Moebius est mort
March 10, 2012 4:30 AM   Subscribe

 
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posted by radwolf76 at 4:37 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by Samizdata at 4:38 AM on March 10, 2012


Some links NSFW
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:45 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by tykky at 4:46 AM on March 10, 2012


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Damn.
posted by MartinWisse at 4:52 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by Thorzdad at 4:54 AM on March 10, 2012


Au revoir, et merci.

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posted by Smart Dalek at 4:56 AM on March 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


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theairtightgarage is a great tumblr with Moebius art.
posted by ts;dr at 4:57 AM on March 10, 2012 [6 favorites]


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posted by From Bklyn at 4:58 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by cazoo at 5:05 AM on March 10, 2012


Your Favorite Artist's Favorite Artist is a hell of a link. Thanks.
posted by cgc373 at 5:13 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by dbiedny at 5:15 AM on March 10, 2012


Zut et merde!. One of the immortals of graphic comic art, and my handle is from one of his characters. My first introduction was from his book Arzach which I purchased in Paris, France, and then Le Bandard Fou on the same day. Now residing amongst saveral of his others in my bookshelf.

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posted by arzakh at 5:17 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by daveje at 5:21 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by surrendering monkey at 5:28 AM on March 10, 2012


I feel bad that I know absolutely nothing about him as an artist. Although I'm sure I have stumbled upon his works and/or influence without my realizing it.

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posted by Fizz at 5:30 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by methinks at 5:33 AM on March 10, 2012


Seule la mort a pu mettre une limite à son imagination.
posted by zompist at 5:41 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by kenchie at 5:42 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by jlbartosa at 5:47 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by halliburtron at 5:51 AM on March 10, 2012


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Been aware of moebius since the National Lampoon publishers brought the slick French comic magazine Metal Hurlant to the US in the 1970s, translated as Heavy Metal. I've enjoyed his stuff and his very identifiable style ever since. But what? All that time he was getting older? That thought never once entered my head. The art was just getting better, why not the artist too?

Damn. Goodbye moebius. But if by any remote chance it is au revoir, don't even think about slacking off just because you're dead, OK?

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posted by jfuller at 5:56 AM on March 10, 2012 [5 favorites]


truly a loss. an astonishing visual storyteller. i gathered the run of epic/dark horse/graphitti versions of his work as they came out and return to them frequently.

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posted by buffalo at 6:01 AM on March 10, 2012


One of the best ever.
posted by penduluum at 6:05 AM on March 10, 2012


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aaaaw, man. Thanks for all the inspiration, Moeb'.
posted by egypturnash at 6:06 AM on March 10, 2012


Oh, no. I knew that he was getting older, but I always assumed he'd live forever.

One of my biggest inspirations. The Moebius and Miyazaki relationship merits mentioning, too, I think. A few very beautiful things came of that.

What a remarkably ornate and rare imagination. There will never be anyone like him again.


posted by byanyothername at 6:12 AM on March 10, 2012 [5 favorites]


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posted by infini at 6:13 AM on March 10, 2012




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posted by muckster at 6:26 AM on March 10, 2012


Man, that guy could draw.
posted by COBRA! at 6:32 AM on March 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


There were several exhibitions of his works recently. In 2011 in Cherbourg and at the Fondation Cartier (Website - click on menu to have access to a different set of drawings - article and pictures from the exhibition, interview) (obituary with a vid from the exhibition) (book). In 2005, Moebius + Miyazaki, à la Monnaie de Paris (they made medals adorned with Major Fatal's face). Interesting blogs, obits with content.
posted by nicolin at 6:36 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 6:36 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by furtive at 6:37 AM on March 10, 2012


Moebius draws a sketch.

Merde.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 6:37 AM on March 10, 2012 [2 favorites]


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posted by Chichibio at 6:44 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by Sticherbeast at 6:45 AM on March 10, 2012


Oh man! This brings to me a far greater sadness than I was expecting on a Saturday. Moebius is iconic to me, not just of a style of comic art, but of comics themselves and the full potential of serial art. His work is so spectacularly elegant and so deliriously vivid, it's been etched in my memories for ages.

