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The Collected Fantasies of Jean Giraud #2
Moebius 2: Arzach and Other Fantasy Stories
This collection of nine short stories, six of which are told without the use of dialogue or sound effects, features the mysterious character Arzach, first created in 1976 by the French writer and illustrator Moebius.
It is not apparent whether the eponymous character is a hero, an antihero or simply a definitive example of the surreal Fantasy and Science Fiction storytelling made popular by French comics magazine Métal Hurlant and its English language counterpart Heavy Metal. What it is apparent is that Moebius has created a truly unique world populated by strange and fascinating characters.
Arzach is recognizable by his cone-shaped hat, his flowing cloak, and the stern yet gentle expression on his wind-burned face. He rides a creature that resembles an albino pterodactyl across bleak desert landscapes, where he encounters remnants of lost civilizations. His experiences are both dramatic and absurd, and his meandering journeys are as mystifying as they are humorous.
It is not apparent whether the eponymous character is a hero, an antihero or simply a definitive example of the surreal Fantasy and Science Fiction storytelling made popular by French comics magazine Métal Hurlant and its English language counterpart Heavy Metal. What it is apparent is that Moebius has created a truly unique world populated by strange and fascinating characters.
Arzach is recognizable by his cone-shaped hat, his flowing cloak, and the stern yet gentle expression on his wind-burned face. He rides a creature that resembles an albino pterodactyl across bleak desert landscapes, where he encounters remnants of lost civilizations. His experiences are both dramatic and absurd, and his meandering journeys are as mystifying as they are humorous.
72 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1976
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
October 21, 2010
This review contains more words than the actual book.
May 2, 2020
Arzach is probably one of Moebius’ most iconic characters, a brooding warrior who rides the skies atop a pterodactyl-like creature. His adventures are depicted wordlessly, and are fraught with dark, haunting imagery … except for the very last, a story created especially for this volume and written by Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier, Moebius’ translators for this line of reprints. It's a bit lighter in tone, and ties in with his famous story, “The Detour,” as well.
Speaking of “The Detour,” it's also in this volume. It's another of those stories that's practically synonymous with Moebius, or at least that's the impression I got from the very earliest articles that I read about the man and his work. It's a bizarre mix of autobiography, fantasy, and humor.
One storytelling technique that I notice quite a bit of in this book--with the exception of the original Arzach stories--is the heavy reliance on text. There are paragraphs that describe all sorts of adventures and humorous incidents that aren't actually depicted visually. The newer Arzach story, in particular, is less traditional comics so much as illustrated prose. It seems to me like Moebius the writer running ahead of Moebius the artist, his imagination running faster than the speed of drawing.
Speaking of “The Detour,” it's also in this volume. It's another of those stories that's practically synonymous with Moebius, or at least that's the impression I got from the very earliest articles that I read about the man and his work. It's a bizarre mix of autobiography, fantasy, and humor.
One storytelling technique that I notice quite a bit of in this book--with the exception of the original Arzach stories--is the heavy reliance on text. There are paragraphs that describe all sorts of adventures and humorous incidents that aren't actually depicted visually. The newer Arzach story, in particular, is less traditional comics so much as illustrated prose. It seems to me like Moebius the writer running ahead of Moebius the artist, his imagination running faster than the speed of drawing.
August 11, 2025
The pterosaur-riding silent warrior Arzach might be Moebius' best known creation. The "Taarna" segment of the 1981 animated science-fiction anthology film "Heavy Metal" appears to be strongly inspired by Arzach, as it follows a pterosaur-riding silent heroine in a post-apocalyptic fantasy setting effectively being a distaff counterpart to Arzach. (The "Harry Canyon" segment likewise takes quite a few cues from Moebius' "The Long Tomorrow")
At any rate Arzach's adventures contain some of the most impressively surrealistic and colourful fantasy artwork in Moebius' oeuvre, and that is saying something! The stories also show a clear absurdist sense of humour, often playing around with the clichés of fantastic literature and basic rules of traditional narrative structures in inventive ways, yet it never feels like the author is not taking things as seriously as he should. This type of balancing act can be difficult to pull off, yet Moebius succeeds at exactly here and makes it look effortless.
