Misplaced Pages

#46953

57-516: Largely unknown outside of France during the 20th century, the character is now considered by some to be an obscure precursor to the superhero genre. Most Nyctalope storylines were presented in serialized form in French publications, then quickly collected and republished as novels. In 1908, author La Hire wrote the story L'Homme Qui Peut Vivre dans l'Eau (in English, "The Man Who Could Live Underwater"). In it,

114-424: A form of night-blindness, the word in French refers to animals who have poor vision in daylight but excellent night-vision. After five days of being blind when exposed to light, Leo's eyes adjust and he is able to once again see in daylight. With his eyesight restored, he quickly falls in love with Aurora Malianova, who has been helping to look after him. After confirming he still has perfect night vision as well, Leo

171-553: A fusion between Marcel Déat's RNP and the far-right Social Revolutionary Movement (MSR) of Eugène Deloncle , an inheritor of the Cagoule terrorist group. The first committee of direction of the RNP-MSR was composed of two RNP members and three MSR members: Marcel Déat, Jean Fontenoy , Jean Van Ormelingen (alias Jean Vanor), Eugène Deloncle and Jean Goy . However, the fusion between the RNP and

228-491: A life together, she lures him into being Grigoryi's captive. Later on, Leo and Grigoryi are locked in battle, with Grigoryi shot dead and the Nyctalope stabbed in the chest just as his allies arrive to rescue him. Leo is once again brought to the care of Dr. de Villiers-Pagan who employs experimental surgery to save the hero's life. The surgeon replaces Leo's damaged heart with an artificial, mechanical heart electrically charged by

285-406: A magnet, a prototype that previously had only been used on test animals. A week after the surgery, the Nyctalope revives and quickly recovers afterward. He now has increased vitality and stamina because his artificial heart slows down the buildup of fatigue toxins in his system. Although Sadi Khan disappears, Leo is satisfied that his employer Grigoryi is dead. Aurora, after discovering the Nyctalope

342-502: A nearby clinic headed by the general's brother-in-law, a surgeon and scientist named Dr. de Villiers-Pagan. The doctor and Nurse Malianova see Leo's bullet wound is superficial and are able to tend to the wound. On waking, Saint-Clair is shocked to find himself blind. de Villiers-Pagan initially believes this is temporary, but then notes that Saint-Clair's eyes now have a yellow internal coloration similar to "a lynx at dusk" or "certain nocturnal birds." A test proves that although Saint-Clair

399-490: A notable competitive athlete. He also has an interest in science and during his life often acts as a lab assistant to his father, learning many things about electrical engineering and chemistry. On March 3, 1912, when Léo is twenty-years-old, a mercenary called Sadi Khan collaborates with Russian terrorist Grigoryi Alexandrovich to steal Pierre's experimental Radiant Z technology which is capable of overriding and manipulating all wireless telegraphy communication. Sadi Khan invades

456-497: A slave to his own desires for power and revenge. Rotwang's appearance was also influential—the character's shock of flyaway hair, wild-eyed demeanor, and his quasi- fascist laboratory garb have all been adopted as shorthand for the mad scientist "look." Even his mechanical right hand has become a mark of twisted scientific power, echoed notably in Stanley Kubrick 's film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love

513-592: A son named Pierre. While Pierre is still very young, Syvlie dies. What becomes of their son is not clear. Léo Saint-Claire AKA the Nyctalope receives mentions in volumes 2 and 3 of the graphic novel series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen written by Alan Moore and drawn by Kevin O'Neill . A version of the Nyctalope appears in the French comic book series Le Brigade Chimerique (first published in Europe from 2009–2010), created by writer Serge Lehman with Fabrice Colin , and with artwork by Gess . The series

