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The Collected Fantasies of Jean Giraud #1
The Collected Fantasies, Vol. 1: Upon a Star
This out-of-print English translation collects The Repairmen, Upon a Star, Aedena and Celestial Venice by Jean "Moebius" Giraud.
72 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
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About the author
Mœbius
540 books931 followersJean Henri Gaston Giraud (pen-name: Mœbius) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer, who worked in the Franco-Belgian bandes dessinées tradition.
Also published as Jean Giraud.
Also published as Jean Giraud.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
April 29, 2020
This book was my first real exposure to Moebius’ work. I had heard about him, via articles in the Comics Journal and The Comics Buyers’ Guide, and certainly I’d seen the individual panels and illustrations that often accompanied such articles. But these were the first actual stories.
I’ll confess that I didn't quite know what to think at first. The art style for most of these tales is on the simple side, deliberately so. The use of color is certainly stunning, though. And, after you've read for a bit, you become aware of a certain point of view that's difficult to summarize, but that is distinctly Moebius-ian. And there's a depth of imagination at work that belies the stories’ seeming simplicity.
My two favorite stories in this volume are probably “The Repairmen” and “Celestial Venice. “ It's not that the rest of the book is poor or anything. I just admire their self-contained nature and quiet beauty. They're textbook examples of how to do science fiction without resorting to cliché or technobabble. These would be some of the first stories I would point to in answer to the question, “Who is Moebius?”
Moebius’ reputation is well-deserved. Highly recommended!
I’ll confess that I didn't quite know what to think at first. The art style for most of these tales is on the simple side, deliberately so. The use of color is certainly stunning, though. And, after you've read for a bit, you become aware of a certain point of view that's difficult to summarize, but that is distinctly Moebius-ian. And there's a depth of imagination at work that belies the stories’ seeming simplicity.
My two favorite stories in this volume are probably “The Repairmen” and “Celestial Venice. “ It's not that the rest of the book is poor or anything. I just admire their self-contained nature and quiet beauty. They're textbook examples of how to do science fiction without resorting to cliché or technobabble. These would be some of the first stories I would point to in answer to the question, “Who is Moebius?”
Moebius’ reputation is well-deserved. Highly recommended!
April 27, 2009
This book collects early examples of Moebius' science fiction work, and is typical for showing his exploration of different artistic styles. Several of the works were commissioned by big business interests who wanted to inspire their employees and readers.
The commercial aspects of these stories are a bit silly, as is Moebius' attempt to inject his humanitarian spiritual philosophies. Each story has a foreword and afterword, and in these Moebius talks briefly about his experiences with various spiritual movements and gurus.
The story published in a French finance magazine is particularly saccharine, with long expository passages about mankind's propensity for war, destructive nature, failure to live 'in balance', and the failure of its religions to move towards 'cosmic unity'. Like many romanticized sci fi allegories before and since, Moebius' aliens are stand-ins for angels, and all the philosophies of peace, love, and progress they espouse are about as profound as you'd expect.
There are some interesting moments in the comics, which seem original and thought-provoking, but Moebius often ends up trying to explain them to us, immediately transforming them from mysterious to didactic allegory.
Still there is some originality, depth of character, sense of humor, and lovely art which lift the works up.
The commercial aspects of these stories are a bit silly, as is Moebius' attempt to inject his humanitarian spiritual philosophies. Each story has a foreword and afterword, and in these Moebius talks briefly about his experiences with various spiritual movements and gurus.
The story published in a French finance magazine is particularly saccharine, with long expository passages about mankind's propensity for war, destructive nature, failure to live 'in balance', and the failure of its religions to move towards 'cosmic unity'. Like many romanticized sci fi allegories before and since, Moebius' aliens are stand-ins for angels, and all the philosophies of peace, love, and progress they espouse are about as profound as you'd expect.
There are some interesting moments in the comics, which seem original and thought-provoking, but Moebius often ends up trying to explain them to us, immediately transforming them from mysterious to didactic allegory.
Still there is some originality, depth of character, sense of humor, and lovely art which lift the works up.
August 25, 2012
Moebius is big in my life. And has been for a while, but reading through this book the other day (at the fantastic Merril Collection in Toronto) was a soul-slapping experience -- a wakeup. Giraud's spiritual philosophy shine through both the work itself and his forwards/afterwards, and this converged with my own internal thoughts and current struggle to create a better sort of comic and left me with a deeper understanding of what it is i'm setting out to do. Thanks for the peace Moebius, i hope you're dwelling in it eternally.
