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THE FORTY-ONE ADVENTURES OF NICK JORDAN - Marabout Junior Books 1.Cerveaux à Vendre (Brains for Sale) ................................................................. |
Publishing History: In 1952, Belgian publisher Marabout launched a new young adult imprint, entitled "Marabout Junior", which released a steady flow of adventure novels. By far the most popular series of "Marabout Junior" adventures featured Nick Jordan, an espionage hero created by André Fernez; and Bob Morane, by Henri Vernes. Nick Jordan is one of the top agents of the French intelligence service that used to called the Deuxième Bureau, then became the SDECE in the 1960s, and later the DGSE. His superior is a retired military officer dubbed "Le Vieux" (The Old Man), the name traditionally given to the head of French Intelligence -- like "M" or "Control" in England. Since the books were written for a young audience, they are free of sex; however, they are remarkably complex, describe real political situations, and contain more than their share of murder and mayhem -- although no sadistic violence. The atmosphere of the cold war was well rendered by cover artist Pierre Joubert. Writer André Fernez was previously one of the editors of the weekly "Tintin" comic magazine, from 1946 to 1959. For Tintin, he also wrote a spy story featuring CIA agent Jimmy Stone, entitled "Dispositif Guet-Apens" (The Ambush Set-Up). |