Shingouz
Encyclopedia
The Shingouz are a fiction
al, alien species
created by Pierre Christin
and Jean-Claude Mézières
in the French
comic book
series Valérian and Laureline.
s with a snout
instead of a beak
.
Shingouz mating is a very complex ritual where three pairs of Shingouz, each consisting of a male and a female, go through a choreography that can last for several days.
Shingouz have an extremely high tolerance and preference for strong alcoholic beverage
s, which they consume in large quantities. Their preferred drink is a local one called glingue, whose exact nature has never been mentioned but which is rumoured to be strong enough to be toxic to human
s. Shingouz like their alcohol so strong that one of them once mistook lamp oil
for a drink. It's also implied that alcohol is their primary sustenance.
The Shingouz society is capitalist
to the extreme. Shingouz want a profit from everything they do. They are especially adept in trading important and sensitive information
to interested parties. They store their innumerable lucky finds in small double sacks, which they never give up.
A group of three Shingouz usually meet Valérian and Laureline on their travels. They are especially fond of Laureline, which she often uses to her advantage in striking favourable deals with them, and they are soothed when she pats them on the head. This trio is in the business of trading information and is an excellent source, having many contacts in various worlds.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
al, alien species
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
created by Pierre Christin
Pierre Christin
- Biography :Christin was born at Saint-Mandé in 1938.After graduating from the Sorbonne, Christin pursued graduate studies in political science at SciencesPo and became a professor of French literature at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. His first comics story, Le Rhum du Punch, illustrated...
and Jean-Claude Mézières
Jean-Claude Mézières
Jean-Claude Mézières is a French comic strip artist and illustrator. Born and raised in Paris, he was introduced to drawing by his older brother and influenced by comics artists such as Hergé, Andre Franquin and Morris and later by Jijé and Jack Davis...
in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series Valérian and Laureline.
Biology and culture
Shingouz are brown, short-furred creatures, little less than a metre tall, resembling flightless birdBird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s with a snout
Snout
The snout, or muzzle, is the protruding portion of an animal's face, consisting of its nose, mouth, and jaw.-Terminology:The term "muzzle", used as a noun, can be ambiguous...
instead of a beak
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
.
Shingouz mating is a very complex ritual where three pairs of Shingouz, each consisting of a male and a female, go through a choreography that can last for several days.
Shingouz have an extremely high tolerance and preference for strong alcoholic beverage
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
s, which they consume in large quantities. Their preferred drink is a local one called glingue, whose exact nature has never been mentioned but which is rumoured to be strong enough to be toxic to human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
s. Shingouz like their alcohol so strong that one of them once mistook lamp oil
Kerosene
Kerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
for a drink. It's also implied that alcohol is their primary sustenance.
The Shingouz society is capitalist
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
to the extreme. Shingouz want a profit from everything they do. They are especially adept in trading important and sensitive information
Information
Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message or collection of messages that consists of an ordered sequence of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as...
to interested parties. They store their innumerable lucky finds in small double sacks, which they never give up.
A group of three Shingouz usually meet Valérian and Laureline on their travels. They are especially fond of Laureline, which she often uses to her advantage in striking favourable deals with them, and they are soothed when she pats them on the head. This trio is in the business of trading information and is an excellent source, having many contacts in various worlds.
Appearances
The Shingouz have appeared in the following Valérian albums:- Ambassador of the ShadowsAmbassador of the ShadowsAmbassador of the Shadows is volume six in the French comic book science fiction series Valérian and Laureline created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières.-Outline:...
- The Ghosts of InverlochThe Ghosts of InverlochThe Ghosts of Inverloch is volume eleven in the French comic book science fiction series Valérian and Laureline created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières.-Outline:...
- The Rage of HypsisThe Rage of HypsisThe Rage of Hypsis is volume twelve in the French comic book science fiction series Valérian and Laureline created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières.-Outline:...
- On the FrontiersOn the FrontiersOn the Frontiers is volume thirteen in the French comic book science fiction series Valérian and Laureline created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières.-Outline:...
- The Circles of PowerThe Circles of PowerThe Circles of Power is volume fifteen in the French comic book science fiction series Valérian and Laureline created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières...
- Hostages of the UltralumHostages of the UltralumHostages of the Ultralum is volume sixteen in the French comic book science fiction series Valérian and Laureline created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières.-Outline:...
- In Uncertain TimesIn Uncertain TimesIn Uncertain Times is volume eighteen in the French comic book science fiction series Valérian and Laureline created by writer Pierre Christin and artist Jean-Claude Mézières.-Outline:...