Thursday, December 22, 2016

The Eyes of the Cat


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The Eyes of the Cat was originally a short piece given away to the monthly subscribers of Les Humanoides Associes, which published a monthly magazine.  Created in 1978 and the first-ever published collaboration between Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius, it was free of the then-crippling Comics Code because it was published in France.  It is the story of a blind boy and his hawk, Meduz.  The boy sends the hawk to kill a cat and bring the blind boy its eyes so that the blind boy can see.

I received The Eyes of the Cat, The Yellow Edition as a Christmas present.  Published in 2013, it is hardbound with yellow pages, like the original.  While earlier editions (which I have not seen) sell for $100 or more, this sells for $25 or $30 and is sure to be a collector's item.  The Foreword by Jodorwowsky is dated 2011, and he talks about how he met Jean Giraud/Moebius and their early collaborations.  

Moebius's art style mostly takes two forms.  As you lay the book flat, you see the blind boy in silhouette on the left page, and on the right page, there is a detailed drawing of the action.  This is repeated on every page until the shocking ending.  Moebius uses a ligne claire style of art, reminiscent of the early Herge, with straight lines used for texture.  It's really a fascinating piece of art and literature, one that anyone with a tablet or a computer can enjoy by buying the digital version for $5.95 off Amazon.

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