570-588: A support character named Jean Sainte-Claire aids the protagonist. In 1911, La Hire presented a sequel to this story in Le Mystère des XV ("The Mystery of the Fifteen," later re-published in English as The Nyctalope on Mars ). This story introduced the character as Leo Saint-Clair, a famous hero with enhanced abilities called the "Nyctalope" who investigates and fights large-scale threats such as dictators, mad scientists , terrorist organizations, and aliens (multiple books of

627-793: A tactic level, the RNP supported Pierre Laval and criticized the "Vichy reactionaries" and the PPF. Marcel Déat maintained close links with the German ambassador in Paris, Otto Abetz , whilst Doriot turned himself towards the SS . After Laval's return to government in April 1942 and the Nazi occupation of the Southern Zone in November 1942, Déat focused all his efforts on creating a single party of

SECTION 10

#1732854901047

684-459: A yellow tint). Later in the story, he is stabbed in the chest but then aided by renowned surgeon and scientist Dr. de Villiers-Pagan who replaces his heart with a mechanical prototype. In 1940, La Hire also published an anti-French and pro-Nazi volume, Le Crime des évacuations ; Les Horreurs que nous avons vues, in which he praised the Nazis for their helpfulness to the French war refugees. During

741-721: Is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" or " insane " owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly ambitious, taboo or hubristic nature of their experiments. As a motif in fiction, the mad scientist may be villainous ( evil genius ) or antagonistic, benign, or neutral; may be insane , eccentric , or clumsy; and often works with fictional technology or fails to recognise or value common human objections to attempting to play God . Some may have benevolent intentions, even if their actions are dangerous or questionable, which can make them accidental antagonists . The prototypical fictional mad scientist

798-407: Is able to defeat Oxus and undo his plans thanks to hep from Sainte Clair. In 1911, La Hire published a sequel to L'Homme Qui Peut Vivre dans l'Eau by featuring the same villain, now years older, in the story Le Mystère des XV (in English, "The Mystery Of The XV"). In this book, La Hire introduces Leo Saint-Clair, a wealthy adventurer with enhanced vitality and night-vision known to colleagues by

855-441: Is an actual agent of God. He states: "God sometimes allows His infallible justice and rightful wrath to manifest themselves upon the face of this Earth … And YOU are that manifestation! … You, the Nyctalope!" The same story introduces new love interest Sylvie MacDhul , whom the Nyctalope is said to marry. Unlike previous love interests, Sylvie makes more appearances in the subsequent novels. The book Titania (1929) introduces Pierre,

912-580: Is first said to be the son of Jean Saint-Clair (or "Jean Sainte-Claire"), an office in the French Navy . Later, it is established that Leo is born in 1891 or 1892 and grows up in France, the son of renowned wealthy research scientist Pierre Saint-Clair and his wife Madam Saint-Clair. The family property is located between Paris and Bourg-la-Reine and is described as "comprising a comfortable house, grounds enclosed by high walls, and vast commons." Growing up, Leo becomes

969-469: Is rescued, fatally poisons herself rather than face imprisonment. Leo does not reveal the nurse's true name and nature to the authorities, who assume her overdose is accidental. Following these events, Leo finds himself motivated to hunt down other spies, terrorists, and villains who escape conventional authorities. Eventually, Leo Saint-Clair is engaged to Xaviere de Ciserat. By this time, Earth humans have had contact with Martian inhabitants. A group known as

1026-531: Is satisfied he lives up to his self-appointed nickname of "Nyctalope" and declares his hunt for his enemies will now continue. Saint-Clair's friend Robert Champeau announces, "Long live the Nyctalope!" The Nyctalope and his allies track down the enemies, but in the process it is revealed that Aurora is actually Katyushka "Katia" Garcheva, a Russian agent working under the direction of her lover and mentor Grigoryi Alexandrovich. Although Leo insists he can forgive Aurora/Katia of any previous actions and that they can have

