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Enki Bilal is certainly
one of the most
influential artists
in the field of
contemporary graphic
novels and comic
book art. His work
reflects a stark,
world-weary view
of society, often
weaving stories
set in a futuristic,
imagined version
of his native Serbia.
Born in Belgrade,
Yugoslavia in 1951,
the young artist
was raised in Paris,
France from the
age of 9. In his
teens and early
twenties he met
and collaborated
with the author
René Goscinny,
who inspired an
interest in comic
book art, and the
screenwriter Pierre
Christin who introduced
Enki to filmmaking.
Bilal's work is
most widely recognized
from his brilliant
contributions to
Heavy Metal Magazine,
where he offered
much to establish
the style and direction
of its futurist
themes and visual
excellence.
Bilal's recent graphic
novel The Dormant
Beast (2002) tells
the story of a man
with a photographic
memory who struggles
against a totalitarian
society in which
remembrances of
the past are blurred
and repressed.
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