Moebius Library: Inside Moebius Part 1

Inside Mœbius #1

by Mœbius, Diana Schutz (Translator), Isabelle Giraud (Foreword)

Moebius draws himself encountering his favorite characters--creations like Blueberry, Arzak, and Major Grubert--and also meets a younger version of himself!

Working closely with Moebius Production in France, Dark Horse presents Inside Moebius, A six-part study with Inside Moebius Part 1 collecting the first two chapters in this fantastic exploration of a creator meeting his own creations. Dark Horse will release all parts to this exceptional, intimate series in 2018! This is the third volume in the Moebius Library hardcover series and the beginning of Moebius's most intensely personal project.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Art, France, Humor, Fiction, Bande Dessinée

216 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2004

About the author

Jean 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.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the middle of Desert B, Moebius encounters his characters and versions of himself...

The Incal and World of Edena were marvelous so I decided to grab this one. I kind of wish I hadn't.

This book was started as a journal by Moebius when he decided to stop smoking weed. Since it was just after 9/11, 9/11 also factors into things. Anyway, there's no story as such. It's mostly Moebius interacting with his characters, plus Osama Bin Ladin and Geronimo, having existential conversations.

It's still Moebius, though, right? Well, it is but since most of the book takes place in a desert, it lacks a certain Moebius-ness. Gone are the hyper-detailed backgrounds and, frankly, some of the remaining art doesn't really measure up to Moebius' high standards set in other books.

Further more, I question the wisdom of Dark Horse including this in the Moebius library so early in its existence since their version of Arzak is long out of print and they don't have any Blueberry or stories featuring The Major in print either.

At the end, though, bad Moebius is like bad sex. It's still pretty good. I'll probably still read the next two volumes of Inside Moebius at some point but I'll probably read some of the Moebius stuff Humanoids is doing first. Three out of five stars.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Legendary French cartoonist Jean “Moebius” Giraud indulges in some extended naval gazing with Inside Moebius, Part 1 (of 6!). While I appreciate his artistic skill and influence on many comics creators, I’m not a big Moebius fan, haven’t read much of his work and what little I have hasn’t blown my hair back. Ditto Inside Moebius which I found very tedious.

Moebius draws himself into a comic alongside his (apparently) famous characters like Blueberry the Cowboy and real-life people like Osama Bin Laden (this first part was produced shortly after 9/11) and Geronimo. There’s no story. Moebius gives up weed and draws himself flying when he’s not procrastinating over his work. Meanwhile, the other characters sit around some place called Desert B and witter on about pseudo-philosophical drivel that was utterly boring – the dialogues between Osama and Geronimo were especially mind-numbing.

Maybe it’s just Moebius having a bit of fourth wall-breaking fun, maybe there’s a deeper point I didn’t get, but I found this book to be masturbatory twaddle that’s not nearly as clever or amusing as it thinks it is and so self-absorbed as to be wholly uninsightful and pointless.

I still liked his art, even as loose as it is here, and I agree with his points on Islam - that repressed sexuality has a lot to do with its problems - but this one is for Moebius fanboys only. What’s inside Moebius? A load of dreary neuroses and meandering thoughts like most people - I’ll definitely not be bothering with the rest of the books in this dull series!

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still not all that familiar with the work of French comics giant Jean Giraud, who also produced comics under the name of Moebius, but he has been and is still highly influential in the field. This is the first of a six volume series that began as a kind of journal in 2000 as Giraud quit using marijuana, which had for a long time fueled his work. The cessation caused some depression and shifted the nature of his work, so he decided to track his mental and artistic conditions as a result.

This work, as much of his work, is influenced by the ideas of Carlos Castaneda; improvisational, intuitive, the work begins without a plan and proceeds with a kind of dream logic, folding in several interactions with his most prominent characters such as Blueberry, Geronimo, and Arzak, from various series. We are even joined by Osama Bin Laden at one point. I was at a disadvantage in that I am as yet unfamiliar with much of his work, but the process is interesting. For an aging artist who has seen and done it all, Giraud shares what it is like to be an artist who needs to find ways to sustain his work and find new ways to be inspired. For fans of comics history and artists alike.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is shaping up to be a fine story. I’ve been a Moebius fan since the 80's, when Marvel/Epic first started publishing his work. I eventually gave up on buying comics for a period in the 90's, when finances were tight. Although I eventually got back into buying them regularly later on, Moebius was one of many creators I never got around to again. Basically, aside from Marvel/Epic’s first five or six volumes (plus three volumes of the Incal and the first two or three Blueberry books), I’ve not paid close attention to his subsequent career.

