer are drawn into the crisis when a Soviet defector alerts the West. Their journey takes them from London to Moscow and eventually the secretive heart of the Soviet space program. Key Details
Originally serialized in Le Figaro Magazine starting in June 1999 before its full album release by Editions Blake et Mortimer . Critical Reception
Sente’s script is lauded for modernizing the series' pacing and introducing stronger female characters, while keeping the classic "spy thriller" atmosphere intact. Blake et Mortimer, tome 14 : La Machination Vor...
Dr. Voronov, a high-ranking KGB medical officer and staunch Stalinist, discovers the pathogen. Defying orders to destroy it, he decides to use the bacteria as a biological weapon to destabilize both the Kremlin (which he views as having betrayed Stalin's legacy) and Western nations.
A failed Soviet rocket launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome inadvertently brings back a lethal extra-terrestrial bacterium. Captain Francis Blake of MI5 and Professor Philip
Juillard’s art is frequently described as a perfect homage to the original style while maintaining its own elegance.
The album is noted for its "clear line" style (ligne claire) and its deep integration into real-world history, featuring historical figures and events like the early Soviet space missions and even cameos of contemporary cultural figures. Defying orders to destroy it, he decides to
Set in during the height of the Space Race, the story unfolds against the backdrop of the launch of Sputnik and the escalating tensions between the West and the Soviet Union.