International influences
International influences |
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Page 8 of 17  Page from Cods in Chaos (Titan Books, 1988) In terms of the overall influence on the British and American markets, science fiction was the genre that initially made the most headway, due to its affinity with the English language comics tradition. The groundbreaking science fiction anthology Metal Hurlant was extremely unusual among European titles in that it was imported in its original, untranslated form, and sold to comics fans who were typically content to enjoy the artwork by itself. The experimental nature of much of the art, plus its sexual content, was something that had not been seen in the context of science fiction comics before (bar one or two obscure undergrounds), and the quality of the paper stock, and of the production values generally, was also fresh. Consequently, the comic was very influential, and not only spawned an American version of itself, Heavy Metal, but also became a huge influence on a wave of other adult science fiction anthologies. This was especially the case in Britain, where titles included Pssst!, Graphixus and Brainstorm Fantasy Comix. Science fiction albums as such were commonly collected and translated from the pages of Metal Hurlant, but could also have their origins in other European magazines. The science fiction auteur 'par excellence' was the Frenchman Jean Giraud, who worked as 'Moebius', and who after Herge, was the creator with the biggest influence on British and American comics. His albums were numerous and diverse, and ranged from the druggy and spontaneous Arzach and The Airtight Garage, to the zen-like Incal saga. His story lines may not have been always coherent, but his artwork was never less than stunning, developing from a Crumb-inspired intensity in his early career to a more fluid clear-line approach later on. It was perhaps unsurprising that British and American publishers would try to poach him for themselves: he produced a variety of superhero comics for Marvel in the 1980s, including a run on the Silver Surfer.  The Woman Trap (Titan Books, 1988) |