Art For Art’s Sake #377: The Wonders Of Philippe Druillet

Right then, it’s that time of week again. Time for some damn fine comic art. Time for Art For Art’s Sake …

Let’s kick off (and end with) some classic Euro art — the brilliance of Philippe Druillet, from Lone Sloane: Gail …

More Druillet later on. But first, this …

David Sutherland — the very first episode of Billy The Cat (The Beano issue #1289, cover date 1 April 1967) — thanks to Lew Stringer for putting this up, always a great source of fascinating historical pieces from Brit comics …

And from Lew Stringer himself, his own creation’s first every appearance, it’s Combat Colin from Marvel UK’s Action Force issue 5, 1987

Nick Pitarra — Bizarro: Year None (DC, 2026)

An unused Brian Bolland Animal Man #51 cover

Kevin Nowlan

Kerry Callen

Matt Wagner

Plastic Man #10 (1968) — cover by Jack Sparling

Darwyn Cooke — Back Issue Magazine #28 (‘Heroes Behaving Badly’ issue)

Simon Bisley — Groo The Wanderer from a 1995 trading card series

And because I can never mention Groo without posting something from his creator, the wonderful Sergio Aragones …

Sean Phillips — Columbo commission

Now, something unusual from a master of comics — Mick McMahon draws Rugrats

Yes, has there ever been a Brit artist whose style has transformed over the years as much as McMahon? Seriously? From the early Dredd work …

… to Sláine in the early ’80s…

… to experimentation in Dredd in the 1990s, most famously with the much-discussed Howler storyline. So many couldn’t believe it was the same artist, there were a lot of folks complaining. But I love it, wonderfully experimental, stylised perfectly.

And that experimentation meant his work turned up in the strangest of places, like that Rugrats comic this all started off with. Or this, with a certain blue hedgehog …

And that experimentation and genius continues, as his last (to date) cover for 2000 AD, Prog 2250 (2021), shows quite clearly …

And, as promised, back to Philippe Druillet …

One of the most influential French artists of all time? Oh, absolutely. Druillet’s work, this mix of strange imagery, hard sci-fi, psychedelia, perfect detail, and a wondrous way of crafting stories that affected you, is something you should most definitely go and seek out.

Born in 1944, his debut in comics came with Lone Sloane, Le Mystère des Abîmes, published in 1966 and onwards in a series of stories that earned him the nickname of the ‘Space Architect.’

In 1975, with Bernard Farkas, Jean-Pierre Dionnet and Moebius, Druillet was one quarter of the founding members of the publishing house Les Humanoïdes Associés, producing work in their iconic and influential Métal Hurlant periodical that included Vuzz and more Lone Sloane.

Hugely influential, absolutely unique, it’s a joy to see his work still reaching new readers. And with that, I present this little selection …