1083-428: Is temporarily blinded by any source of light, he can see perfectly in darkness, able to perceive detailed features and color without difficulty. Dr. de Villiers-Pagan hypothesizes that Saint-Clair's night vision is the result of the bullet impact producing a unique shock that transformed his optic nerves. Saint-Clair remarks "Ah, I'm a nyctalope, a nyctalope!" Although the term nyctalope in English refers to people who have

1140-533: Is the assistant to Charles Severac, the inventor and captain of a great submarine known as the Torpedo . The story features Severac and Jean de Sainte Clair encountering the mad scientist Oxus. With help from his associates (a monk named Fulbert and surgeon named Balsan), Oxus has created a hybrid shark-man called the Ichtaner, meant to be the first of an army of aquatic super-soldiers who will be unleashed on humanity. Severac

1197-418: The French Navy . Dismissing his own canon later, author La Hire used the Nyctalope's origin story (published in 1933) to establish that his father is an engineer and chemist named Pierre Saint-Clair. The Nyctalope stories contain other contradictions and gaps regarding the character's past, physical traits, and personal life. Starting in the 2006, publisher Black Coat Press began releasing new stories featuring

SECTION 20

#1732854901047

1254-587: The French Section of the Workers' International (SFIO) of the neosocialist tendency and led by Marcel Déat , the party was heavily influenced by fascism and saw the circumstances of the occupation as an opportunity to revolutionize France. Marcel Déat , a neosocialist expelled from the SFIO in November 1933 and former Minister, first proposed to create a single state party during the 1940 summer, immediately following

1311-557: The Hanna-Barbera cartoons, an actual mad scientist did not appear until Switchin' Kitten (1961). National Popular Rally The National Popular Rally ( French : Rassemblement national populaire , RNP , 1941–1944) was a French political party and one of the main collaborationist parties under the Vichy regime of World War II . Created in February 1941 by former members of

1368-544: The 1870 Wells novel From the Earth to the Moon . The same book introduces a new love interest for Saint-Clair, Veronique d'Olbans who is then said to become his wife. No full explanation is offered as to what happened to previous love interest Xaviere. Similarly, Veronique is not seen again after this story. In La Captive du Démon ("The Demon's Captive") (1927), a religious character named Mathias Lumen states his belief that Saint-Clair

1425-475: The 1898 novel The War of the Worlds as having actually occurred in the world of the Nyctalope, making Le Mystère des XV a fan-fiction sequel of sorts to the famous work by H.G. Wells . In Le Roi de la Nuit ("The King Of The Night") (1923), La Hire once again borrowed characters from H.G. Wells. The story features Nyctalope using technology developed by Professor Cavor, a fictional scientist who first appears in

1482-605: The Bomb and in the novel The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965) by Philip K. Dick . A recent survey of 1,000 horror films distributed in the UK between the 1930s and 1980s reveals mad scientists or their creations have been the villains of 30 percent of the films; scientific research has produced 39 percent of the threats; and, by contrast, scientists have been the heroes of a mere 11 percent. Boris Karloff played mad scientists in several of his 1930s and 1940s films. The Mad scientist

1539-534: The Collaboration which would permit him to impose himself as its sole leader. In November 1942, the leaders of the RNP, Déat and Georges Albertini , met with MSR leaders such as Georges Soulès . Following this meeting, the RNP created the National Revolutionary Front ( Front révolutionnaire national , FRN) which gathered the main collaborationist parties, apart from Doriot's PPF. The FRN thus included

1596-631: The German occupation of France, he joined the National Popular Rally (RNP) and the Groupe Collaboration . After World War II ended, La Hire was convicted in 1948 of indignité nationale as a collaborator with the Vichy government and Nazi Germany. His books lost popularity, although two more volumes he had partially written were then completed and published by his son-in-law. These two final books were La Sorcière Nue ("The Nude Sorceress") in 1954 and L'Énigme du Squelette ("The Enigma of

