Comic book readers in Poland still have a lot to learn, when it comes to European classics. For the several decades of Communism all comics were considered as "rotten art of the West". Things quickly started to change in the nineties, with the expansion of American top titles from Marvel and DC. But more ambitious works of the European masters were still largely neglected. Comic books aficionados like myself could only dream about albums created by Moebius, Philippe Druillet, Milo Manara or Hugo Pratt. Nowadays it seems that things finally started to change. The publishers are aware of our demand for classics and they do their best in providing them. Hopefully this is just the beginning and in time we'll get to know all the important titles from France, Belgium, Italy, Germany...
Jean Giraud, also known as Moebius and Gir, was the first genius of European Comic Art discovered in Poland. His "The Airtight Garage" was the first album in Masters Of Comics, the most prestigious series in the market. Then came the other masterpieces, such as "The World Of Edena" or "Is The Man Good?". The canceling of "Blueberry" after fourth episode was a sad thing, but at least we had the chance to see what was it all about. Personally, I have to admit, that all of this has just aroused my appetite. I wanted to know more about Moebius, without doubt much more than I could read on Wikipedia.
This splendid documentary, directed by Hasko Baumann, is an answer to my prayers. It presents the life and work of Jean Giraud in the most efficient way possible. And it's nice to look at, too. Moving animation brings Moebius impressive drawings into the third dimension. Equally satisfying is the selection of people, who are discussing artist's work. Alejandro Jodorowsky, Philippe Druillet, Stan Lee, Mike Mignola... Well, these are some of the most important names in the comic industry! Of course the main star of the show is Giraud himself. He's very informative about his art. I found him very charming man, obviously still young at heart despite his old age.
It's a must-see viewing not only for admirers of Moebius work, but also for everyone, who wants to learn more about history of comics. Successive phases of Giraud career were connected with the radical changes in comic industry. Perhaps the most important one was Métal Hurlant, French magazine, that changed the perception of comic and introduced it to the wide range of mature readers across the Europe. It influenced Americans too, but to a lesser degree. There is still a large difference between these two continents. Moebius has learned that, when he began to work in USA with Stan Lee. This collaboration, though critically acclaimed, hasn't changed much in conservative American comic-book industry.
