Book Review: Arzach

Time magazine famously named Watchmen as one of the all-time best English language novels, the only comic on the list. Fine. But if I had to pick a better, funnier and more engaging graphic novel/comic to receive the honor, it would be the much more influential Arzach, penned by Jean "Moebius" Giraud. The world of Arzach first appeared in Metal Hurlant, a French science fiction publication. They were reprinted in the American equivalent, Heavy Metal. They've since been featured in various book collections. These amazing works of art feature terrific, involving stories (and moderate comic nudity) focusing on Arzach, a herioric fighter who travels atop a mightly prehistoric bird. Sexy, violent and suprising, Arzach throws open a fantastic world of alien landscapes, imposing creatures and ironic love. The Arzach stories are tough to find these days, but are still available used via Amazon, eBay and other retailers. One website features all the Arzach panels, and is definitely worth checking out.

>>> READ THE FIRST ARZACH STORY ONLINE: PAGE 1, PAGE 2, PAGE 3, PAGE 4, PAGE 5, PAGE 6, PAGE 7, PAGE 8.