1653-568: The MSR was a failure, in part because Déat's RNP recruited mainly among former members of the French Left while the MSR was from the beginning located on the far-right of the political spectrum. The MSR conserved de facto its autonomy inside the RNP and was mainly charged of forming the RNP's security service. After the assassination attempt of Paul Collette against Pierre Laval , Marshal Philippe Pétain 's Prime Minister and Marcel Déat on 27 August 1941,

1710-643: The Nyctalope faces Baron Von Wartek, an international criminal so evil that enemies simply call him Lucifer. Unsure he can attain victory alone, the Nyctalope assembles a group of allies and agents to help against Lucifer, calling it the Committee of Information and Defense Against Evil . This group, sometimes simply called the Committee of Information and Defence (CID), includes the Nyctalope's Corsican bodyguards Vitto and Soca. The Nyctalope later meets and marries Sylvie MacDhul. The two share more adventures together and have

1767-554: The Nyctalope's father is named Pierre and that he is a research scientist specializing in electrical engineering and chemistry. The Nyctalope stories contain other contradictions and gaps regarding the character's past, physical traits, and personal life. In Le Mystère des XV , the villain Oxus from the first book is now the leader of a secret group called the "Society of the XV" who use "radioplanes" (aircraft able to travel on radio waves) to travel to

Nyctalope - Misplaced Pages Continue

1824-558: The Nyctalope, La Hire reveals the origin for his character's enhanced abilities in the story L'Assassinat du Nyctalope ("The Assassination of the Nyctalope", later published in English as Enter the Nyctalope ). The story reveals that at the age of 20, Léo Saint-Clar encounters villainous nihilists who belong to a group called the Red Circle. During this initial adventure, a gunshot wound miraculously causes Leo to gain perfect night-vision (the side effect being that his eyes sometimes shine with

1881-408: The Nyctalope. The same publisher has also released new English language editions of La Hire's original Nyctalope stories. Jean de La Hire (the pen name of Adolphe d'Espi) began his science fiction adventure series in 1908 with the novel L'Homme Qui Peut Vivre dans l'Eau (in English, "The Man Who Could Live Underwater"). In this story, there is a supporting character named Jean de Sainte Clair who

1938-527: The RNP, Roland Gaucher would also accompany Pétain into exile in the Sigmaringen enclave . The RNP had at maximum 30,000 members. According to the historian Robert Soucy , it had only 2,638 party members, of whom only 12.8 percent were industrial workers. Its mouthpiece, directed by Roland Gaucher , was Le National Populaire , but the party was also supported by Déat's daily, L'Œuvre . The youth organisation ( Jeunesses nationales populaires , JNP)

1995-778: The RNP-Labour Social Front, the MSR, the Parti franciste, the Groupe Collaboration , the Jeunes de l'Europe nouvelle and the Comité d’action antibolchévique  [ fr ] ( Anti-Bolshevik Action Committee ). Déat furthermore managed to gain to his side the secretary of the PPF, Jean Fossati , and named to the head of the FRN Henri Barbé , issued from the PPF. However, the FRN finally

2052-582: The Saint-Clair home and takes the technology and schematics, while Pierre is shot and left for dead. Madam Saint-Clair and Leo return home in time to help Pierre, although they are unable to prevent several leftover time bombs from destroying the lab. Determined to reacquire the Radiant Z schematics and technology, and wanting to avenge the attack on his father and home, young Léo recruits a group of friends to aid him. He also convinces his father to give him power over

2109-469: The Skeleton") in 1955. La Hire died in 1956 and his books fell into obscurity. During the 20th century, they were not republished and were never translated into other languages. In the 21st century, some volumes of the of Nyctalope series were published in English by Black Coat Press, translated either by Brian Stableford or by Black Coat Press editors/publishers Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier . Only some

2166-449: The XV ("the Fifteen") sets up a base on Mars and kidnaps Xaviere. The Nyctalope journeys there to rescue her and others from the villain Orxus, leader of the XV. Later on, Xavier disappears from the Nyctalope's life and there is some implication she dies. Leo later falls in love with and marries Veronique d'Olbans. She is later gone from his life for unclear reasons. At one point in his career,

