('Los Ojos del Gato', 'Les Yeux du Chat')
by Jodorowsky and Moebius
from Metal Hurlant No. 1 (Spanish-language version)
To the best of my knowledge, 'The Eyes of the Cat', taken here from the Spanish-language version of Metal Hurlant No. 1 (1981), was never republished in the Leonard Mogel / US version of the magazine.
It did appear in 1991 in issue No. 4 of the notorious Taboo graphic novel series, and this past August, Humanoids republished the strip in a hardcover edition, in English, available at amazon for $23.00.
'Eyes of the Cat' first appeared in 1978, as a specially-printed hardcover book, distributed as a gift to subscribers and friends and acquaintances of the Metal Hurlant staff.
It's unfortunate it never made it to Heavy Metal, because 'Eyes' is one of the creepiest, as well as brilliant, comics to appear in any edition of Metal Hurlant.
The dialogue, however scant, neatly matches the narrative, and the passage of each panel - which are presented in a novel, but visually effective, side-by-side format - lets the story unfold with just the right pacing all the way to its final, disturbing sentence.
All this, and some brilliant pen-and-ink work by Moebius.
This comic was miles (light years ?) ahead of anything in the Marvel or Warren catalog of black and white horror comics of the 1970s / 1980s.
[My translation into English is paraphrased and not literal, but hopefully it gets the job done.]
The Eyes of the Cat
I feel hot....
Finally, a sunbeam !
Attention, Meduz: go out !
I hear his footsteps
There he is....
Very good...fast, Meduz !
Descend !
Bravo, Meduz !
Do not forget to keep my eyes....
It's marvellous !
I'm playing at seeing....
Next time, bring me the eyes of a child......
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