Put simply Moebius is one of the finest illustrators the industry has seen and his work has "inspired" many other artists and filmmakers. Paired up with the archetypal 'mad genius' of writer/musician/filmmaker/etc. Jodorowsky and you have something extraordinary - think Frank Quietly & Grant Morrison multiplied by ten. The jewel in the crown of this partnership is the psychedelic sci-fi epic The Incal (Self Made Hero) which saw a long-overdue re-print in 2011. Following close behind though is Madwoman of the Sacred Heart (Humanoids) released previously in hardcover but now out in paperback. Despite encompassing signature explorations of themes such as religion, sex and madness it's paced with frantic energy and has moments of surprising slapstick. Try TheComicsJournal for an in-depth review and a few more pictures (see here). 
Also up: There's a new volume of Peter Milligan's run on Hellblazer: Phantom Pains (DC) which finds Constantine looking for a replacement thumb (non-readers must be curious no?) and the all-conquering and kick-ass Uncanny X-Force vol. 2: Deathlok Nation (Marvel). And finally, maybe not for the same audience, there's Ninjago vol. 2: Mask of the Sensei (Papercutz) - I'm reliably informed the first volume really hit the spot! Hey, it is half-term...
There's more! Two highly anticipated books (albeit one as a re-print) are also out this week and in store now. Craig Thompson's last book, the recently re-released Blankets, has quietly earned itself a place in the hall of fame of classic graphic novels. Fans have had to wait over six years for a new piece of work and Habibi (Faber & Faber) will certainly give people something to chew over. At almost 700 pages it sets its themes high and wide as a parable exploring love, sex, obsession and a spiritual relationship with nature and religion. Thompson's signature flowing artwork becomes a beautiful companion to the Arabic calligraphy that weaves its way throughout the book and although I'm rather uncomfortable about aspects of the story, the art is never less than interesting. It's also a stunningly presented book - pictures don't do any justice to the dark, rich colouring and gold embossed type. 
Also with us is the collected re-print of one of the most influential sci-fi series in recent comics history: The Incal (Self Made Hero). Written by the free-thinking and wildly imaginative (or bonkers, from another viewpoint) Alejandro Jodorowsky it was a perfect companion for the infamous Moebius who excelled at creating alien worlds that have seeped it to many movies including Star Wars. Challenging and inspiring.
