Fusion

Moebius: Fusion (1995)
Marvel/Epic Comics

24 x 29.7cm, 128 pages

Moebius: Fusion collects work made by Moebius between 1985 to 1995 for print, Film/TV and more.

Fusion, book
Fusion

Fusion is divided into five sections:

Diffusion,
Perfusion,
Confusion,
Effusion,
Transfusion.

Fusion, alternate cover art
Fusion, cover for Ark No.22 (right)

The Diffusion section showcases poster illustrations of comic book superheroes including Marvel’s Elektra, The Thing, Iron Man, Daredevil, Wolverine, Spider-Man, The Silver Surfer, The Punisher and also DC’s Batman and Sandman’s Death. Also inside are production designs made for movies such as Little Nemo in Slumberland (1989) and Willow (1988).

Fusion, Diffusion, Marvel’s Elektra, The Thing, Iron Man
Fusion, Diffusion, Marvel’s Daredevil, Wolverine
Fusion, Diffusion, Marvel’s Spider-Man
Fusion, Diffusion
Fusion, Diffusion, DC’s Death (Sandman)
Fusion, Diffusion, homage to Marvel’s Silver Surfer

Perfusion contains illustrations and poster work for French publication and another for a comics festival. Of particular note in Perfusion is a short 15 page comic entitled Oracle told in mostly 2-panel structure about the story of Zon who is on a path of self-discovery and who meets the eponymous Oracle.

Fusion, Perfusion
Fusion, Perfusion
Fusion, Perfusion, Oracle
Fusion, Perfusion

Confusion features illustrations for various French publications, some watercolour pieces that Moebius had completed whilst in Los Angeles and a handful of immersive double-page spreads. Inside are also a series of portraits by Moebius of friends and loved ones including of longterm creative collaborator Alejandro Jodorowsky.

Fusion, Confusion
Fusion, Confusion
Fusion, Confusion
Fusion, Confusion
Fusion, Confusion, Alejandro Jodorowsky portrait (left)

Effusion includes a Moebius homage to Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga masterpiece Akira, production designs for the movie The Abyss (1989) and various poster and t-shirt designs.

Fusion, Effusion, homage to Otomo’s Akira (left), The Abyss (right)
Fusion, Effusion, The Abyss
Fusion, Effusion

Transfusion consists of a series of abstract pieces with accompanying poetry by Moebius.

Fusion, Transfusion
Fusion, Transfusion
Fusion, Transfusion
Fusion, Transfusion

Jean Giraud concludes Fusion with a dedication to his mother, Pauline Vinchon.

Fusion, “This book is dedicated to my mother, Pauline Vinchon.”

The Art of Moebius

The Art of Moebius (1989)
Byron Preiss/Berkley Books/Epic Comics
21 x 27cm, 96 pages

Bearing the familiar image of Starwatcher II that first featured on the cover of Moebius: Starwatcher released a few years earlier but this time however on the cover of The Art of Moebius the image is instead framed in a pastel lavender.

The Art of Moebius, book
The Art of Moebius

The Art of Moebius trade paperback opens with an introduction by filmmaker George Lucas who is best known for his original Star Wars trilogy:

“In all his drawings, Moebius, demonstrates a command of many disciplines in art. He is a master draftsman, a superb artist, and more: his vision is original and strong. Since first seeing the Moebius illustrations in “Heavy Metal” years ago, I have been impressed and affected by his keen and unusual sense of design, and the distinctive way in which he depicts the fantastic. Perhaps what strikes me most of all about his work is it’s sheer beauty – a beauty that has always given me great pleasure.”

The Art of Moebius, introduction by George Lucas

Some of the work featured in The Art of Moebius appeared previously in his art book Moebius: Starwatcher but not featured are the preparatory sketches and line work behind some of Moebius’ wide ranging work including for his aforementioned Starwatcher series of serigraphs. Also of interest is work by Moebius done for film projects such as Little Nemo in Slumberland (1989) based on Winsor McCay’s groundbreaking comic strip of the same name.

The Art of Moebius, Jimi Hendrix
The Art of Moebius, Futura
The Art of Moebius, Nemo
The Art of Moebius, Crystal Major/Cristal Star (early designs)
The Art of Moebius, The Golden Triangle (early designs)
The Art of Moebius, Starwatcher III (early design)
The Art of Moebius, Starwatcher I (early design)
The Art of Moebius, City of Fire: The Street (with Geof Darrow)

Worthy of mention and found within the final pages of The Art of Moebius is the inclusion of work from Moebius’ rare notebook Roma-Amor or Viamor (1988).

The Art of Moebius, Roma-Amor/Viamor
The Art of Moebius, Roma-Amor/Viamor
The Art of Moebius, Roma-Amor/Viamor
The Art of Moebius, afterword

Moebius on how Roma-Amor /Viamor came to be:

“I went to Italy for a month, to Naples and Rome, and one day, I was walking through the streets, when I saw an artisan making little notebooks, with nice paper and nice covers. So I bought one. At the time, I thought I would give it to somebody as a present, but I should have known better. I can never resist a notebook.

 So I began filling it with drawings. I drew in every kind of situation: in the train, in the plane, waiting for friends, waiting for a car, in coffee shops, in the street, in bed, at the hotel. Everywhere. I tried to do these drawings without any kind of preconceived ideas, just following my inspiration. I emptied my mind and let the drawing emerge. If there is a repetition of characters and themes, which there is, it is because it is like a psychic map of my spiritual landscape at the time.

”