So I was happy to find this book at my local library. Moebius is one of the legendary comics creators, and everyone should be at least familiar with his name. In the Inside Moebius series, he’s indulging in a bit of autobiography. Moebius himself encounters characters from his books (and Osama Bin Laden), while ruminating on life, aging, the power of animation, the creation of delicious salads, and more.

The project was begun in 2000 when Moebius decided to give up smoking pot. He began drawing as a sort of journal to wrestle with his feelings and impressions at the time. It turned into a story in which he confronted his characters and he realized he was having so much fun he decided to publish it.

In some ways, it's similar to some of Robert Crumb’s work: the artist begins drawing with no set story or page count in mind and the comics just kind of happen. Done well, it serves as a window into the artist’s mind, and the result is deeply personal and satisfying.

I’m not sure how this book reads to someone completely unfamiliar with Moebius’ work. Yes, it's lots of fun, but it's also full of characters and other references to some of his previous work. For me, it's full of associations and familiar faces. It's like visiting a dear old friend and picking up right where we left off. For someone unfamiliar with his work …? Well, I certainly hope they like it.

As I said, Moebius is one of the giants of the comics field, and this is some of his best work. Highly recommended!

[Samuel Edme · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis: Inside Moebius Vol. 1 collects the first two chapters of the author's stream-of-consciousness journey in his mind as he meets his older creations, historical figures, etc.

My Thoughts: This felt like an introspective reflection of Moebius's (aka Jean Giraud's) previous work and his recovery from drug addiction along with his thoughts on contemporaneous events like 9/11 at the time he wrote this comic during the early 2000s. There isn't much of a linear narrative to it besides Moebius's random musings, some of which were downright hysterical such as his visualization of Osama Bin Laden as a woman. There were oodles of puns and other forms of wordplay also which tragically was lost in translation; however, the footnotes do clarify the nature of the jokes so it wasn't so much a dealbreaker. Neither was the crudely drawn art that I saw as a tacit statement to the cartoonist's slow addiction recuperation. Unfortunately for me, since I haven't read any of Moebius's previous work aside from a few random short-form comics here and there such as Arzach, I couldn't appreciate the meta-commentary to its fullest extent.

Final Thoughts: Though I was able to enjoy the book's surreal (albeit crude-looking) art and dialogue, I think it would be better suited for those who are already familiar with Moebius's previous opus.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the most introspective work of moebius. There is no clear beginning or end, just his inner self, thoughts, fears and philosophy coming on paper with the forms of his most known characters.

You cannot judge this by normal comic book standards, not even your personal criteria. It may as well be a complete deconstruction of one of the biggest comic artists of all time or mere mumblings of a withered old man trying to lay off the pot.

[John Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really impressive and daring. He will be missed.

[David Schwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of Moebius an interesting book. This book is from a set of personal journals and represents a view of the cartoonist quite different from the rest of his work. An interesting cast of characters inhabit the pages.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't tell me any tall tales! You are the author.
In the past it was me... Now, in the present,
it's no longer me, but me in the future...
which is to say, not yet me...

The conversation between Geronimo and Osama B. L. was thought provoking.

[Elias Helfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A trip, like most Mœbius. Still, while I found parts of it a bit verbose and pseudophilosophical, on the whole it felt like a very personal and honest story, for all its typical weirdness.

[Inés De Hueso · Rating 3 out of 5]

La premisa me parece interesante, es una especie de romper la cuarta pared y sacar todos sus personajes (a él mismo incluido) en unos dibujos medio improvisados pero bien hechos.
Este Moebius es café para muy cafeteros y todavía no he llegado a ese punto, desgraciadamente.

[Michael Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moebius Library: Inside Moebius Part 1 covers the first 2 of the author's (self-declared) 7-book diary, covering the period between around the end-1990s and (in this volume) around 2001. Overall, it's a surprisingly good mix of memoir and creativity, of non-fiction about Jean Giraud and everything that characterizes Moebius (i.e., humor, sci-fi, fiction, and more).

Although I generally enjoy more looking at Moebius' books, rather than reading them (let's just say I don't find this author particularly able to plot a story, let alone to conclude one), I bought this graphic slide-of-life memoir and found myself actually reading. There's a personal story of quitting weed-smoking, and the resulting depression, difficulty to find proper topics to continue his long-running series, and the salvation he finds in drawing this memoir. There's also a paraphrase of metaliterature (Six Characters in Search of an Author, as the author's avatar gets surrounded by many of the characters that made him famous, but also by Bin Laden the terrorist), as a mechanism to explore various metaphysical and general philosophical questions. Quite decent reading, at least to understand the author, and surely the dialogue and drama turn humorous.