The short stories compiled in this volume were originally published in various magazines, and are each self-contained. They are probably not that good a place to start with Moebius, I'd recommend "The Long Tomorrow" for examples of his short work and "The Incal" for longform storytelling perhaps because it has an "everyman" protagonist in the private eye John Difool. This collection of Arzach fantasies is nonetheless indispensable for anyone who wants to explore Moebius' work as an artist and storyteller.
On a final note: Shortly before his passing, Moebius begun work on a prequel series to Arzach with a more conventional storyline depicting the character's origins, but he only finished the first volume. I'm somewhat surprised at Moebius deciding that was necessary, since each short Arzach story found here is a perfectly self-contained independent narrative on its own.
At any rate Arzach's adventures contain some of the most impressively surrealistic and colourful fantasy artwork in Moebius' oeuvre, and that is saying something! The stories also show a clear absurdist sense of humour, often playing around with the clichés of fantastic literature and basic rules of traditional narrative structures in inventive ways, yet it never feels like the author is not taking things as seriously as he should. This type of balancing act can be difficult to pull off, yet Moebius succeeds at exactly here and makes it look effortless.
The short stories compiled in this volume were originally published in various magazines, and are each self-contained. They are probably not that good a place to start with Moebius, I'd recommend "The Long Tomorrow" for examples of his short work and "The Incal" for longform storytelling perhaps because it has an "everyman" protagonist in the private eye John Difool. This collection of Arzach fantasies is nonetheless indispensable for anyone who wants to explore Moebius' work as an artist and storyteller.
On a final note: Shortly before his passing, Moebius begun work on a prequel series to Arzach with a more conventional storyline depicting the character's origins, but he only finished the first volume. I'm somewhat surprised at Moebius deciding that was necessary, since each short Arzach story found here is a perfectly self-contained independent narrative on its own.
January 3, 2023
I have read a few comics before like this but they weren't as old as this. This french comic book was published in the 1970s and liked the imagery and the stories of Sci-Fi, Mystery, Fantasy and like someone said this review contains more work than all 6 stories of Arzach.
I have always loved comics, and I hope always to love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
I have always loved comics, and I hope always to love them. Even though I grew up reading local Indian comics like Raj Comics, Diamond Comics, or even Manoj Comics, now's the time to catch up on international and classic comics and Graphic novels. I am on my quest to read as many comics as I can. I love comics to bits, may the comics never leave my side. I loved reading this and love reading more, you should also read what you love and then just Keep on Reading.
August 25, 2019
This volume collects the early run of Moebius’s Arzach comics—a defining classic of the anthology magazine Métal Hurlant/Heavy Metal. Moody, imaginative, colorful, and fantastical, these comics remain influential to this day. They present a series of very brief encounters and episodes as Arzach wanders strange lands astride a giant pterodactyl.
The collection also includes a handful of other short Moebius comics. Most of these are much wordier (almost comically so) than the Arzach comics, but no less imaginative.
The collection also includes a handful of other short Moebius comics. Most of these are much wordier (almost comically so) than the Arzach comics, but no less imaginative.
April 13, 2023
Arzach is one of Moebius's defining works. It was America's first introduction to him through the Heavy Metal serialization of the story. It, like many of Moebius's works, isn't very strong in a narrative sense, but it is nice to look at. And, unlike lots of Moebius, it isn't bogged down by text.
Which is funny to say because the second story in this volume is bogged down by text; to the point that I began to skim the text and focused on the drawings.
Which is funny to say because the second story in this volume is bogged down by text; to the point that I began to skim the text and focused on the drawings.
January 25, 2018
Another great collection of stories by the master, monsieur Moebius. Aside from the masterpiece both in design/color and scenario, Arzach, the rest short fantasy and sci-fi stories are a sight for sore eyes. I loved the "The White Citadel" and "The Ballade", while the "The detour" had too big speech bubbles for my taste.