September 14, 2022
Moebius, the alpha and omega of modern visual SF&F telling. The 'brand guide' to countless well known productions: Alien, Star Wars, Dune, Blade Runner, The Abyss, Tron... even Sandman. And the inspiration and/or collaborator to many, who themselves would become to be considered greats on the field: Lucas, Ralph McQuarrie, Ridley, Besson, Jodorowsky, Miyazaki, Gaiman... and numerous others, no doubt including those working behind the scenes to bring works of fantastical fiction alive in pretty much any production today.
My own connection to Moebius' masterful art goes back to childhood, but in light of that, the true appreciation for it bloomed relatively late.
I believe my very first introduction to the imaginative landscapes and creatures of Jean Giraud - if not their work per se - would have been the movie Heavy Metal : animated film (of which we had a TV recorded VHS lying around) heavily based on imagery and creatures originally featured in Moebius' work. Notably camp as the film may have been - even to a six year old(* - it did fascinate with its brutality and the space and time spanning storyline.
*) We kids were brought up quite 'free range' in our household(s); there were no such things as 'adult' shows, which I must've learned was not the case for all, at the age of eight or so, when bringing this very movie to a friend's for viewing, and which was not well received by the head of their house.
The comics themselves I came by only later, at the age of ten or thereabouts, when while us kids were emptying the library shelves of our own Franco-Belgians - Asterix, Lucky Luke, Spirou, Tintin, Valerian (plus Pinis' ElfQuest) - our dad would take home few of their own (this also lead to my introduction to Milo Manara *tips hat*).
I don't remember having thought much of this 'Moebius' at the time, other than feeling perhaps mild fascination about them being the source of the particular movie that had got a reaction years ago, and recognizing my artist dad's appreciation for the surreal inspirations. Ironically however, among my own library picks were Giraud's Lt Blueberry, whose art I would drool over intensely (even though the only actual story I ever truly got captivated by was that of Angel Face).
Only in my twenties, when I would finally fully realize and admit to my connoisseurism for forms of comic art 'officially', did my appreciation for Moebius too rise to the expected/deserved levels. I would remember these comics from childhood, fawn over the artistry through online communities, and indeed observe the influences in films I consumed, but didn't happen by the books themselves again.
Until now. Here again, in my thirties, returning to the origin of my comics appreciation: the library graphic novels section. Re-united with these comics and loving the stories as well as the art more than ever before. Fascinated to rediscover them: to read Giraud's anecdotes on the stories, learn of their inspirations and their own influences, now that I have some grasp of and experience with them myself.
I must thank my late dad for the early connection point they inadvertently created which resulted to this personal history now existing (and also, whom ever taped that Heavy Metal film... if a separate entity).
My own connection to Moebius' masterful art goes back to childhood, but in light of that, the true appreciation for it bloomed relatively late.
I believe my very first introduction to the imaginative landscapes and creatures of Jean Giraud - if not their work per se - would have been the movie Heavy Metal : animated film (of which we had a TV recorded VHS lying around) heavily based on imagery and creatures originally featured in Moebius' work. Notably camp as the film may have been - even to a six year old(* - it did fascinate with its brutality and the space and time spanning storyline.
*) We kids were brought up quite 'free range' in our household(s); there were no such things as 'adult' shows, which I must've learned was not the case for all, at the age of eight or so, when bringing this very movie to a friend's for viewing, and which was not well received by the head of their house.
The comics themselves I came by only later, at the age of ten or thereabouts, when while us kids were emptying the library shelves of our own Franco-Belgians - Asterix, Lucky Luke, Spirou, Tintin, Valerian (plus Pinis' ElfQuest) - our dad would take home few of their own (this also lead to my introduction to Milo Manara *tips hat*).
I don't remember having thought much of this 'Moebius' at the time, other than feeling perhaps mild fascination about them being the source of the particular movie that had got a reaction years ago, and recognizing my artist dad's appreciation for the surreal inspirations. Ironically however, among my own library picks were Giraud's Lt Blueberry, whose art I would drool over intensely (even though the only actual story I ever truly got captivated by was that of Angel Face).
