Arzach
Encyclopedia
Arzach is a comic book collection of four wordless short stories by artist/author Jean 'Moebius' Giraud
, which were originally published in the French
sci-fi/fantasy
comics magazine Métal Hurlant
. The stories follow Arzach, a silent warrior who rides a pterodactyl-like creature through a strange, desolate landscape. The imagery and situations in Arzach are often compared to dream
s or the subconscious
. These stories had an enormous impact on the French comics
industry, and the Arzach character is still among Moebius' most famous creations.
Moebius later revisited the character with a story called The Legend of Arzach. This later story contains dialogue, and it ties the Arzach stories into a previously unrelated
Moebius story called The Detour.
Arzach is credited as being the inspiration for the final sequence, "Taarna", of the animated film Heavy Metal
.
Moebius' Arzach is a novel by Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier, published by iBOOKS in August, 2000. The book features a cover and inside illustrations by Moebius, and a map by J.O. Ladronn. The first half of the book is a novelisation of several Arzach stories. The second half recursively introduces John Gerard' (a thinly-disguised Jean Giraud) and family into the world of Arzach. A brief essay on the publishing history of Arzach concludes the book.
Arzach was one of Panzer Dragoon
's major artistic influences. Jean Giraud
even contributed in the creative process of Team Andromeda's game with original artwork.
Moebius' 2010 book Arzak: L'Arpenteur (Arzak: The Surveyor) is the first of a planned trilogy to explore the origin of the character.
Jean Giraud
Jean Henri Gaston Giraud is a French comics artist. Giraud has earned worldwide fame, not only under his own name but also under the pseudonym Moebius, and to a lesser extent Gir, the latter appearing mostly in the form of a boxed signature at the bottom of the artist's paintings, for instance the...
, which were originally published in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
sci-fi/fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
comics magazine Métal Hurlant
Métal Hurlant
Métal Hurlant is a French comics anthology of science fiction and horror comics stories, created in December 1974 by comics artists Jean Giraud and Philippe Druillet together with journalist-writer Jean-Pierre Dionnet and financial director Bernard Farkas.The four were collectively known as "Les...
. The stories follow Arzach, a silent warrior who rides a pterodactyl-like creature through a strange, desolate landscape. The imagery and situations in Arzach are often compared to dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
s or the subconscious
Unconscious mind
The unconscious mind is a term coined by the 18th century German romantic philosopher Friedrich Schelling and later introduced into English by the poet and essayist Samuel Taylor Coleridge...
. These stories had an enormous impact on the French comics
Franco-Belgian comics
Franco-Belgian comics are comics that are created in Belgium and France. These countries have a long tradition in comics and comic books, where they are known as BDs, an abbreviation of bande dessinée in French and stripverhalen in Dutch...
industry, and the Arzach character is still among Moebius' most famous creations.
Moebius later revisited the character with a story called The Legend of Arzach. This later story contains dialogue, and it ties the Arzach stories into a previously unrelated
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
Moebius story called The Detour.
Arzach is credited as being the inspiration for the final sequence, "Taarna", of the animated film Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal (film)
Heavy Metal is a 1981 Canadian fantasy-animated film directed by Gerald Potterton and produced by Ivan Reitman and Leonard Mogel, who also was the publisher of Heavy Metal magazine....
.
Moebius' Arzach is a novel by Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier, published by iBOOKS in August, 2000. The book features a cover and inside illustrations by Moebius, and a map by J.O. Ladronn. The first half of the book is a novelisation of several Arzach stories. The second half recursively introduces John Gerard' (a thinly-disguised Jean Giraud) and family into the world of Arzach. A brief essay on the publishing history of Arzach concludes the book.
Arzach was one of Panzer Dragoon
Panzer Dragoon
is a rail shooter video game released for the Sega Saturn in 1995; and later released on PC, PlayStation 2, and as a bonus in its sequel Panzer Dragoon Orta for Xbox...
's major artistic influences. Jean Giraud
Jean Giraud
Jean Henri Gaston Giraud is a French comics artist. Giraud has earned worldwide fame, not only under his own name but also under the pseudonym Moebius, and to a lesser extent Gir, the latter appearing mostly in the form of a boxed signature at the bottom of the artist's paintings, for instance the...
even contributed in the creative process of Team Andromeda's game with original artwork.
Moebius' 2010 book Arzak: L'Arpenteur (Arzak: The Surveyor) is the first of a planned trilogy to explore the origin of the character.
See also
- Arzak Rhapsody (2003 Film)
- In 2006 Arzach was planned as Japanese film but only a trailer was finished