Métal Hurlant: 1974 – 1987. Révolution of the Humanoïdes. (Part 3)
Upon returning to Paris, he created a pseudonym under the name Moebius that would become synonymous with Giraud’s more diverse works as he began to experiment with the subversive and psychedelic. In Giraud’s own words, he sought to channel his thoughts with “bizarre science fiction,” the “avant garde”, “surrealism” and “sexuality”.
Yet, Giraud’s experimentation of the said themes were unconsciously hidden when he embarked on a book of his own creation in 1963 with Belgium comic book writer Jean-Michel Charlier, drawing from Giraud’s own youthful influences. Titled “Blueberry”, an American Western inspired comic book which became a widely read comic throughout France and Europe, whilst under the Franco Belgium graphic novel Pilote. Giraud continued working on with Pilote, which by its definition was a restrained and in someways a conservative publication, but also crucial in its bringing to together some of the finest comic book artists of Europe, more so France, from Enkri Bilal to the exceptionally talented Philippe Druillet. All the while tensions began to mount within the publication, particularly in pushing creative boundaries to which there was a resistance. This of course impacted on Giraud, who, already had a desire to experiment with a more avant-garde approach to his art, created, for Pilote, the prelude to what would be his hallmark for later Métal Hurlant impression. In 1973, Giraud began working on his first surrealistic project called La Déviation for Pilote, which would end up being the swan song for Giraud, creating a surrealistic and daring story for a magazine like Pilote that was, at the time, under pressure from the various artists and writers working for the Belgian publication. Like Giraud, they felt suppressed for having a lack of creative freedom and during the early 1970s when experimentation in art and story telling was becoming more sort after – the split with Pilote was all but inevitable and in 1974, already aware of Philippe Druillet’s desire to invigorate a more darker and grandiose comic book style, Giraud, with Druillet and Dinnoet began compiling the first issue of Métal Hurlant.
The story has a familiar tone of any start up enterprise, two artists and a writer backed by a financier began to create, what they believed, would be a new and exciting project. However, it is always the financial side of things that are overlooked in lieu of the passion, which ended up plaguing on publication throughout the years. But, it was truly, as the three men have said over the many interviews reflecting on the comic book's legacy, the “right time” and “right place” in starting an audacious and risky venture. Developing stories and art that had never been seen before in French and the American comic book markets. For Giraud, under his pseudonym Moebius it was a final release of pent up creative energy that he finally could expel onto the world, to the point that, like his colleagues at the time, Métal Hurlant was an unstrained and no-holds-barred feast of graphic art which Giraud described years later, that it would make him “tremble” with enthusiasm, when creating the concept ideas for the Métal Hurlant stories.
But, as Giaud and his Moebius nom de guerre became sort after, attracting the attention of fellow artists and writers all eager to be involved in the Métal Hurlant success story, Giaud’s constant workload with his new freedom to devise story telling, which was completely unrestrained by a publishing company began to take its toll, in what could be deemed creative burnout. Working tirelessly in producing his art for Métal Hurlant, when Chilean film director Alejandro Jodorowsky approached him to work on collaborative projects, to which Jodorowsky, who was offered to develop a film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s complex and detailed science fiction story DUNE, asked Giraud if he would like to create the story board for the project. At the time Giaud first declined, Jodorowsky, keen to have Giaud on board, said that he would have Druillet do it instead, galvanized by a competitive edge, Giaud accepted.
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A.Glass 2021
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