Finally – a new addition to The Moebius Library from Dark Horse Comics: The Major! This full size edition (significantly larger than the earlier French edition) has been produced in the dimensions of all the previously published volumes in the Moebius Library, and so will match the rest on the shelf. It's 192 pages, 95% of which is black & white, with 9 full color pages at the back.
It's chock a block with both the labyrinthine mind games and spectacular artwork that are Moebius's trademark. Moebius has an unequaled talent when it comes to drawing psychic states.
In the pages of The Major, Moebius appears to be positing a reality in which he himself, in actuality, is living through his creations; that Major Grubert embodies his life more than – is more alive than – his corporeal flesh and blood form, more than Moebius (which, is, in turn, a fictional creation of Jean Giraud), who is here an outsider, an enigmatic controlling force. The volume's translator, Diana Schutz describes this volume as a tragedy and "one of the saddest stories ever told by Moebius." Our reading led us to infer that the tragedy lies in Jean Giraud's locating his life force in the creation of Moebius he has named Major Grubert, while knowing nonetheless that this creation of lines on paper is irreconcilably at odds with the reality of his physical existence.
Diana Schutz has also provided extensive notes on the translation that includes important informational asides on the text and art that will serve to both clarify and deepen appreciation of this work.
>> Here's what the publisher has to say about it:
A psychedelic, sequential romp created by legendary comics master Mœbius between 1997 and 2009, following a production principle that embraced graphic spontaneity and improvisation.
The lead character of this pseudo-story, Major Grubert, evolves in a humorous yet philosophical manner, echoing how Mœbius’s creations are treated in the Inside Mœbius series. Join the Major on his last trip to the nebula of The Airtight Garage, where Mœbius rules as the playful Trickster of legend. What begins as a comical jaunt into unusually profound philosophical questions regarding the nature of existence, eventually winds up as a penetrating examination of the relationship between the author and his creation, the latter of whom must necessarily suffer at the heartless whim of his creator, despite the Major’s passionate desire for real life—and even freedom—beyond these comics!
Translated by Diana Schutz, with lettering by Adam Pruett.