The drawings are great, as always, even if the style is not always consistent. The drawing jokes abound, and there's even the meta of switching pencils that ends in a bit of commercial to Pilot pens. But my mind keeps going back to the numerous excellent forms of ligne claire. It's an unassuming style that actually captures lots of detail, without exaggerating as photo-realism or as the modern high-res style. I loved the author's drawing bunker, which at times reminds me of the rooms drawn by Joost Swarte, the amazing aerial views so typical of Moebius, and the amazing zoom-ins.

Go read this one, it may lighten up your day despite the heavy topics covered inside. So Moebius.

[The Laughing Man · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another glorious masterpiece by our lord and saviour Mœbius.

[Matt Gonzalez Kirkland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Believe it or not, this is probably my favorite Moebius I've ever read; obviously the art in his classic Metal Hurlant 70s era SF stuff is far more amazing, but the potheaded/aimless plots tend to let those down a little (fr me, anyway); in this, the digressive tone, pothead strangeness, etc work really well; plus this book features scenes where Moebius, his most famous characters, and Bin Laden all sit in the desert smoking hash and debating the value of western civilization so it's got that going in its favor lol. TBH it's honestly a more interesting/self-critical/funny autobio comic than anything I've ever read by like, Joe Matt or Chester Brown or whatever.

[Derek Royal · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild ride! Jean Giraud's "personal journal" that he kept in the early 200s around the time of giving up marijuana. Moebius confronts not only himself -- in Desert "Be" and often in his Ego-Bunker -- but more curiously, his various creations. This work has me aching to read, finally, Arzach and The Airtight Garage.

[Zachary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author Moebius decides to quit smoking weed and documents his fears of how quitting will affect his work. It's an interesting bit of self reflection but most might not get as much out of this if you're not very familiar with Moebius's previous work.

[Nazım · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inside Moebius serisi, bir Moebius hayranı olarak yıllardır okumayı ertelediğim bir kitaptı. Düzgün bir Türkçe çeviri beklerken, maalesef ülkemizin Moebius konusunda çok hevesli olmadığını fark ettim ve İngilizce versiyonundan ilerledim.
Orijinal adı ile Jean Giraud, ot içmeyi bırakma sürecini (evet Moebius için ne kadar sıkıcı ve saçma bir konu değil mi?) bir çizgi günlükle anlatmaya başlıyor ve ortaya bu seri çıkıyor. Ama nazarımda bu çok şahsi ve cüretkar günlükle Giraud bize Moebius mitinin hiçte sandığımız gibi olmadığını göstermek istiyor.

Moebius seviyorsanız bu kitabı ya çok sevecek ya nefret edeceksiniz. Çok seveceksiniz çünkü bugüne kadar göklere çıkardığınız Moebius mitinin sizin gibi sıradan biri olduğunu, kaygılarını, mücadelesini, kendi karakterleriyle kavga ettiğini göreceksiniz.

Nefret edeceksiniz çünkü bu kitapta bildiğiniz tanıdığınız Moebius'la ilgili hiç bir şey yok. O detaylı ince işçilik çizimler, görkemli atmosferler, mitolojik anlatı vs hiç biri yok. Burada Moebius'un hayal kırıklıkları, histeri krizleri, problemleri var.

Ne diyordu Gündüz Vassaf: "Kahramanın “insani” yanı, totaliter düzenin işine yaramaz. Bizim de “insani” olana fazla bir saygımız yoktur. Saygıyı kahramana gösteririz. Kahraman insan değildir. Kahramanlık eylemi ve onun halesinden yansıyan şeyler dışında, kahraman hakkında ne denli az şey bilinirse o kadar iyi olur. (...) Bu yüzden kahramanlar, daima gerçekte olduklarından daha büyük olarak düşlenirler. Bir kahramanla karşılaştığımız zaman, en olağan tepkilerimizden biri, onu düşlediğimiz kadar büyük bulmadığımız için hayrete düşmek olur.(...)Kahramanın, kahramanlığıyla ilgili olmayan günlük yaşantısı sansüre tabidir. Biz genellikle, kahramanın horlaması, annesiyle sürtüşmeleri, şakaları, nefesinin kokması, yüzünün kızarması hakkında hiçbir şey bilmeyiz. Sabahlan nasıl bir ruh hâli içinde uyandığından hiç haberimiz olmaz. Bu tür ayrıntılar, kahramanın insanileşmesinin başlangıcı, dolayısıyla ölümü demektir. Skandal sözcüğü, kahramanla ilgili olarak kullanıldığında, genellikle, onu insan olma durumunda “suçüstü” yakaladığımız anlamına gelir. Kendimiz yaptığımız halde kahramanımızın yapmasına izin vermediğimiz pek çok şey içki içmek/kumar oynamak/zinâ işlemek ya da gülmek/yalan söylemek/kızarmak gibi içimizdeki normali bir zaaf olarak gördüğümüzün kanıtıdır."

Jean Giraud'da tam bu açıdan yaklaşarak, Moebius'un "suçüstü" yakalanmaması için açık açık, büyük bir cüretle kendini ele veriyor.

İlk kitabın en sevdiğim ve bana göre aşırı cesur gelen bir yönünden de bahsedeyim. Kitabın 2.bölümünün girişinde karşımıza ot içen, felsefe yapan ve meydan okuyan bir aklanma profilinde Usame Bin Laden çıkıyor. Bu kitabın 11 Eylül'ün hemen akabinde çıkan bir kitap için ve bugüne kadar tanıdığımız Moebius için fazla meydan okuyucu bir hareket. Karlheinz Stockhausen'ın yaşadıklarını yaşamaması büyük bir şans.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Discussing or explaining this book requires more time and patience than most people would be willing to give a book that wasn't required reading for an academic class. Reading this book felt like an academic class. But one where the teacher lets the students lead the discussions. And most of the students are pretentious blowhards who love to pepper their commentary with shock value statements.

The focus of this book is that Moebius has decided to give up smoking weed, and wonders how this will affect his writing. To discuss this with himself, he draws himself at his current age having conversations with himself when he was younger, as well as with other characters from his writing, and, eventually with Osama Bin Laden (this story having been written in 2001, you almost want to scream into the book "TOO SOON!").

There is a lot to unpack in this book. It's self-examination. It's examination of beliefs. It's examination of self-examination. It's examination of the writing process. It's examination of the toxicities of reading, writing, masculinity, self, religion, morality, and more. It's meta self-examination of meta self-examination. And it all takes place in a desert that happens to be homophonous with "weeding out a garden" in French. Because he's quitting weed. Because he's weeding his stories out of his experience. Because.

I would recommend this for people looking for intense, complex reflection, fans of Moebius with a vast knowledge of his work, and people who like to continually ask "The fuck?" when turning pages of a graphic novel. It wasn't, at all, for me, but not everything has to be.

[aLejandRø · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bueno, la historia es conocida, Moebius deja de fumar marihuana y decide ver qué pasa con su creatividad lejos de los efectos de la droga. Esta idea no dura mucho y da paso a otra que al menos resulta más atrayente, un encuentro improvisado con sus personajes más populares, Blueberry, El Mayor, Arzak y Atan & Stel, entre otros.

El resultado es una improvisación reflexiva (humorística) sobre su mundo interior, sus miedos artísticos y sus queridos personajes, quienes lo atormentan buscando que escriba sus guiones.
El tema del guion nunca fue de las mayores preocupaciones del francés, y por mi parte tampoco me inquietaba mucho, ya que cuando hablamos de Moebius, no tenia problema en comprar álbumes de ilustraciones, solo para apreciar su maestría.

Y entrando en el terreno del arte, este se caracteriza por la improvisación, bosquejos espontáneos realizados a tinta (pluma o Pilot V2000 posteriormente), sin bocetos a lápiz, ni guion.
Pero por más que se traten de bosquejos, que luego en la segunda parte se vuelven más cuidados, claros y detallados, son bosquejos de Moebius.

Es fundamental para esta serie (son tres tomos) tener un conocimiento mínimo de las obras y personajes del autor.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books where prior research may have improved my experience with it. This was my first time reading anything by Moebius after a decade and a half of being mystified by the striking beauty and otherwordly loneliness of his Arzach panels whenever I'd encounter them. Let me say upfront however that, save for a precious few pages, Inside Moebius does *not* contain his best art. Instead, panels are relatively spare and sketchy, with characters trading meta, sometimes 4th wall-breaking dialogue on topics ranging from existential philosophy to just saying no to Osama Bin Laden's weed. Since the book is an actual transcription of his private journals in graphic novel form, the bulk of the value is found in the insights this tome provides to the working mind of a prolific artist, and though I rated this book three stars because it can drag in some parts, the treat of delving into the pathos of a creator you admire is too great to pass up.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than one would expect.

Is a little more than a sketchbook. A journal of daily musings. No story. Just over author roaming "Desert B." He just gave up smoking weed. Apparently desherber, the French for "de-weed" as in clean your garden or stopping to smoke the grass, also sounds like desert B in French.

That said, he interacts with his characters from over the years. Spend a lot of time staying himself flying. He's writing it shortly after 9/11. Osama Bin Laden shows up. It's kind of funny. The author has him calling his stock brocker worried about crashing share values on Wall St. Then he criticizes his cute of woman in a manner befitting French comic book artist.

All a little meandering and pointless. Perfectly surreal.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I suppose the reader's enjoyment of this book will depend on whether they insist on a linear narrative, or if they will accept what is essentially a stream-of-consciousness interaction between a comics creator and his creations. (Or maybe the representation of a comics creator on the page, who, by definition, becomes one of his own creations, interacting with some of his other creations.) Regardless, Moebius' mastery of the comics form is on clear display in this book, creating a distinctive tone and atmosphere that I found extremely compelling. I'm very interested in seeing where the story goes from here, not in terms of plot, but in terms of ideas.

[Clint · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Started by Moebius to track his thoughts and strengthen his resolve when he decided to give up smoking weed for what would be the last decade or so of his life, he soon broadened it into a fourth-wall-breaking autobiographical rumination on his life and work and other existential considerations. I’m not far enough into the series yet to see if it works or not, but so far I’m enjoying the playful introspection and the appearance of his old characters and earlier selves. The art is deliberately loose and quickly drawn, so it’s not quite the elaborate compositions he’s famous for, but it’s still enjoyable.

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yo, okay Moebius, I see you. What do you have in store? At least I can trust it won't be for my benefit.

The quick sketch style here is awesome, because you know Moebius was scratching this out with limited forethought, freestyling, splurging, exploring. The authenticity, like a sort of hidden journal vibe, is obvious. Damn and it works. Probably because the overt day-dream style is mingled with Moebius' heady inner processing of 9-11, which creates an odd sort of balance, but a balance nonetheless.

And the overarching question that arises at the end of the second volume -- do I love myself? I dare say I'd care to know, Moebius. Let's see where this goes.

[Kyle Burley · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of comics' all time greats turns his considerable imagination inwards, examining the contents of his own head. The result is a gently, surreal psycho-comedy in which the artist confronts his most famous characters, as well as different versions of himself, in debates about, god, life, creativity, history, mortality and, basically, everything. His art is cruder than usual, deliberately loose and cartoony, but still appealing and distinctive.
Self-indulgent, for sure, but undeniably charming.

[Marko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very personal story from Jean Giraud, inspired by his decision to stop smoking pot. His inner search for inspiration and strength is told through the characters from his graphic novels. If you are familiar with the characters already you will definitely enjoy the panels more.

The story is fantastical and dream-like, as Jean Giraud strived to reach under pseudonym Moebius. Since the famous characters are all there representing Giraud, you get a glimpse of how the great artist’s mind worked. In a very Moebius-like sense this is an autobiography.

[Vic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saying goodbye to this fella! Momentous: a man trapped in the realm of dreams. It all began as some notes taken to deal with his swinging mood; after several takes, seven books made it to the final cut, here I'm holding the first of the series. What an amazing trip, from the desert to his mind dungeons, transforming Bin Laden in a women and constantly judged by his characters during his creative block, flying till the sun that never sets, I enjoyed so much this story that I felt living a dream myself. Thanks Giroud, old boy without smokes

[Lew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a fan of Moebius since reading Airtight Garage in the early issues of Heavy Metal. Moebius started this as a quick sketch journal while quitting smoking weed. There really isn't a story here just his musing with many of his characters. Due to it being a quick sketches, the illustrations aren't as clean and refined as you'll find in his comics. IMO, this isn't for a casual reader or anyone reading a Moebius for the first time. It is a must for any serious fan of Moebius overall body of work.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply weird self-examination by Moebius, who quits a long and constant weed habit in 2001 and imagines himself in Desert B confronting his younger self, his characters,and Osama bin Laden. There is a lot of conversation about religious extremism and old creatives and a lot of genuine weirdness. If you know Moebius insanely detailed space operas, this is very loose and feels improvisational, as if Moebius is discovering all of this along with us.

[Kevin Corcoran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confirming my previous thoughts, I definitely did not read vol. 1 before reading vol. 2. This series is probably not a great starting place to get acquainted with Moebius and his extensive body of work, but I've been sold for a while and would read a series of his scribblings on napkins at this point. Real free form and not super thought provoking, but a unique, self-reflective look at the author.