Jean Giraud

Born Jean Henri Gaston Giraud on 8 May 1938 in France, he passed away on 10 March 2012, leaving behind one of the most substantial bodies of work in the history of comics. Working primarily within the Franco-Belgian bandes dessinées tradition, Giraud operated under two distinct pseudonyms that reflected genuinely different artistic personalities: Gir for his Western material and Mœbius for his science-fiction and fantasy output.

As Gir, his most enduring achievement was the long-running Blueberry series, developed alongside writer Jean-Michel Charlier. The title distinguished itself early by centering on one of comics' first true antiheroes, and Giraud's contribution to it spans hundreds of issues across his active career from 1962 onward. As Mœbius, he pursued a far more experimental direction — surreal, abstract, and visually inventive — producing celebrated works such as Arzach and Airtight Garage of Jerry Cornelius. His partnership with filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky yielded both an ambitious but ultimately unproduced Dune adaptation and the celebrated comic series The Incal.

His influence extended well into cinema: he provided storyboards and concept designs for Alien, Tron, The Fifth Element, and The Abyss. Admirers included Federico Fellini, Stan Lee, and Hayao Miyazaki. Widely regarded as the most influential bande dessinée artist after Hergé, Giraud's dual legacy remains formidable across both page and screen.