Only in my twenties, when I would finally fully realize and admit to my connoisseurism for forms of comic art 'officially', did my appreciation for Moebius too rise to the expected/deserved levels. I would remember these comics from childhood, fawn over the artistry through online communities, and indeed observe the influences in films I consumed, but didn't happen by the books themselves again.
Until now. Here again, in my thirties, returning to the origin of my comics appreciation: the library graphic novels section. Re-united with these comics and loving the stories as well as the art more than ever before. Fascinated to rediscover them: to read Giraud's anecdotes on the stories, learn of their inspirations and their own influences, now that I have some grasp of and experience with them myself.
I must thank my late dad for the early connection point they inadvertently created which resulted to this personal history now existing (and also, whom ever taped that Heavy Metal film... if a separate entity).
December 12, 2023
This is a collection of short stories by Moebius. They are of varying quality. None of the stories really had any impact on me. I love his clear-line style, he's a master at it.
March 13, 2012
Dream like and transcendent. Moebius craft stories that blend interests in classic science fiction and fantasy with mysticism and surrealist painting to create multi-dimensional tales of sex, death, and enlightenment. As a kid who gobbled up superhero comics, my world was rocked at a young age by the likes of Heavy Metal Magazine and Epic Illustrated, whose artists - Moebius among them - showed me that comics was as powerful an artistic and storytelling medium as any other. His death this week prompted me to pick up his works again and dive into that bizarre world that he always conjured, and I'm enjoying the journey!
October 3, 2019
[Comics Canon Review]
The stories collected here have unusual origins, though perhaps that’s to be expected for such an unusual cartoonist. The eponymous story, “Upon a Star,” is the clear standout in this collection. The others are very good, but not at all of the same caliber. Even if not representing his best work, this collection nevertheless shows Moebius at his most accessible.
The stories collected here have unusual origins, though perhaps that’s to be expected for such an unusual cartoonist. The eponymous story, “Upon a Star,” is the clear standout in this collection. The others are very good, but not at all of the same caliber. Even if not representing his best work, this collection nevertheless shows Moebius at his most accessible.
August 23, 2019
As someone who likes to draw a lot, this book was such a joy to take in. Moebius' worlds are wildly imaginative, adding a lot to the believability of these science fiction stories. The stories themselves are short, simple, and fun. It's the artwork that makes this book an enjoyable read. The line work here is clean. World element designs such as space crafts, landscapes, attire, and such are very inspiring to look at.
October 13, 2013
The ending of the story commissioned by Citroen is actually pretty cool. It's a shame that Giraud's spiritual inputs on his sci-fi short stories are really shallow, at least when compared to what he does in his later works, such as the Incal. Yet, overall this was a entertaining reading, 3/5. His art for me is always 5/5, either when he is ultra minimalist or otherwise decides to fill the pages with thousands details. He's just a flawless genious at drawing, and he still makes me "whoaaa!" every now and then.
June 13, 2023
A collection of early Moebius stories, most of which lack the polish and charm of his latter works but still are gorgeous to behold. The main story collected here was "Upon a Star", which follows the characters of Stel and Atan as they crash on a strange planet. They stumble upon a camp of humans and aliens who live under the shadow of a massive blue pyramid, and nobody knows that the purpose of this pyramid is. The story is pretty decent, but I was drawn in moreso by Moebius' clean linework and spectacular use of bold, flat colors. The coloring used here is notably different from his future works like The Incal or Blueberry, but it works really well for this bizarre little story.
Other stories collected in here are "The Repairman", "Aedena" and "Celestial Venice", all of which looked good but were rather forgettable reads. This is still a nice sampling of Moebius' lesser known works, and demonstrates the immense range he had as an artist.
Other stories collected in here are "The Repairman", "Aedena" and "Celestial Venice", all of which looked good but were rather forgettable reads. This is still a nice sampling of Moebius' lesser known works, and demonstrates the immense range he had as an artist.
October 7, 2019
This edition, published by Epic / Marvel, is including (in addition to the main story "Upon a star" and the prequel "The repairmen" — see my commentary on the French edition for more details) two other short stories: "Aedena "(6 plates, scripted by the guru Appel-Guery himself and Paula Salomon, produced for the French economic magazine “L’Expension”) and "Celestial Venice" (9 pl.). The stories are accompanied by prefaces and afterwords (by Moebius and Jean-Marc & Randy L'Officier) which are much clearer and more explanatory than that of Jean Annestay (although some paragraphs seem to be simply the translation of passages from the original album).
