Moebius Redux offers a fascinating look at French illustrator Jean Giraud, perhaps best known, under the pseudonym of Moebius, for co-creating the adult comic Métal Hurlant, which spawned an American version, Heavy Metal.
If you know Heavy Metal from the movie, then you might recognize Moebius’s work indirectly, from the last sequence, Taarna, which was based on his Arzach stories — but with his protagonist replaced by a hawt chick.
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Giraud made a life-changing trip to Mexico when he was in art school — and that he went back and had an even more life-changing trip there that included some hallucinogenic mushrooms. It shows in his art.
I was shocked to find out that Giraud worked on a film adaptation of Dune for Alejandro Jodorowsky. They had funding but couldn’t arrange American distribution, so the project got cancelled. Not only did the project have Giraud doing design work, but also H. R. Giger — and he’s as creepy as you might expect.
That team went on to do Alien.
Also, Giraud’s artwork for the Dan O’Bannon short story comic “The Long Tomorrow” was a key visual reference for Blade Runner.
(Hat tip to Drawn!)