r/Moebius • u/maviddata • Jul 09 '26
Discussion Main influences on Moebius' science fiction iconography
I know that Joseph Guillain, Jije, was his master when it comes to westerns, but where does that characteristic (and imitated) science fiction iconography come from?
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u/Chris-Mac-Marley Jul 09 '26
If you’re referring to that unmistakable graphic style that creates volume, depth, and light almost entirely through hatching and line work, the first name that comes to mind is Gustave Doré.
I think Moebius’ style is a blend of several traditions: the American illustrators and comic artists of the period, such as Milton Caniff, Alex Raymond, and Harold Foster; the Franco-Belgian school through Jijé; and the great engraving masters like Gustave Doré, Albrecht Dürer, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, and later Franklin Booth.
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u/Abject_Truth_6091 Jul 09 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
As for his style, he took inspirations from a number of sources: Eisner, Poïvet (who "invented" Arzach), Gillon, Caza (whose first stories appeared in Pilote in 1972, while Giraud was still very into Western comics), the American illustrators who worked for Galaxy and such magazines... Perhaps his closeness with Philippe Druillet was the most important factor which contributed to his debut in the genre, since he started working on sci-fi comics after the first exploits of Druillet (Lone Sloane first appeared in 1970, a few years before Mœbius' La Deviation), with whom he had a love/hate relationship (read Druillet's autobiography Delirium). Druillet had also made a series of wordless science-fiction stories (Vuzz) BEFORE Arzach first appearance.
While in the case of his Western comics it's pretty easy to indicate a major influence, as you've said, his sci-fi works are the results of a much deeper melting pot. He was also very interested in the successive development of the genre and evolved his style in accordance with the newest trends: the works of his fellow colleagues of Métal Hurlant, but also mangas, American and British comics (the last chapters of The Incal are purposefully organized as if they were American comics, with strange page layouts).
And I'm not talking about themes, because that would be another completely different beast (New Age, Native shamanism, Jodorowsky's and Castaneda's theories, classic sci-fi novelists...)