Moebius 8: Blueberry

Moebius 8: Blueberry by Jean-Michael Charlier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Moebius 8: Blueberry collects The Iron Horse, Steelfingers, The Trail of the Sioux, and General Golden Mane by Jean-Michael Charlier and Jean Giraud, aka Moebius.

I was running out of material for Western Comics Month and my birthday was coming up so I bought this and Moebius 9: Blueberry from the Graphitti Designs web store.

These stories take place in a Western setting but feel more like war stories. Lt. Mike Blueberry is part of the United States Army and constantly gets drawn into bad situations, mostly because of his disregard for authority. In this volume, Blueberry gets involved in a dispute between railroads, runs afoul of an outlaw with a steel hand, brokers a peace with Indians only to have war-hungry brass disregard it, and almost rides to his death against Indians because of an officer with a grudge.

The stories steer clear of a lot of Western comic book cliches. It's gritty as hell and the bad guys don't always get what's coming to them. The pace is relentless once things get going and there's a sense of despair when the squad gets caught in the snow with Indians waiting in the wings. It's powerful stuff.

The art isn't your grandma's Moebius, either. Giraud used the pseudonym "Gir" when these were published and it's not hard to see why. They lack the sleekness of Moebius' sci-fi work and feel dirty and gritty, more like something Joe Kubert would have done in the 1970s.

Lastly, this was $50 but it's signed by Moebius and numbered. $50 sounds a little steep now but this was printed in 1991 so it's almost a bargain considering Moebius' signature and it's about the same size as The Incal and only ten bucks less. I find it funny that Graphitti Designs has been sitting on these for thirty years at this point. In another decade, the $50 price tag will be cheap.

Moebius 8: Blueberry isn't your grandma's Moebius. It's a harrowing tale of survival against Indians, nature, and stupidity. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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