MÉZIÈRES

JEAN-CLAUDE MÉZIÈRES VALÉRIAN Sur les terres truquées (T.7), Dargaud 1977 Original plate no. 14, prepublished in Pilote mensuel no. 32, January 4, 1977. India ink and white gouache on paper 39.4 × 48.9 cm (15.51 × 19.25 in.) The "Terres truquées" are reconstructions of Earth's history in the 19th and 20th centuries, populated by humanoid robots. Laureline and Valérian are sent to understand the ins and outs of this bizarre world. Mézières, aided by Pierre Christin, proves here that he can draw anything. This sequence in Victorian London shows the hero dressed as a lord, soon to be spotted by the artifacts facing him, intent on doing him in. The result is a dynamic action scene. Mézières' warm, expressive brushwork is at once simple and beautifully complex.