He will be missed greatly, and his works cherished even more so.
posted by FatherDagon at 6:46 AM on March 10, 2012


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Reading up on him, it seems he was a great nexus and cause for other artists to meet. A master with a huge influence on visual art.
posted by asok at 6:53 AM on March 10, 2012


What a shame.

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posted by ersatz at 6:54 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by jiroczech at 6:56 AM on March 10, 2012


As an artist he seemed like he could do just about anything. A very important influence on my own work so thank you for what you put out in the world.

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posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 6:56 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by MythMaker at 7:02 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by Doktor Zed at 7:02 AM on March 10, 2012


Wait... did Stel and Atana ever get back together?

One of the all-time greats - Kirby-great or Eisner-great. This is very sad.

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posted by Grangousier at 7:05 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by X-Himy at 7:06 AM on March 10, 2012


When I was a teenager, I remember anxiously awaiting every issue of Heavy Metal. Moebius was hands-down my favorite of the bunch. Sad day, indeed.

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posted by bashos_frog at 7:07 AM on March 10, 2012 [2 favorites]


what a christfucking awful thing to wake up to
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 7:16 AM on March 10, 2012 [2 favorites]


in the early eighties, we used to read Métal Hurlant with my then boyfriend, and Moebius was my absolute favourite. since I heard, I have this irresistible urge to find my ex, just to mourn together. with the artist, another piece of our youth is erased :(
posted by helion at 7:17 AM on March 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


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posted by newdaddy at 7:26 AM on March 10, 2012


Ah crap

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posted by The Whelk at 7:27 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by princelyfox at 7:33 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by whir at 7:42 AM on March 10, 2012


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I don't think it goes too far to say that he's had a hand in nearly everything I'm passionate about, so hearing about his passing makes me feel a little like I've had my legs kicked out from under me. RIP Jean Giraud.
posted by Artw at 7:44 AM on March 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


His Dune concept art
posted by The Whelk at 7:48 AM on March 10, 2012 [5 favorites]


Also, his Willow concept art.

Damn.
posted by themadthinker at 7:54 AM on March 10, 2012 [3 favorites]


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posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 7:54 AM on March 10, 2012


NO



Have you ever been driving, and come up over a hill and been stunned as the most breathtaking landscape stretches before you, gasped as if the majesty was too much for your body to bear?

Moebius drawings did that to me sometimes (and still do.) Something about his line, his composition, and his sense of restraint, could make me forget that the drawing I am looking at is only a tiny rectangle on a piece of paper, it feels so infinite.


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posted by louche mustachio at 7:57 AM on March 10, 2012 [6 favorites]


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posted by Catblack at 8:06 AM on March 10, 2012


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also I read the words "conceptual artist" which piqued my interest, only to find you meant "concept artist". He was a hell of a concept artist and the stuff he worked on is iconic, but yeah he was never a conceptual artist.
posted by idiopath at 8:08 AM on March 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


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posted by littlerobothead at 8:15 AM on March 10, 2012


I've only ever owned one Heavy Metal in my life. This is the one... and he signed it to me too.

I met Moebius in San Jose, back in 1988, when his work was featured on campus at SJSU. I had the opportunity to not only talk to him, but to hear him speak about his art, which he did with great drive and excitement, and a good deal of heart. He was very kind and generous of his time, and absolutely gifted with creativity. It was also great seeing his work on "The Fifth Element", which reminded me of his "The Incal", and his design work on "The Airtight Garage", when it still existed at The Metreon in S.F.

He didn't do everything he could've and should've done, in part because other ambitious -- and sometimes talented -- people were too busy riffing on his stuff... but what he did was absolutely essential to where we stand today.