“Upon a Star” is a very good read because this album offers captivating stories, beautifully drawn, which are a treat for the eyes as for the mind.
Read my full commentary on https://clodjee-blog.com/2019/10/07/l...
“Upon a Star” is a very good read because this album offers captivating stories, beautifully drawn, which are a treat for the eyes as for the mind.
Read my full commentary on https://clodjee-blog.com/2019/10/07/l...
August 27, 2020
Just about everything I've ever seen from Jean Giraud's pen is great, but with the featured story in this volume ("Upon a Star") he began to embrace a simpler visual style. This particular edition from Epic (owned by Marvel Comics) features commentary from the artist, and his explication of the change in style is illuminating:
"I was trying to fight one of my problems, which was to compensate for any imprecisions in my linework, or for any limpness in style, by a sheer accumulation of details."
And the results are truly impressive: "Upon a Star" is visually spectacular, evoking bold visions from simple graphical elements. While the spiritually-focused story is left unresolved in this volume, the wonderful beauty of the panels is enough to carry the reader along, and leave them eagerly anticipating the further development of the Aedena Cycle.
"I was trying to fight one of my problems, which was to compensate for any imprecisions in my linework, or for any limpness in style, by a sheer accumulation of details."
And the results are truly impressive: "Upon a Star" is visually spectacular, evoking bold visions from simple graphical elements. While the spiritually-focused story is left unresolved in this volume, the wonderful beauty of the panels is enough to carry the reader along, and leave them eagerly anticipating the further development of the Aedena Cycle.
November 23, 2020
The first stories on Moebius's Aedena cycle. The art is magnificent but the overall arc of his epic cosmic-religious story is not all there yet. It's funny that this all started as an inhouse industrial comic for Citroen carmaker. Moebius wasn't even going to draw it himself but once he started doing the layouts he couldn't stop himself from crafting the first highly imaginative and wonder-filled art work of the the first story even though after a year or two he thought it was unfinished and would continue on eventually w/the World of Edena. But then I run on.
May 15, 2024
After reading a bit of Blueberry and finding it somewhat pretty but a bit dull, I tried reading The World of Edena. Even though it was a big collected edition, I'm reviewing each of the five graphic novels separately as they were so up and down.
I absolutely loved this one. The art was absolutely gorgeous and the story was interesting. After being a little unsure for the first several pages, a moment came when I realised that what I was reading was something quite special and I loved it from then on in.
I absolutely loved this one. The art was absolutely gorgeous and the story was interesting. After being a little unsure for the first several pages, a moment came when I realised that what I was reading was something quite special and I loved it from then on in.
October 20, 2021
Moebius is to me, like many, one of the greatest illustrators of graphic fiction the world has produced.
His writing is not anywhere up the level of his visual design, but I forgive him.
If you are a fan, this is indispensable.
Also noteworthy: The forewords to each story. Moebius was kind of a try-hard philosopher and pretty cocky.*
*Just look at his description of Ridley Scott from one of the Alien documentaries.
His writing is not anywhere up the level of his visual design, but I forgive him.
If you are a fan, this is indispensable.
Also noteworthy: The forewords to each story. Moebius was kind of a try-hard philosopher and pretty cocky.*
*Just look at his description of Ridley Scott from one of the Alien documentaries.
May 25, 2018
An imaginative visual feast. Even though some of the stories were commissioned by companies with a different audience, they still feel like personal works. Those are my favorite from the book.
June 16, 2018
Beautiful illustrations. Captivating worlds.
Read
September 22, 2020beautiful
October 18, 2020
First volume of Jean Giraud's, Moebius collected works. Starting with Upon a Star and visiting the world of Edena it is one of the most influential works in the later half of the 20th century.
November 22, 2023
Very symbolically rich with beautiful illustrations, such as the inside of the pyramid.
January 6, 2024
The style of Moebius is instantaneously recognisable. Even if you do not read comics or graphic novels, you would have seen sci-fi films or artworks that were inspired by it. This brief volume consists of three short stories, one written for a commercial brochure of a car manufacturer, and another for a business publication. The story lines are fuzzy and hard to follow but the graphic side is pure joy. The choice of colours, perspective and futuristic designs make up (partially) the shortcomings of the narrative. Solid three stars from me.