2223-445: The books in the Nyctalope series have been published in English by Black Coat Press. Some of these stories were translated by Brian Stableford while others were translated by Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier. Following L'Homme Qui Peut Vivre dans l'Eau ("The Man Who Could Live Underwater") in 1909, La Hire's official Nyctalope stories include: Léon "Leo" Saint-Clair is presented with some contradictions regarding his past. He

2280-433: The evil genius whose machines had originally given life to the dystopian city of the title. Rotwang's laboratory influenced many subsequent movie sets with its electrical arcs , bubbling apparatus, and bizarrely complicated arrays of dials and controls. Portrayed by actor Rudolf Klein-Rogge , Rotwang himself is the prototypically conflicted mad scientist; though he is master of almost mystical scientific power, he remains

2337-533: The family wealth and resources to ensure he can acquire what he needs to hunt down Sadi Khan and his collaborators. After arriving in Switzerland , Saint-Clair and his allies are attacked. As their enemies escape, Saint-Clair is shot across the forehead and falls unconscious, bleeding from the head. By sheer chance, retired French military General Le Breuil comes upon the scene, accompanied by nurse Aurora Malianova. Le Breuil offers to help, explaining that Aurora works at

Nyctalope - Misplaced Pages Continue

2394-602: The latter accused the MSR of having attempted to eliminate him. Thereafter, the MSR was excluded from the RNP in October 1941, leading to the reorganization of the RNP (and exclusion of elements close to the MSR) until the first months of 1942. The ideology of the RNP was clearly of a fascist nature, advocating antisemitic and racist policies and sharing a strong admiration for Nazi Germany . Despite this, it differed from Jacques Doriot 's French Popular Party (PPF) in that it maintained

2451-637: The main characters is Marc Saint-Clair , a French adventurer with perfect night-vision who has access to advanced technology. Rather than being called Nyctalope, he is instead commonly referred to as " the Eye ." He is assigned by Marie Curie to be the "protector of Paris." The original Nyctalope has appeared directly in new stories featured in several volumes of the Tales of the Shadowmen anthology series published by Black Coat Press, including: Léo Saint-Clair also appears in

2508-403: The nickname of the "Nyctalope." Leo becomes the star of subsequent stories, some of which refer to his father as a naval officer named Jean (implying he is the same character Jean featured in L'Homme Qui Peut Vivre dans l'Eau despite the surname being spelled slightly differently). In 1933 however, the origin story L'Assassinat du Nyctalope ("The Assassination of the Nyctalope") establishes that

2565-499: The novel The Return of the Nyctalope by Jean-Marc Lofficier & Randy Lofficier (2013, Black Coat Press)( ISBN   978-1-61227-211-5 ). Shadowmen: Heroes and Villains of French Pulp Fiction : Published in 2003, by Jean-Marc Lofficier and Randy Lofficier and published by Black Coat Press, is an encyclopedic guide to some of the most important characters from French fiction, including Nyctalope. Mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor )

2622-399: The planet Mars and set up a secret base there. The XV then kidnap 15 women from Earth to take back to Mars as their wives. Koynos, a rival of the Nyctalope, kidnaps Léo Saint-Clair's fiancée Xaviere de Ciserat. The Nyctalope then journeys to Mars to free the kidnapped women. During the adventure, the Nyctalope and the XV encounter native Martians. The book also clearly references the events of

2679-509: The principle of universal suffrage , public education , anti-clericalism or the conservation of sculptures of Marianne , a republican symbol, in the townhalls. Those ideas created constant conflicts between the RNP and more reactionary elements of Vichy who also supported the Révolution nationale ("National Revolution") and had been trained in the Action française monarchist movement. On