"it's entirely fair to say, and I've said it before, that the way Neuromancer-the-novel "looks" was influenced in large part by some of the artwork I saw in Heavy Metal. I assume that this must also be true of John Carpenter's "Escape from New York", Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner", and all other original artifacts of the style sometimes dubbed cyberpunk. Those French guys, they got their end in early."
- William Gibson

"To make a science fiction film is an old dream of mine. I have thought about it for many years now, well before the present vogue of these films. Undoubtedly, you would be the perfect collaborator, however, I would never call upon you because you are too complete, your visionary strength is too formidable. What would there be left for me to do?

That's why, dear Moebius, I say to you: continue to draw fabulously for the joy of us all.

Buon lavora e buona fortuna,
Federico Fellini

posted by markkraft at 8:15 AM on March 10, 2012 [7 favorites]


Well, that's a blow.
posted by Sing Or Swim at 8:16 AM on March 10, 2012


One of the very best.
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posted by doctor_negative at 8:19 AM on March 10, 2012


*tear of blood from long-empty eye socket
posted by eustatic at 8:27 AM on March 10, 2012 [2 favorites]


I hated Moebius when I got into comics. He and Mignola were prime examples of art I just. did. not. get. It was weird and ugly and not at all cool -- when I first started noticing art in comics (I was a kid who loved the stories, and the art was a vehicle to tell them, but I didn't really start paying attention to writers and artists as individuals until I was 13 or 14 years old), I thought Todd McFarlane and Jim Lee were pretty awesome.

As I got older, though, something weird started happening. It started with (strangely enough) The Shadow, whose pulps I'd read and loved through a series of 80s reprints. When DC relaunched their Shadow book with Chaykin, I loved the character enough to force myself through the "ugly" art, and then continued into the Helfer/Sienkiewicz run.

And a door opened in my brain.

Sienkiewicz was my gateway drug; once I "got" his Shadow work, Moebius and Mignola and a lot of stuff that older comics geeks were into suddenly made sense to me.

So I tracked down the Epic back issues of the Airtight Garage, and read whatever I could find of Moebius.

Then, in 1995, I moved to Quebec.

I didn't know any French, and was having a hard time learning it, but eventually realized that every library in Quebec had a massive collection of bédé on the shelves. A trove of Moebius hardcovers at my fingertips, for free.

For about two years, I devoured it. The Incal. The MetaBarons. Blueberry. All of it. I developed a passion for Moebius, all of Moebius, and began to really appreciate his artistic arc from cowboy artist to galaxy-defining imagineer. A parallel interest in amazing film enriched the Jodorowsky/Moebius collaborations even more.

I also discovered that bédé is a lousy way to teach yourself French, unless you want to have lengthy conversations about barbarians, cowboys, space aliens or weird sex. But there y'go.

What a blow. But what an artist. What a vision.

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posted by Shepherd at 8:27 AM on March 10, 2012 [8 favorites]


Moebius is one of those artists whose style I've always admired and whose work I've always meant to get into. This saddened me far more than I expected.

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posted by immlass at 8:30 AM on March 10, 2012



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posted by the sobsister at 8:31 AM on March 10, 2012


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Very sad news, but what an amazing legacy he left us.
posted by gemmy at 8:38 AM on March 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


Heavy Metal, yeah he was my favourite in there too. They are all dropping away now. We are being sucked into the vortex of the past, you and I.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:43 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by Bunny Ultramod at 8:45 AM on March 10, 2012


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Boulet's eulogy
posted by sebastienbailard at 8:46 AM on March 10, 2012 [3 favorites]


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posted by klausness at 8:53 AM on March 10, 2012


Inspired by his Arzach stories. Taarna from Heavy Metal the movie 1 - 2 - 3.
posted by Meatbomb at 8:55 AM on March 10, 2012


I was actually planning to rewatch Heavy Metal in the near future... be a slightly different experience to what I was anticipating now.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:08 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by Loudmax at 9:11 AM on March 10, 2012


I woke up wondering what I was going to do with my day, but now I think I'll spend some quality time re-reading my old issues of Heavy Metal.

Godspeed, sir.

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posted by lekvar at 9:12 AM on March 10, 2012


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Damnit, no. A great loss.

