R.I.P. Moebius

Perhaps the greatest inspiration to me as a comic artist, Moebius (Jean Giraud), has sadly passed from this Earth. I'll always remember the Heavy Metal collection of Incal that blew my mind when I got it at such an impressionable age, as both a comic fan and aspiring artist, in around 1981-1982. Here was a large format graphic novelesque collection of work (Heavy Metal presents: Moebius), lead by the dazzling sci-fi story of John Difool, from the magazine that inspired the equally inspiring film (from the year prior). But more so, it was the craft of this master, unheard of in American comics, and certainly to me, that had so much skill and transcendence. It was at this time that Moebius made me aware of European comics, just as anime like Star Blazers (and a random imported manga or two) were turning me on to comics from Japan. There was a whole world of comics and talent out there to discover, but perhaps none so bright and intriguing, as that of Moebius.

That said, in the early 80's, finding more of The Incal, or Moebius, or manga, was just not possible for me - there was no internet, and there certainly wasn't any stash of this stuff at the local comic shops or shows. So aside from this taste of the man and his work - the book featured samples from several of his works, and galleries of his commercial illustrations - I never had much more to enjoy. I had gone through a faze of picking up the Heavy Metal magazines where I could, but this odd collection of French comics, or other works by Moebius, were not anything that ran inside them at the time. Then, it wasn't too many years after this that I got out of comics, so not having returned until the mid to late 90's, I missed all of the subsequent US adaptations of his work (which is still spotty at best), and the seminal collaboration with Marvel/Stan Lee and Silver Surfer, that to this day is what most US comic fans know the man for.

Certainly his DNA was all over the film, The Fifth Element (which was mostly a Moebius comic brought to life), and as it turns out, he had a hand in quite a number of popular sci-fi (Alien, Dune, and Tron) to some extent. But most people are unaware of this. Because of that, you likely are familiar with him, and don't even know it.

To me though, he was always the pinnacle of what comic artistry was about, pure unadulterated visuals that transport you to a higher state, of vision and skill unrivaled by any other. Having not aquired much of his work though, he simply left a lasting impression, a major component in an overall tapestry of what comics could, or should aspire to. To me that is Moebius, the dream of comics as art and story in perfect harmony.

If you aren't very familiar with the man, I urge you to seek out some of his work. While most of what I've seen can be obviously talented if not immediately engaging, his work does span a huge range of tastes, and, is undeniably skilled. So, perhaps take a moment to have a closer look. You'll be all the richer in soul for it.

Upon news of his passing, some quick Google searching turned up a couple solid finds...

First, for a genral overview, there's THIS

and then second, for an interesting collection of work (and sequentials) there is THIS BLOG

and lastly, there's this TUMBLR that is dedicated solely to his work HERE which has a wealth of his art on display (including The Incal).

Of his work, as I've said, I'm most familiar with The Incal (as it's known in the states - L'Incal if you're French), a collaboration with Jodorowsky, but perhaps his most popular work (outside the Marvel/Surfer) is Arzach, or Airtight Garage, and the Western Blueberry seems to be his most popular work natively (all of which are fine works, from what I've seen). The Incal, to me though, is unsurpassed in mature science fiction illustration. But if you do look into it, please, do not start with the prequel series (Before the Incal), which is not drawn by Moebius, not because of that, but that, you simply must be thrown headfirst into the world of this story at it's original starting point. The original first volume of the story (book one - The Dark Incal), to this day the only I've read, is a master class in story and art, so also be sure not to pick up the remastered version by Humanoids (from the early 2000's), as the coloring was changed (and the content censored I've heard), but one of the collections of the original material. There was a recent oversized complete collection, which I believe includes the unaltered content, that I've had my eye on (but it's a bit pricey). While this story may not be for all, the work itself is without a doubt worth seeing.

His work will be missed, but I look forward to continuing my journey of discovery and wonder with it.

COMIC JOURNEYS: Genetic Grunge

I'm a huge fan of European comics, in addition to manga, traditional US books, or any variety. As with manga, European Graphic Albums differ quite a bit from domestic fair, mainly, the European works are oversized and fully painted, or lushly colored. Most volumes usually run around 48 pages or more, and are highly detailed when compared to US books, with the art usually being lavished over at great length, to high affect. European albums also feature genres outside super heroes, and are mostly aimed at mature audiences.

Today I'm going to talk about a fantastic creation called Genetic Grunge by Bayeto and Zalozabal, that I've had for some years (since 2002), as the first volume was published by Dark Horse via their Venture line of imported graphic albums from a few years back, but the second volume seemingly never materialized. Turns out volume 2 was published in late 2003, but came out directly from the original publisher, SAF (as far as I can tell), not Dark Horse's Venture line, and it flew under my radar (even though I'd signed up for it from my comic shop). Luckily I caught wind that Heavy Metal was publishing it in their magazine as well, and picked up their spring 2006 special, which contained the full second volume. At last I had the complete series!

Even though I'd had the first volume for the better part of four years, and hadn't fully read it, I'd started into it once or twice, and thumbed through it from time to time to admire the incredible artwork. Zalozabal has an amazing kinetic cartoony style that's equal parts Peter Cheung and Moebius (now there's a match made in heaven), with a dash of Ramos. Needless to say, I love his stuff. Sure he works in an extreme style, with long, thin, curvy, angular figure work that puts Aeon Flux to shame, a likely turn off to some, but he carries the sci-fi future story perfectly, immersing you into the world of Umma Kurtha, with rich detail and even richer color work. Pages take on the palate of a scene or location, and characters and objects all become drenched in rich hues and vibrant tones. It's stunning.

The story as well, is quite dense, and challenging, but with time and effort, quite rewarding. Genetic Grunge, as with most albums, rewards a reader for investing time in it, and going back to pages again and again to catch more information. I would recommend however, that you read the back cover description before starting in, as it summarizes things you may not be able to put together on your own without great difficulty. In fact, I'll go ahead and copy that here, to give you a good feel for the concept:

Umma is the owner of an artist's representation agency, specializing in the scouting and promoting of freaks in the world of entertainment. But her business takes a plunge when an interplanetary corporation launches its new product, a so-called "Make Your Pet" (MYP) kit, which enables any kid to create a biological phenomenon in his own garage. But the same kit can be used illicitly to alter human DNA, and when a reward is offered to anyone who can find the first human clone created with the MYP kit, and thus uncloak Siba's diabolical agenda, Umma joins in the crusade, seeing in it a way to destroy the competition and save her agency. A mindbending satirical cyberbunk maelstrom, Genetic Grunge features the dazzling talent of Zalozabal, a creator who, along with co-writer Roberto Bayeto, conjures a totally immersive, visually stunning environment.

So, if you're looking for a visually explosive, sexy sci-fi suspense epic, or haven't tried a European comic, what are you waiting for?!? Genetic Grunge is comics of the highest order. Seek out copies of the English language albums at Dark Horse, Amazon.com, or in the pages of Heavy Metal.


If, like me, you're taken with Zalozabal's artwork, he's also done an album on his own following Genetic Grunge, called Slum Nation, which is featured in the same issue of Heavy Metal as volume 2 of Grunge, and I'll be featuring that here down the line too.