There are a vast score of science fiction artists out there that are iconic, but none stand out to me more than Jean Giraud, AKA Mœbius. While his work as an illustrator was certainly not restricted to the sci-fi, his work in the genre definitely set a standard. My absolute favorite graphic novel from him (written by Alejandro Jodorowsky), is The Incal - a saga following the experiences of a certain “John DiFool,” as he stumbles through the universe.
One of the most fascinating things to me about his work, is how widely adopted has style has become. From the NFT-hating Deathburger, to the absolutely great Geof Darrow, there are a multitude of works out there that share similarities in style and aesthetics. Even my favorite anime, Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was a Mœbius inspired animation. From architectural details, to costuming, there are so many tenets to Giraud’s style that feel like a signature.
It’s a great compliment in my opinion. Giraud was greatly ahead of his time, and he and a few other comic artists from his generation are responsible for founding the amazing comics publication, Métal Hurlant; later to be known as the famous Heavy Metal. Most of the sci-fi and fantasy comic artists I discovered and grew up with, I discovered through that very publication.
The cover above seems seasonally appropriate. Happy holidays everybody - PERVERSIONS DU PERE NOEL 🤣
I think it’s really inspiring to see an artist like Giraud explore so many different styles of art, across many different formats. Aside from comics illustration, he was also a painter, cartoonist, and even a concept designer for some major sci-fi and Fantasy movies. He even worked on some video games later in his life. If you are not familiar with his work, I would put aside some time to do a deep dive; there is so much to learn there.
I hope you all had some good downtime this past weekend, whether you observe/celebrate/art forced to partake in xmas or not. The year is coming to and end, and I am ending it with the following this week:
Nude/erotic photography drops via Manifold - find the first one by clicking here
Podcast with Charlyne of The Occult Therapy
An article about my work with body suspension as a tool for healing
See you guys on Wednesday.