Growing up, there was no internet. Most of the imagery I had access to was illustration, comic books illustration that is. When I was a tween, discovering my libido, illustration became my easiest projection/desire support. I probably had sincere crushes on a few characters. Got to admit, they are the most faithful ones. Now photographic image has overcome, for some bad, but mainly good reasons. Still, there is something irreplaceable about illustration, it doesn’t have to go through the filter of materiality. It will always be closer to one’s imagination than photography with its vicious taste of reality. Illustration is modest and schematic but it is honest.

Hereunder, one of my favourite illutrator ever, Enki Bilal. His “Nikopol” series is just amazing. A good christmas gift. (Not that much an example of the libidinal aspect I was talking about, though. I will post later about Crepax or Manara for that.)