Batman observes a moment of silence.
posted by Decimask at 9:14 AM on March 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


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posted by humanfont at 9:23 AM on March 10, 2012


We've lost a master of the craft, and a great artist.

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posted by Scoo at 9:27 AM on March 10, 2012


God DAMN it. I had no idea he was in his seventies, but still, this is way too soon. (And I would like a do-over on the past few weeks, please: Jones, Bergman, and now Moebius? Joy, transcendent weirdness, and joyful transcendence all gone in quick succession? Fuck. )

I don't think he or his people were invested much in the web as his official site hasn't been updated.

More film work: TRON. The sketches. The look.
posted by maudlin at 9:35 AM on March 10, 2012 [4 favorites]


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posted by $0up at 9:56 AM on March 10, 2012


It must have been a Bakelite plot!


The Airtight Garage will never be the same with out him.


Thanks for everything Jean... you changed it all for me.

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posted by blackfly at 9:57 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by edheil at 10:11 AM on March 10, 2012


Aw, CRAP. The world actually feels a little poorer now. I don't usually do this, but:

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posted by freebird at 10:14 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by Not The Stig at 10:16 AM on March 10, 2012


Requiescat in arte.
posted by Pallas Athena at 10:27 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by New England Cultist at 10:32 AM on March 10, 2012


Goodbye Moebius. You made the unreal so real that it was breathtaking and wonderful. Your work embodied what "fantasy" should still really mean.
posted by fleacircus at 10:34 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by zanni at 10:42 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by ghostbikes at 10:46 AM on March 10, 2012


The Bakalite shall never triumph.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 11:18 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by juv3nal at 11:34 AM on March 10, 2012


I spent yesterday putting together a logo for the comic press I'm kind of starting. The first thing to go out under this imprint will be an anthology of fantasy and sf stuff.

I've been trying to figure out what I'd do for my story in it. Had a couple characters sitting around but a story wasn't happening.

Then I woke up and saw this news. I was struck by a far deeper sadness than I would have expected - Moebius has always been someone I've been meaning to dive into, rather than someone whose work I know inside and out. I've only a read a few tiny bits. But it's all been beautiful, dream-like stuff.

So after a bit, I grabbed my sketchbook and asked myself, how would Moebius open this story? And I drew that. Then I drew a couple pages in my usual manner. And then I ran out of steam, and I asked myself, what would Moebius do here? And I drew a non sequitur cut to a bunch of people with tall hats standing around a big hovering sphere, because that was the most Moebius thing I could think of.

I guess this story's going to be a Moebius tribute. I hate that his death is the spur for that.

But on the other hand.

There have been times in the past when I've found my hand flying across the paper, making marks that look exactly like they'd been laid down by Jack Kirby. There have been times I've drawn something and been surprised to see it looked exactly like how Walt Kelly would have done it.

This is a rare thing, but it's wonderful when it happens. It almost leaves me feeling like I've been briefly ridden by the spirit of that artist. For a brief moment, parts of my brain are arranged in exactly the same kinds of circuits that they were running when they were in the zone and drawing, and some part of them lives again.

And I'm hoping to give Gir's ghost a few more minutes to make his mark on the world through my hand, I guess.

I must have been affected by what little of his work I've seen more than I realized. Because you have to really love someone to want to do that.

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posted by egypturnash at 11:36 AM on March 10, 2012 [5 favorites]


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posted by Splunge at 11:42 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by fillsthepews at 11:49 AM on March 10, 2012


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posted by kaiseki at 11:54 AM on March 10, 2012


I had the honor of meeting Mobius at a signing in Santa Barbara once. He was incredibly gracious and enthusiastic, and watching him do quick sketches was wonderful.

He was truly one of the absolute greats of comic art- the world has been enriched by his existence.
posted by happyroach at 11:54 AM on March 10, 2012


Reliably expert roundup of Moebius links at The Daily Notebook.
posted by muckster at 12:51 PM on March 10, 2012


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posted by schyler523 at 1:18 PM on March 10, 2012


Egypturnash - I would love to see how that turns out.