2736-497: The proclamation of the Vichy regime . Briefly arrested by the French police on 13 December 1940, he finally created the RNP in February 1941, which became one of the primary collaborationist parties, along with Jacques Doriot 's French Popular Party (PPF), Marcel Bucard 's Francisme and Pierre Clémenti's French National-Collectivist Party . Immediately, the German authorities imposed

2793-799: The scientific and technological build-up during the Cold War brought about increasing threats of unparalleled destruction of the human species did not lessen the impression. Mad scientists frequently figure in science fiction and motion pictures from the period. Mad scientists in animation include Professor Frink , Professor Farnsworth , Rick Sanchez , Rintaro Okabe , and Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz . Walt Disney Pictures had Mickey Mouse trying to save his dog Pluto from The Mad Doctor (1933). Depictions of mad scientists in Warner Brothers' Merrie Melodies / Looney Tunes cartoons include: While both Tom and Jerry dabbled in mad science in some of

2850-401: The series directly reference or use characters from the works of H.G. Wells ). Like many American pulp heroes, the Nyctalope often is assisted by friends and allies, including a group he forms called the Committee of Information and Defense Against Evil. In his early stories, it is said that the Nyctalope's father is Jean (the character seen in the first story from 1908), who was a member of

2907-405: The son of Sylvie and the Nyctalope. Sylvie and young Pierre appear again in the 1933 story Les Mystères de Lyon ("The Mysteries of Lyon"). In the 1934 story Le Sphinx du Maroc ("The Moroccan Sphinx"), it is stated that Sylvie died "three years ago" and the Nyctalope is now a widower. His son Pierre is not seen again in later stories. In 1933, twenty-two years after reintroducing his character as

SECTION 50

#1732854901047

2964-466: The suffering he causes. In 1925, the novelist Alexander Belyaev introduced mad scientists to the Russian people through the novel Professor Dowell's Head , in which the antagonist performs experimental head transplants on bodies stolen from the morgue, and reanimates the corpses. Fritz Lang 's movie Metropolis ( 1927 ) brought the archetypical mad scientist to the screen in the form of Rotwang ,

3021-549: Was Victor Frankenstein , creator of his eponymous monster , who made his first appearance in 1818, in the novel Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley . Though the novel's title character, Victor Frankenstein, is a sympathetic character, the critical element of conducting experiments that cross "boundaries that ought not to be crossed", heedless of the consequences, is present in Shelley's novel. Frankenstein

3078-464: Was a failure. In March 1944, Déat was named Minister of Labour and of National Solidarity and took as assistants the RNP leaders ( Georges Albertini , Georges Dumoulin , Ludovic Zoretti and Gabriel Lafaye ) From then on, he focused more on his ministry tasks than on the organization of the RNP. On 17 August 1944, Déat took refuge in Nazi Germany almost alone. In charge of the youth organisation of

3135-561: Was a staple of the Republic/Universal/Columbia movie serials of the 1930s and 40s. Examples include: Mad scientists were most conspicuous in popular culture after World War II . The sadistic human experimentation conducted under the auspices of the Nazis , especially those of Josef Mengele , and the invention of the atomic bomb , gave rise in this period to genuine fears that science and technology had gone out of control. That

3192-510: Was later published in English as The Chimera Brigade by Titan Comics in 2014. Set just before World War II , the series features several characters meant to be analogues and homages to heroes of early comic books, pulp fiction magazines, and adventure stories (for example, a man who looks like Superman is referred as "Steele" and a man drawn to resemble the Shadow is referred to as "the Hidden"). One of

3249-595: Was trained as both an alchemist and a modern scientist, which makes him the bridge between two eras of an evolving archetype. The book is said to be a precursor of a new genre, science fiction , although as an example of gothic horror it is connected with other antecedents as well. The year 1896 saw the publication of H. G. Wells 's The Island of Doctor Moreau , in which the titular doctor—a controversial vivisectionist —has isolated himself entirely from civilisation in order to continue his experiments in surgically reshaping animals into humanoid forms , heedless of

#46953