Metal Hurlant

Philippe Druillet was born in¿Toulouse,¿Haute-Garonne, France, but spent his youth in¿Spain, returning to France in 1952 after the death of his father. A¿science fiction¿and¿comics¿fan, Druillet worked as a¿photographer¿after graduating from high school, drawing only for his own pleasure. His first published series was his version of Michael Moorcock's Elric stories in a short-lived magazine. His first book,¿Le Mystère des abîmes¿(The Mystery of the Abyss), appeared in 1966.[1]¿It introduced his recurring hero¿Lone Sloane¿and played on science-fiction themes partially inspired by his favourite writers,¿H. P. Lovecraft¿and¿A.E. van Vogt. Later, Druillet created book covers for new editions of Lovecraft's work, as well as numerous movie posters. After Druillet became a regular contributor to the¿Franco-Belgian comics¿magazine¿Pilote¿in 1970, his¿Lone Sloane¿saga grew steadily more flamboyant as he pursued innovative new imagery, including bold page designs and¿computer-generated images. His backdrops of gigantic structures inspired by¿Art Nouveau,¿indigenous architecture, and¿Gothic cathedrals¿earned him the nickname of "space architect". Six tales about Sloane's exploits were collected in¿Les six voyages de Lone Sloane¿in 1972, hailed by many as his masterpiece, and Sloane was again the hero of the graphic novel¿Délirius¿(1973), written by¿Jacques Lob. In 1973, Druillet also produced the¿Moorcock's¿Elric-inspired¿Yragaël¿for¿Pilote, and¿Vuzz¿for the magazine¿Phénix. In 1975, Druillet joined¿Jean-Pierre Dionnet,¿Bernard Farkas, and¿Moebius¿to form the publishing house¿Les Humanoïdes Associés¿and the magazine¿Métal Hurlant.[1]¿This was to be a vehicle for his finest stories, and showcased a steady evolution in his graphical skills. His series¿Lone Sloane¿and¿Vuzz¿continued, and other stories of this period include¿La Nuit, and¿Nosferatu. In 1980, Druillet produced¿Salammbô, a comic book trilogy based upon¿Flaubert's proto-heroic fantasy¿novel¿Salammbô. Outside his work as a cartoonist and illustrator, Druillet has also been active in¿architecture,¿rock opera,¿painting,¿sculpture, and¿digital art. He worked as a designer on the film¿Sorcerer, directed by¿William Friedkin¿in 1976. He collaborated on¿Rolf Liebermann's¿Wagner Space Opera¿in the¿Opera de Paris¿in the late 1970s to early 1980s, and founded the Space Art Création in 1984.[1]¿More recently, he created the artwork and designed large parts of the background of the 2005 TV miniseries remake¿Les Rois maudits¿(The Accursed Kings). Jean Henri Gaston Giraud¿(French:¿[?i?o]; 8 May 1938¿- 10 March 2012) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer who worked in the¿Franco-Belgian¿bandes dessinées¿(BD) tradition. Giraud garnered worldwide acclaim predominantly under the¿pseudonym¿M?bius¿(/'mo?bi?s/;[1]¿French:¿[møbjys]) for his fantasy/science-fiction work, and to a slightly lesser extent as¿Gir¿(French:¿[?i?]), which he used for the¿Blueberry¿series and his other¿Western-themed work. Esteemed by¿Federico Fellini,¿Stan Lee, and¿Hayao Miyazaki, among others,[2]¿he has been described as the most influential¿bande dessinée¿artist after¿Hergé.[3] His most famous body of work as Gir concerns the¿Blueberry¿series, created with writer¿Jean-Michel Charlier, featuring one of the first¿antiheroes¿in¿Western comics, and which is particularly valued in continental Europe. As M?bius, he achieved worldwide renown (in this case in the English-speaking nations and Japan, as well - where his work as Gir had not done well), by creating a wide range of science-fiction and fantasy comics in a highly imaginative,¿surreal, almost abstract style. These works include¿Arzach¿and the¿Airtight Garage of Jerry Cornelius. He also collaborated with¿avant garde¿filmmaker¿Alejandro Jodorowsky¿for an¿unproduced adaptation of¿Dune¿and the comic-book series¿The Incal. M?bius also contributed storyboards and concept designs to numerous¿science-fiction¿and¿fantasy¿films, such as¿Alien,¿Tron,¿The Fifth ...