Last week was a good one for me. The 2nd Edition of Cpt Wayne in eBook format was approved on the iBookstore and I’m making good progress with both the online version of Volume 1 and the scripting and concept work on volume 2. Things are moving along nicely and it looks as though I’ll actually be posting a graphic novel on this site!
For the world of comics, last week was a sad one. I am not a person who mourns every time a celebrity passes away. I don’t think it’s my place to make it a point to everyone I know that I was personally affected by the death of someone I didn’t know. Know. Not know about, and I think it’s easy not to make the difference.
As I was saying, last week the world of comics experienced a great loss: French artist and phenomenon Jean Giraud died of cancer. Surfing the Internet you will find lots and lots of info about this amazing artist who for sure inspired more than one generation of illustrators, designers, authors and storytellers. His work made its mark on me as I grew up and growing up in France in the late seventies in itself made it pretty hard to ignore comics. He was a major influence on the ‘bandes dessinées’ scene. I still have vivid memories of watching ’Les Maîtres du Temps’ as a kid and to be frank at the time I got a little confused as far as who was making which sci-fi comics in France, Moebius’s influence was so great that many seemed to want to emulate him.
The drawing I’ve attached to this post is my own little way of paying some kind of tribute to Moebius, I hope you will only see it as that.
Another way to show my appreciation will be to read ‘l’Incal’ again.
Note: click here to download the full size image (1920x1200px).
I like the dust trail, very Cpt-esque, just like the cloud, he appears to slide into the frame. The sand, the hazy horizon, the pale colours and the cast shadow are a fitting tribute. So much work to enjoy, and memories … Blueberry, l’Incal, and the mindbending poetry of les maitres…
Thanks Jeep. The horizon is a bit hazy indeed!
I’ve always liked that kind of detail, something that links to the infinite, an open door to endless possibilities, your own vision…
BTW how come you look so smart and clever when I look like an oven roasted M&M high on peanut butter?
I meant as my treatment of Giraud’s eternal question to his audience: who are we? It’s very personal, and in this case a bit of a reflection on who am I as a comic creator who has now lost the improbable opportunity of ever meeting someone he deeply admires. Very selfish, I’ll give you that but that’s what you get for being honest to yourself.
Don’t like m&m’s? Try Gravatar