August 8, 2015
Bought this book in the French original so I couldn’t understand the first story but since this rest of this book had no text whatsoever it hardly made much difference. The art is just incredible. Arzach’s psy-fi-chedelic journey through Moebius’ world is full of naked zombie creatures, giant phallic apes, alien warscapes and deceivingly beautiful monsters. I can definitely understand why Moebius’ art is considered revolutionary in the comic book genre; he mereges bright pop art-like colour schemes with the world of a visionary sci-fi epic. It’s no suprirse that he helped Jodorowski out with the storyboards for his hugely ambitious rendition of DUNE (that was of course never made). In fact these drawings have apparently influenced everyone from Alan Moore to Ridley Scott. Although very short, this book definitely deserves 4 stars for the ambition of Moebius’ project which, although I won’t be purchasing any time soon due to the hefty price tag, I’m intrigued to read more of.
July 31, 2020
Arzach is probably the best-known work from Jean Giraud (aka Moebius), at least in the English-speaking world. And it is a true classic of wordless comics, beautifully illustrated and full of the menace and mystery that animates the great mythical stories and traditions.
This volume includes several related short pieces from Moebius, of which "The Ballade" is particularly striking, with its tale of magical forest creatures reading Rimbaud and encountering human invaders with the inevitable sad results.
This volume includes several related short pieces from Moebius, of which "The Ballade" is particularly striking, with its tale of magical forest creatures reading Rimbaud and encountering human invaders with the inevitable sad results.
February 3, 2016
Beautiful wordless comix of strange captivating other worlds populated by green-skinned men and weird albino pterodactyl like creatures. The intricacy & care with which Moebius draws his bizarre alien worlds would almost be too fussy if not for the sly humor coursing through each page. A delight to behold.
January 6, 2019
Some really original and amazingly illustrated stories throughout this book, ‘The White Citadel’ being my favourite. Strongly recommend to any graphic-novel readers or someone searching for something beautiful.
March 11, 2019
Contains one of the most influential stories in all of comics history. Moebius is always a treat, but every panel of this story could be framed and hung in a gallery. HIGHLY recommended.
October 7, 2019
"Arzach", this is the one most visibly recognizable as having influenced the
Heavy Metal
movie (personal history with which I recounted in the previous volume's review). You almost miss not seeing Taarna featured.
Incidentally, this was also where my mind instantly went to for visuals, when reading China Miéville's Perdido Street Station recently: of a city under a skeleton of a giant ancient beast. Or the scenery in the closing sequence. I must wonder about influences again, acknowledged or subconscious.
The gorgeous inks apparent without coloring in "Detour" remind me also of André Franquin's Idees Noires.
Incidentally, this was also where my mind instantly went to for visuals, when reading China Miéville's Perdido Street Station recently: of a city under a skeleton of a giant ancient beast. Or the scenery in the closing sequence. I must wonder about influences again, acknowledged or subconscious.
The gorgeous inks apparent without coloring in "Detour" remind me also of André Franquin's Idees Noires.
April 10, 2018
Confused as to why Giraud wasted his obvious artistic talents (obviously also taking a great deal of time) on these stories that are so rubbish. Some are childish, some are sniggering dirty old man stories, but most are just slight, weightless, almost nothing at all.
December 8, 2021
Just beautiful, dreamy nonsense. But still, nonsense.
January 6, 2025
Containing the wordless story Arzach, easily one of Mœbius's most iconic creations, this volume of The Collected Fantasies of Jean Giraud is a definitive one. A four episode comic strip featuring the brooding warrior Arzach who rides the dreamscapes of Mœbius's imagination atop a pterodactyl, the comic became a cultural force in France and beyond. I first glimpsed Arzach within the pages of Heavy Metal, which I imagine is where much of the American audience first encountered it. Though there is no narrative heft to the comic, the enigmatic journey taken by Arzach remained etched in my mind for years to come. In this volume, the entirety of the Arzach strip is reproduced in full color and thick coated paper stock, doing full justice to the work.
