Posthumously, though, demand for his work is growing, and many of his older books are being reissued. Now, one of the most beautiful and sought after is being reprinted in hardcover for the first time since it was produced in small quantities in 1978.

The Eyes of the Cat was Giraud’s first collaboration with the filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, who would become a close friend and co-author. The portfolio-sized, 56-plate book was actually never meant for widespread distribution. Rather, it was printed in a tiny quantity, as a bonus gift for friends and clients of French comic publishers Les Humanoïdes Associés–a kind of internal thank you note. “The supply was depleted long before the demand for the sought-after book had been satisfied,” explains Stephen Bisset in the anthology Taboo. “Its nearly legendary status was assured by its scarcity.”

via: fastco