/resolves to spend today's writing session channeling the spirit that gave rise to The Incal.
posted by Artw at 1:28 PM on March 10, 2012


You'll probably need to take more mescaline than usual, then.
posted by Grangousier at 1:29 PM on March 10, 2012


/thumbs up.
posted by Artw at 2:00 PM on March 10, 2012


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posted by Pendragon at 2:49 PM on March 10, 2012


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posted by homunculus at 2:51 PM on March 10, 2012


He had entire worlds in his mind. One of the greats.

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posted by gwint at 3:07 PM on March 10, 2012


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From Neil Gaiman's blog, with a Moebius illustration of Death. Tagged "Sometimes you make magic from the things you do not understand."
posted by C. K. Dexter Haven at 3:13 PM on March 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


I also discovered that bédé is a lousy way to teach yourself French, unless you want to have lengthy conversations about barbarians, cowboys, space aliens or weird sex. But there y'go.

That sounds like an AWESOME way to teach yourself French.

RIP, Moebius.
posted by brand-gnu at 3:28 PM on March 10, 2012 [1 favorite]


In search of Moebius:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Featuring: Stan Lee, Dan O'Bannon, Alexandro Jodorowsky, Philippe Druillet, Enki Bilal, H. R. Giger et al.
posted by surrendering monkey at 3:36 PM on March 10, 2012


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posted by Dr.Pill at 4:18 PM on March 10, 2012


A stunning visionary artist, and hage influence to me.
posted by Liquidwolf at 4:28 PM on March 10, 2012


huge
posted by Liquidwolf at 4:28 PM on March 10, 2012


Ten years ago I went skiing in France, and bought some books by Moebius and Manara - Le Garage Hermétique, L'Homme du Ciguri, and Manara's Revoir les étoiles. I didn't know enough French to really read them, so they've been sitting on my bookshelf for ten years, while my French has slowly improved. As practice before my Brussels trip tomorrow, I decided to finally read them this morning. An hour after finishing the Moebius books, I receive the news that Moebius has died. Perhaps I should leave the Manara book unread.
posted by martinrebas at 4:33 PM on March 10, 2012


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posted by mistersquid at 5:46 PM on March 10, 2012




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posted by theartandsound at 7:02 PM on March 10, 2012


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posted by jquinby at 7:22 PM on March 10, 2012


I love the white seamonster image from his concept art documented in this messageboard thread. Plus just about everything else he ever did.
posted by SharkParty at 8:45 PM on March 10, 2012


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posted by St. Sorryass at 9:55 PM on March 10, 2012


I once made a special trip to MSU's comics archive just to read all of the Airtight Garage issues they have. I'm damn sorry to know he's gone.
posted by klangklangston at 9:57 PM on March 10, 2012


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posted by safetyfork at 10:30 PM on March 10, 2012


My single biggest artistic inspiration. Deepest thanks.

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posted by podwarrior at 10:55 PM on March 10, 2012


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posted by gamera at 11:26 PM on March 10, 2012


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posted by jabberjaw at 11:47 PM on March 10, 2012


I hope that he died as he wished with a brush in his hand. RIP Moebius, I am saddened by your passing, but my imagination has been forever enriched by your genius.

Thanks to all who keep sharing links of his work, while i consider myself a fan I had not seen the Willow concepts amongst many others of his work. 'Tis a shame there will be no more new works, but I am glad I am far from having seen it all...

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posted by Capricorn13 at 1:09 AM on March 11, 2012




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posted by SageLeVoid at 9:09 AM on March 12, 2012






Frank Quitely celebrates Moebius
posted by Artw at 3:05 PM on March 14, 2012


Top Ten Moebius Works You Can Actually Find

I have to admit that shockingly expensive cat book was really tempting.
posted by Artw at 4:59 PM on March 14, 2012


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posted by Bron at 12:29 PM on March 17, 2012


. Childhood hero gone.
posted by mdoar at 3:00 PM on March 22, 2012


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