January 16, 2023
Already read it in "The World of Edena". I liked it.
July 11, 2019
Больше всего меня поразило отсутствие лёгкой скуки, с которой обычно читается классика. Been there, seen that... Данного эффекта здесь и близко нет, повествование захватывает, сюжет интригует. При всём при этом основная история была в своё время заказана и оплачена рекламными ситроэновскими деньгами. Мёбиус позже на её основе запустил целый цикл о чудесной планете Aedena (см. два, три, четыре, пять).
Нужно ли говорить, насколько потрясающий здесь рисунок? Чистые линии, глубокий, неземной цвет. Общая стилистика как в "Наусике из Долины ветров" у Миядзаки (забавно, Жиро с Миядзаки были такими друзьями, что Жан позже назвал дочь Наусикой). В чрезвычайно любопытных комментариях Мёбиус поясняет, что ставил в данном случае перед собой задачу уйти в максимально минималистичную сторону, чтобы каждое движение руки было оправдано (обычно он, по своей собственной оценке, скрывает недостатки изображений чрезмерным количеством деталей).
Изначально я собирался в образовательных целях пролистать лишь Arzach, The Airtight Garage и Incal, но после первого же тома антологии художника докачал все остальные (к сожалению, на английском выходила едва ли половина всего творчества Жиро; на русском же так и вовсе нет ни одной книжки, издательство Zangavar только в 2016 году анонсировало "Герметический гараж").
P.S. Вторая часть.
Нужно ли говорить, насколько потрясающий здесь рисунок? Чистые линии, глубокий, неземной цвет. Общая стилистика как в "Наусике из Долины ветров" у Миядзаки (забавно, Жиро с Миядзаки были такими друзьями, что Жан позже назвал дочь Наусикой). В чрезвычайно любопытных комментариях Мёбиус поясняет, что ставил в данном случае перед собой задачу уйти в максимально минималистичную сторону, чтобы каждое движение руки было оправдано (обычно он, по своей собственной оценке, скрывает недостатки изображений чрезмерным количеством деталей).
Изначально я собирался в образовательных целях пролистать лишь Arzach, The Airtight Garage и Incal, но после первого же тома антологии художника докачал все остальные (к сожалению, на английском выходила едва ли половина всего творчества Жиро; на русском же так и вовсе нет ни одной книжки, издательство Zangavar только в 2016 году анонсировало "Герметический гараж").
P.S. Вторая часть.
October 24, 2014
Reading this (and especially the short "The Life and Times of Jean 'Moebius' Giraud" at the end) made me appreciate how much influence Moebius has had on works that have influenced or been of interest to me. But I have also realized that it is not worth trying to track down more of his stuff, since it just doesn't appeal to me. Most of what I have read has had this weird sort of cosmic spirituality, ideas of enlightened aliens guiding humanity to life among the stars. The ideals it professes are not bad ones, but I can't really tell how much are ideas that he truly held and how much are stories that express the ideals of his spirituality. To me the cosmic spirituality bit, whatever its ideals, is as bad as any other religion, a comforting but misleading and false story. The stories in this volume are interesting in their way, and much better than the Incal volumes I read earlier, but not really worth the time.
August 12, 2016
An odd, wonderful book. It's kind of odd that Marvel chose this to kick off their Moebius reprint series back in the day. The title story in this book truly is amazing, but it's also a giant product placement and a tale without an ending. Then there are two other unrelated short stories drawn and written in completely different styles. There's a LOT to savor in this book, but ultimately it's kind of confusing and unsatisfying. I hope that one day someone starts a chronological or organized Moebius reprint series. It's kind of shocking that his work isn't readily available in this country.
May 3, 2015
Moebius is a legend, and all of his work fascinates me. I do not love his storytelling, but there's certainly something to his rambling stream-of-consciousness imagination-narratives. The titular story here, Upon a Star was lots of fun. One of my favorites in these early volumes.
July 17, 2016
really enjoyed The Repairman, the shortest and simplest of the stories. a pilot's vehicle breaks down but it takes a psykik not a mekanik to repair his vehicle by revisiting his past troubled childhood memories
May 30, 2021
The art style of Moebius is very simple and detailed yet its not messy at the same time. I can look at his drawings for hours without getting bored. It's simply beautiful. The plot of the story is fine.
October 8, 2010
My first Moebius book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews