Mœbius, an ecological imagination? From the Time Masters, through the World of Edena, to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 風の谷のナウシカ
Mœbius, un imaginaire écologique ? Des Maîtres du temps, en passant par le Monde d'Edena, à Nausicaä de la Vallée du Vent 風の谷のナウシカ
Patrice Ballester
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Abstract:
Moebius, ecologist? Mœbius - Jean Giraud: an artist who has become a world reference, a model and a source of inspiration for contemporary artists, an ecologist through landscape and sovereign thought, often unprecedented, sometimes esoteric. Jean Giraud, alias Mœbius or Gir, is a major author and designer of comics, this on a global scale. Born in 1938 in Nogent-sur-Marne, he entered Applied Arts in Paris in 1954. In 1963, he created with Jean-Michel Charlier – at the time director of the magazine Pilote – the Blueberry series, which he continued after his disappearance and which today has around thirty albums, without counting an equivalent number of works produced in collaboration with other artists, screenwriters and designers. At the same time under the signature of MŒBIUS, it inaugurated in 1962 a new source of inspiration turned towards humor, fantasy and science fiction. He is also the author of numerous illustrations, paintings and advertising works. Co-founder in 1975 of the magazine Métal Hurlant and the publishing house Les Humanoïde Associés, Jean Giraud developed a unique style signed Mœbius. He revolutionized the creative aspect of comics on a screenplay by Alejandro Jodorowsky, he then began the story of the adventures of John Difool in L'Incal (1980), a series whose success places him among the most innovative cartoonists in the field. of Science fiction. He also began the series Le Monde d'Edena in the 1980s, with more personal comments and reflections. He collaborates for the cinema, his drawings hold the attention of great directors with Alien by Ridley Scott (costumes), Blade Runner, Les Maîtres du temps by René Laloux (complete storyboard), Tron by Steven Lisberger (costumes), Abyss by James Cameron (underwater creatures), Willow by George Lucas & Ron Howard. It incorporates Alejandro Jodorowsky's Team for the movie Dune and its famous storyboard which still remains unpublished. He also collaborates with Marvel Comics by drawing an album with Stan Lee (Galactus and the Silver Surfer). From the 2000s, it was the time of major exhibitions and international recognition, Japan, America… The Mœbius – Myazaki exhibition (2004 – 2005) was a revelation and confirmation for the two artists concerning their mutual influence. A major exhibition is dedicated to him at the Cartier Foundation in Paris, entitled MŒBIUS-TRANSE-FORME from October 2010 to March 2011. He died in Paris on March 10, 2012. We approach our reflection on this major author of world comics through four stages: the Deviation – a major turning point for the author and his way of describing, drawing and breaking down his stories. Commitments like Greenpeace are present in his way of conceiving the world. We also analyze the artist's most personal work with "Le monde d'Edena", a poetic and ecological reflection. Finally, in an essay, we show the important links between two animated cinematographic works, "Les Maîtres du Temps" by Renée Laloux and Mœbius in (1981) and "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind 風の谷のナウシカ» (1984) on a formal and screenplay level (and Arzach as an addendum). The path of the author of science fiction comics is a quest to enter a process of improvement of his being, of men and by derivative of the Planet. Ecology is not treated as a ground swell or an imperative to safeguard the planet in these albums, but as a citizen the one who questions nuclear power, pollution and scandals in France in the 1970s and sometimes the support for NGOs like Greenpeace. We very often find beautiful landscapes and an ode to the importance of nature in the face of technology. The Wilderness or wild nature is an element that stands out in the World of Edena, the evolutions of the landscape are multiple. By way of an opening, there are still elements to highlight such as the care given to flowers and vehicles of all kinds that move with a mode of locomotion that could be described as ecological, Mœbius enjoying drawing vessels, cars and other means of transport. In short, a protean, visionary artist with polymorphic and anticipatory universes.
Keywords: Mœbius; Jean Giraud; Hayao Miyazaki; ecology; landscape; nature; comics; animation; economics of culture; science-fiction; écologie; paysage; bande dessinée; économie de la culture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022-12-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cul, nep-his and nep-hme
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Published in Journée d'étude BD et environnement, 2 décembre 2022, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour; Réseau Régional de Recherche sur la Bande Dessinée de Nouvelle Aquitain (3RBD); TREE laboratoire, Dec 2022, Pau, France. 8 p
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