GIRAUD

JEAN GIRAUD BLUEBERRY L'Homme au poing d'acier (T.8), Dargaud 1970 Original plate no. 43, prepublished in Pilote no. 418, October 26, 1967. India ink on paper 36.5 × 45.5 cm (14.37 × 17.91 in.) A magnificent sequence from one of the most exciting and well-crafted episodes in the Blueberry saga. L'Homme au poing d'acier (The Man with the Steel Fist), the second volume of the "Iron Horse" cycle, tells the epic story of railroad construction against the backdrop of the Indian Wars. For some time now, Giraud has been freeing himself from the tutelary influence of Jijé. Jean-Michel Charlier concocts a scenario as dense as ever, with a multiplication of characters, situations and dialogues. This accumulation is reflected in this plate, where the action is magnificently condensed into a few squares. With typical characters such as Jethro Steelfingers, the "man with the steel fist", determined and villainous as hell, who uses the Indians while despising them. The scene concludes with Jim McClure's grotesque sneeze: these last frames illustrate another of the Gir/Charlier duo's qualities, namely a blend of burlesque and drama that Jean Giraud translates here with unrivalled virtuosity.