Volume 5

This volume is the fifth of twelve in the Chinese edition of Black Sun XIII (originally titled XIII), individually titled Red General Offensive. Created by Belgian writer Jean Van Hamme and artist William Vance, the series has been serialized in a French-language comics magazine since 1984 and is known for its starkly realistic linework and layered political conspiracies. The story centers on a man who wakes up in a seaside cottage with no memory, bearing only the mark "XIII" and a bank key. With his mind a blank, he is pursued by armed men again and again; in flight and counterattack he discovers combat and shooting skills far beyond the ordinary, and can only use "XIII" as a temporary name while evading his pursuers and investigating "who I really am." As the inquiry deepens, he finds himself caught up not in a personal vendetta but in a political conspiracy involving the president, corporate giants, and a secret organization. The Chinese edition was introduced by Northern Women and Children Publishing House between 2002 and 2003, in 16-format paperback with full-color copperplate printing; each volume is short and tightly paced, and this is the fifth in the series.