188 - Giraud

Giraud JEAN GIRAUD BLUEBERRY Original illustration created in 1999. Signed. India ink and colored inks on paper 23.8 × 16.2 cm (9.37 × 6.38 in.) This illustration of Blueberry, created in the late 1990s, captures the full essence of the series: our hero stands tense, revolver raised, advancing toward a table in a smoky saloon. All eyes around him are fixed on him, their gazes ambiguous, even threatening. The man behind him has his hand resting on the grip of his revolver. Mike Blueberry watches him out of the corner of his eye… It’s unclear whether Chihuahua Pearl is on his side or hostile toward him. The tension is at its peak. The artwork, with its black brushstrokes, features a palette of warm colors punctuated by bright hues that highlight the two protagonists to whom Mister Blueberry has his back turned. An iconic image of the series. Didier Pasamonik As journalists at *Libération* alongside my brother Max since 1981—and creators of the comics section—we first became friends with Jean-Michel Charlier, “the Dumas of comics,” sharing with him a passion for detective stories, aviation, and comics. In 1986, he proposed that we serialize *Le Bout de la piste* in the daily newspaper over the summer—a pivotal album, as it concludes the cycle of Blueberry’s rehabilitation. For this occasion, we conducted an in-depth interview with him and with Jean Giraud. That marked the beginning of a long friendship with the “Michelangelo” of comics. In 1999, Jean gave me an unpublished Blueberry scene featuring the hero and Pearl the Chihuahua. I parted with it with sadness due to family obligations. François Armanet