-By Dan dos Santos





Just above is the first illustration by Moebius that I ever saw. It appeared in 'A Gallery of Dreams', an art collection celebrating the work of Neil Gaiman.









'Starwatcher', which appeared in an art book by the same name, is probably Moebius' most famous piece. It has since spawned many incarnations, and countless homages.









An image from 'Arzach', the comic which first brought Moebius world-wide acclaim.





Struck by the similarities between Arzach and Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa, Moebius traveled to Tokyo to meet the artist. The two developed a life-long relationship, and even drew each other's characters on occasion, ultimately resulting in a collaborative exhibit in 2004.









Major Grubert, as he appeared on the cover to 'The Airtight Garage #1'.

The Airtight Garage is one of my favorite Moebius comics. Originally appearing as a serial 4 page short in 'Metal Hurlant', Moebius challenged himself by making up the whole story as he went along. He would intentionally end each episode with a catastrophic twist for which he felt there was no possible way to continue the story. Each month, he would pick up his pen, and sure enough, surmount his own challenge.

Jean Giraud, with his good friend, Major Grubert, visit a Tattoine Market.



To me, Moebius' work epitomizes what good art/design is all about... simplicity. Someone once said that 'good design is achieved only when you've removed everything from the picture that you can remove'. I think Moebius' work in general is a great example of this notion, but no work better exemplifies it than his book '40 Days Dans Le Desert'.





Some pages from '2001 Apres Jesus Christ', Moebius' metaphysical retelling of the story of Jesus.

Before Jean Giraud was 'Moebius', the persona under which he drew most of his SF themed work, he went by the name 'Gir'. It was under this name that he created one of his best selling comics, a Western called 'Blueberry'. Below are some stellar examples of work he created for that comic.













A few images from a portfolio entitled 'Voyage d' Hermes'.

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