Bye bye Blueberry

Jean Giraud the father of Blueberry and the man behind Moebius has died. Why not honor him by making make that movie again? Better this time, please.

It was only two weeks ago, that my five year old and I visited Copenhagen’s leading comic book store where I regularly try to turn him on to the comics of my childhood, and where he regularly admires the extremely expensive Star Wars figurines.

One of my favourite albums, of course.

I asked for news on Blueberry. The southern gentleman who turned North State soldier counted many a succesful mission always due to his highly unorthodox view on authorities and – of course – an understanding that the Indians are human too …

A ladies man, yes, if you didn’t mind the drinking, the gambling, the rare baths and the occasional trips to jail for disobedience. I didn’t.

At least when I was young and continually borrowed these stories from my parent’s comic book collection.

The last of Blueberrys adventures ended with him saving his life yet again after a dramatic shootout and the story has a lot more to it than that, because Jean Giraud’s western was a smart anthology of the old world meeting the new, featuring gritty realism along with an anti-hero on the level of Indiana Jones. And one of the western genre’s first of the sort.

Not so lucky with the ladies.

Good man. Bad Attitude.

“He finished it,” said the guy in the shop, “you know just in case”.

The case came saturday morning the 10th of March. Jean Giraud a.k.a. celebrated sci fi author Moebius has died and with him his characters.

Rest in peace Mike S. Blueberry and Jean Giraud, and thank you for giving me a taste for American history, if not for unshaved rebel liutenants.

The artist as a young man.

One of the greatest French comic book artists hopefully now rides on the eternal hunting fields – or is being celebrated in the kingdoms created by Moebius’ futuristic imagery.

This is a better time than ever, to forget all about the Blueberry movie that bombed so terribly despite having Vincent Cassel in the title role. In stead, why not make a new one? A worthy one.

Something that will give my son a taste for American history, other than the one ‘a long time ago in a galaxy far far away’.

Imagery by Moebius