The Airtight Garage

Absurd, confusing, sometimes detailed and precise; and sometimes goofy and cartoony, there was, is or ever will be an cartoonist quite like Jean Giraud AKA Moebius. The french artist captured the imagination of thousands of readers all over the world with his unique style of writing and drawing. His versatile designs allowed him to work with high profile authors such as Jean-Michel Charlier or even the great Stan Lee. But one of his best known works is of course The Airtight Garage, originally published in the magazine Métal Hurlant.

Deliberately confusing in his narrative, the comic book tells the story of the explorer and hunter of tourists Major Grubert, owner and creator of an asteroid which contains a pocket universe with multiple layers looking for a stranger who seeks to invade the asteroid. Packed with amazing illustrations and inticate strips, the comic is a visual masterpiece.

When I first read it and saw the design of the Capital City, I immidiately knew it would make for a great lego set. I've recreated the location based on the scene in which the spy and his partner arrive in the city by train. I've made up the colouring because the comic strip is in black and white. I've based the colour scheme vagely on the rather inconsistent and disive american coloured version.

Apart from the city, I've also built the major's ship, the ciguri, and five minifigures: Grubert, lady Malvina, the Archer, engineer Barnier and a generic alien.