Collected here also is "The Detour", an elegantly drawn sci-fi fantasy comic that also is bizarrely autobiographical. Though Jean Giraud would etch the name of Mœbius into the world of Franco-Belgian sci-fi comics in the years to come, "The Detour" presents an early deviation into the genre for the artist. At this point, Giraud mostly worked on Blueberry stories, so working on sci-fi felt distant yet. It was sci-fi master Philippe Druillet that pushed Mœbius to give it a shot, and "The Detour" was the outcome. It's jarringly wordy, especially in contrast to the entirely wordless Arzach, but elegantly illustrated by Mœbius' rigorous style.
Other stories here include "The Ballad", "The White Citadel" and "Ktulon", all three of which are fairly short. "The Ballad" is an adaptation of an Arthur Rimbaud poem, which Mœbius took on as prompt from Jodorowsky who suggested that working on an adaptation is a good way to get the creative juices flowing. It's nothing all that interesting, but Mœbius' use of color here is phenomenal - dare I say even better than how it is applied in Arzach. "The White Citadel" is Mœbius' take on the sword-and-sorcery works, particularly those influenced by Arthurian legend. It's not particularly memorable. Closing out with "Ktulon", a loose take on Lovecraftian mythos - also rather forgettable unfortunately.
Pick this up for the entirety of Arzach, and that will be more than worth the price of admission. It remains one of the all time great wordless comic strips, and a true demonstration of the artistic powerhouse that was Mœbius.
Collected here also is "The Detour", an elegantly drawn sci-fi fantasy comic that also is bizarrely autobiographical. Though Jean Giraud would etch the name of Mœbius into the world of Franco-Belgian sci-fi comics in the years to come, "The Detour" presents an early deviation into the genre for the artist. At this point, Giraud mostly worked on Blueberry stories, so working on sci-fi felt distant yet. It was sci-fi master Philippe Druillet that pushed Mœbius to give it a shot, and "The Detour" was the outcome. It's jarringly wordy, especially in contrast to the entirely wordless Arzach, but elegantly illustrated by Mœbius' rigorous style.
Other stories here include "The Ballad", "The White Citadel" and "Ktulon", all three of which are fairly short. "The Ballad" is an adaptation of an Arthur Rimbaud poem, which Mœbius took on as prompt from Jodorowsky who suggested that working on an adaptation is a good way to get the creative juices flowing. It's nothing all that interesting, but Mœbius' use of color here is phenomenal - dare I say even better than how it is applied in Arzach. "The White Citadel" is Mœbius' take on the sword-and-sorcery works, particularly those influenced by Arthurian legend. It's not particularly memorable. Closing out with "Ktulon", a loose take on Lovecraftian mythos - also rather forgettable unfortunately.
Pick this up for the entirety of Arzach, and that will be more than worth the price of admission. It remains one of the all time great wordless comic strips, and a true demonstration of the artistic powerhouse that was Mœbius.
December 4, 2025
Arzach (and all the spelling variations of his name) gets better every time I flip through the comics, but the main story arc is readily in print--the real reason to get this rarer copy is because it is one of only three places where the final three stories--"The White Citadel", "Ktulu", and "The Legend of Arzach"--were published in English. These stories are classic Moebius and musts for any Moebius collection. "The Detour" and "The Ballade", also included in this collection, are worth their weight as well. (The Detour is probably one of the greatest fantasy/absurdist comic short stories ever--absolutely bonkers and deeply influential.)
August 16, 2019
Strangely, this edition of Arzack, published by Epic / Marvel, offers the stories in a different order than the French edition.
As for the French edition of Arzack and the compilation of stories that included it, this book offers some of the best examples of science fiction stories by Moebius. It is very interesting (and entertaining) to read. It’s really worth a look.
Ready complete comment on https://clodjee-blog.com/2019/08/15/m...
As for the French edition of Arzack and the compilation of stories that included it, this book offers some of the best examples of science fiction stories by Moebius. It is very interesting (and entertaining) to read. It’s really worth a look.
Ready complete comment on https://clodjee-blog.com/2019/08/15/m...
July 18, 2025
Checklist Category - Extra Credit, Wordless Graphic Novel
Title - Arzach
Author - Jean Giraud
Publisher/ # Of Pages - Dark Horse / 72 pages
Year of Publication - 1996
ISBN-13 - 9781569711323
My Response - I'm gonna have to admit, I had no idea what was going on in this. I ended up reading someone's interpretation on it. Once I understood what was going on, it lead to me enjoying it far more, but I can't rate it too highly because of its difficulty.
