The landscape of science fiction is undergoing a significant change, shifting its focus from boundless invention to the urgent need for repair. This evolution is reflected in the graphic audacity of new authors, the subversive scope of their scenarios, and a drive to push the boundaries of the medium itself.
Yesterday’s science fiction was characterized by the question, “what are we going to invent?” It explored new worlds, groundbreaking technologies, and uncharted horizons.Today,the central inquiry has become,”What are we going to repair?” confronting the climate crisis,technological overreach,and social inequalities,contemporary science fiction grapples wiht pressing real-world issues,using them as a foundation to imagine futures that both lament and celebrate our present.
While perhaps less overtly bombastic in its presentation, this new wave of science fiction remains profoundly visionary in its substance. The Angoulême exhibition, “Further – New Science Fiction,” implicitly champions this redefined SF, drawing inspiration from the legacy of *Métal Hurlant*. It presents a science fiction that is less thunderous but equally inspired, suggesting that the future still has much to declare, albeit in a different voice, one that resonates with the concerns of our time.
The exhibition “Further – New Science Fiction” is currently on display at the Cité de la Bande Dessinée d’Angoulême and will run until November 16, 2025.
Editor’s Note: Les humanoïdes Associés, a publishing house established in 1974 by the creators of *Métal Hurlant*, was placed into compulsory liquidation on July 10, 2025. The French subsidiary, facing financial difficulties due to risky investments and a complex organizational structure, has ceased operations, impacting eighteen employees. Fabrice Giger, who heads the American parent company, has indicated plans to continue publishing, including *Métal Hurlant*, albeit in a more streamlined and redesigned format, despite the workforce reductions. The planned 50th-anniversary celebrations where ultimately insufficient to sustain the French branch.
Photo credit: Actualitté, CC by SA 2.0 – Exhibition “Howling guys and metal girls” at the Rendez-vous de la BD d’Amiens 2025.
further: The Exhibition Exploring Science Fiction Comics
By Nicolas Gary
Contact: ng@actualitte.com
