Zombie Boy

The banner above is my tribute to an artist who was such a huge inspiration to me, a creator whose style totally blew my mind and influences me even to this day — Jean “Moebius” Giraud (1938-2012).

He has been described as the most influential bandes dessinées artist after Hergé, but to me he was like an explosion coming out of Europe with a style that resonated enormously with me.

My first exposure to his work was in the pages of Metal Hurlant magazine, the precursor to Heavy Metal, where his character Arzach rode his pteradactyl high over rocky terrains into clouds only Moebius could conceive. His exquisite line filled many creations — The Airtight Garage of Jerry Cornelius, Blueberry, the Incal, his works were many, his talent colossal.

Moebius contributed storyboards and concept designs to Alien, Willow, Tron, and The Fifth Element. A founding member of the comics art group “Les Humanoides Associes,” he was chosen among 11 others of the prestigious Grand Prix of the Angoulême Festival to illustrate a postage stamp set issued on the theme of communication.

Zombie Boy by Moebius

I met Moebius at a convention in Dallas many years ago, where I tentatively handed him one of my comic books and cheekily asked if he would draw me a sketch of Zombie Boy. I still remember to this day the look he shot at me over his glasses, probably a bit astonished that I would ask, considering the line behind me. He put a marker onto a small piece of paper and “voila!” I got my sketch. I still have it, and every time I see it, my mind goes full circle to what got me drawing comics in the first place. Thank you, Moebius for the wonder, the joy of line, the imagining beyond human eyes, and the thrill that you bestowed upon us mere mortals. Vive Moebius!