Title - Arzach
Author - Jean Giraud
Publisher/ # Of Pages - Dark Horse / 72 pages
Year of Publication - 1996
ISBN-13 - 9781569711323
My Response - I'm gonna have to admit, I had no idea what was going on in this. I ended up reading someone's interpretation on it. Once I understood what was going on, it lead to me enjoying it far more, but I can't rate it too highly because of its difficulty.
October 23, 2018
A história "Arzach" é uma verdadeira obra de arte.
April 13, 2019
Read as "Fantasie Comics Band 2: Moebius"
May 5, 2019
Peak Moebius.
October 18, 2020
Arzach, the detour and other stories are presented together in this volume. It all comes down to Moebius' unmatched imagination and fantastical storytelling through his art. A classic work of art.
October 26, 2021
Although this is my least favorite of this series thematically, this has got to be my favorite for Moebius's inkwork. I don't think he produced work so consistently gorgeous again.
Read
March 27, 2025Beautifully wrought
January 16, 2023
Already read most of these in a bootleg CBZ. I liked it.
May 31, 2016
Даже после традиционно познавательных комментариев автора не могу сказать, что понял, что такого прекрасного в четырёх мини-историях под названием Arzach (которые произвели в своё время эффект разорвавшейся бомбы во французском комикс-мире). Да, они рассказаны без слов, образы очень яркие, крайне сюрреалистичные и символичные (Фрейд был бы доволен со всех сторон), но тут, видимо, нужно быть художником и поэтом, чтобы насладиться чистыми образами, без особого сюжета.
Перечитывая их заново и уже зная, что ожидать, заметить красоту и уровень неземной фантазии и нетрадиционность подхода к повествованию оказалось гораздо проще. Удивительные зарисовки чужого мира.
Впрочем, мне понравились некоторые другие короткие истории этого тома, особенно прямо-таки наусиковская "Баллада" и лавкравтовская Ktulu.
Перечитывая их заново и уже зная, что ожидать, заметить красоту и уровень неземной фантазии и нетрадиционность подхода к повествованию оказалось гораздо проще. Удивительные зарисовки чужого мира.
Впрочем, мне понравились некоторые другие короткие истории этого тома, особенно прямо-таки наусиковская "Баллада" и лавкравтовская Ktulu.
May 1, 2013
Moebius tiene un estilo muy personal de narrar y de dibujar, es muy bueno, un poco sombrío y mórbido, pero es parte de la aura que encierra su obra. Esta novela encierra las historias del silencioso Azarch, un héroe sobre un pterodáctilo (que influencio a Taarna de la película Heavy Metal). Me saco un par de sonrisas y hay algunas bromas que me tarde en captar, pero creo que la traducción tiene algo la culpa. Aparte de las de Azarch hay algunas historias cortas como La Ciudadela Blanca, Kutulu y La Desviación, que es una historia de cuando se salieron de la carretera principal en unas vacaciones el, su esposa y su hija, para llegar sin problemas, pero contada de forma fantástica y con eso me refiero con gigantes de tierra, combates con un ejército de colados de bodas, etcétera.
May 18, 2015
Moebius's visual imagination is unparalleled. I can just stare at his panels for minutes, each one is an exquisitely imagined and flawlessly executed painting. But as Eisner said, comics is sequential art, they need a narrative component, and this is where Moebius falters.
The (very) short stories in this anthology, most of them centered on his famous pterodactyl-borne silent alien warrior Arzach, are barely stories at all. The humour is rudimentary, drama nonexistent and attempts at psychosexual allusion forced. Perhaps he was one of those artists who needed a strong script to build upon.
Still, what images!
The (very) short stories in this anthology, most of them centered on his famous pterodactyl-borne silent alien warrior Arzach, are barely stories at all. The humour is rudimentary, drama nonexistent and attempts at psychosexual allusion forced. Perhaps he was one of those artists who needed a strong script to build upon.
Still, what images!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews