 |
| Courtesy Fondation Cartier |
by Joe Kleiman, IPM Online News Editor
Paris, France (March 10, 2012) — French artist Jean Giraud passed away this morning, ending his battle with cancer at the age of 73. He is best known for his work in French comics as “Moebius” and as a painter under the pseudonym “Gir.”
One of his most famous comics, Le Garage Hermétique de Jerry Cornelius appeared in the French magazine Metal Hurlant between 1976 and 1980 and in English as The Airtight Garage of Jerry Cornelius in the American version of the magazine, Heavy Metal. The comic became an interactive themed attraction in the form of Moebius’ Airtight Garage, an original “arcade” concept by Sony Development (later known as Hyper Entertainment) with set fabrication by Cinnabar and Sunbelt Scenic Studios (now ICON Themed Environments). The Airtight Garage attractions began operation at San Francisco’s METREON and Tokyo’s MEDIAGE urban entertainment centers (UEC) in 1999, but would suffer short lifespans, due mostly to management and marketing issues affecting the two UEC’s.
Moebius also had a career as a conceptual designer for top science fiction motion pictures. His work for such films as Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979), Steven Lisberger’s TRON (1982), Ron Howard’s Willow (1988), James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989), and Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element (1997) continues to influence filmmakers and attraction designers to this day.
LINKS
Moebius’ Official Website (in French)
Comics Alliance Tribute to Moebius
Comics Industry Remembers Moebius
2009 Wired Magazine Article on Moebius
Lambiek’s “Comicography” of Moebius
2011 LA Times Interview with Moebius
D23 on Moebius’ Work on TRON
InPark’s Judith Rubin Reports on METREON for Sound & Video Contractor
