Argentine Dark and Gritty SF/Fantasy Illustration Style (Juan Giménez)
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Here is another tribute to Argentine artists from my childhood, this one to Juan Giménez (26 November 1943 – 2 April 2020). He was a comic book artist and writer, most recognized for his detailed imagery with mechanical precision. Among his noted works include stories for the French Métal Hurlant and the Italian L'Eternauta magazines, and the comic series Metabarons co-developed by Alejandro Jodorowsky. To see his works, please go to
His comic As de pique (PIK AS), about the missions of a B-17 bomber crew, was among my favorite comics when I was a boy. Giménez drew it with a very realistic, cinematic style that is perfect suited for the story. The horrors and hell that these men went through really fired up my imagination. Even after 40 years, I can still recall the story and the comic panels where a young gunner at the belly of the bomber was trapped there when the hydraulics were damaged by anti-aircraft fire.
From ChatGPT:
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Giménez in 2006
Juan Giménez (26 November 1943 – 2 April 2020) was an acclaimed Argentine comic book artist and illustrator, best known internationally for his richly detailed science fiction and fantasy art, particularly his collaboration with writer Alejandro Jodorowsky on The Metabarons. A master of techno-baroque visuals, Giménez combined stunning mechanical precision with cinematic storytelling, helping define a European style of graphic novels that blurred the line between illustration and fine art.
🎨 Early Life and Background
Born in Mendoza, Argentina, Giménez studied industrial design, which later shaped his iconic architectural and mechanical drawing style.
He began his career in Argentine and Spanish comic magazines in the 1970s, including Skorpio, Zona 84, and 1984 (a European magazine, not Orwell's novel).
His work eventually found a strong base in Europe, especially France, where he became a contributor to Métal Hurlant and Heavy Metal magazines.
🚀 Signature Work: The Metabarons
Created with Alejandro Jodorowsky, The Metabarons (1992–2003) is a sprawling space opera and a visual tour-de-force.
Giménez brought the universe to life with:
Ornate machinery
Vast, operatic environments
Futuristic armor and cyborgs
Precise linework and metallic textures
The series mixes mythology, violence, and science fiction, rendered with obsessive attention to detail, realism, and grandeur.
🛠️ Style and Techniques
Hyper-Detailed Realism: His illustrations are almost architectural in precision—metal, stone, and skin all rendered with equal care.
Painterly Coloring: Giménez often painted his own pages, using airbrush, gouache, and later digital techniques to add depth and mood.
Tech-Organic Fusion: He designed fantastical weapons, spaceships, and cities with a logic and weight that made them believable.
Cinematic Composition: His pages often read like film storyboards—dynamic angles, dramatic lighting, and sweeping scale.
📚 Other Notable Works
Leo Roa (a time-travel sci-fi series)
Time Paradox
Contributions to Heavy Metal magazine
Visual design work for animation and concept art
🕊️ Legacy and Influence
Juan Giménez passed away in 2020 due to COVID-19 complications, leaving behind a legacy as one of science fiction's most visually distinctive illustrators.
He influenced generations of comic artists and concept designers, particularly those in video games, film (e.g. Dune, Blade Runner-style aesthetics), and European graphic novels.
His work is often cited alongside Moebius (Jean Giraud), though Giménez's style is more grounded in realism and technological complexity.
Would you like a visual guide to his style, or recommendations for artists similar to Giménez?
If you're drawn to Juan Giménez’s richly detailed, futuristic, and cinematic approach to comics and illustration, here are several artists with similar aesthetics or influences—spanning European bande dessinée, sci-fi concept art, and graphic storytelling:
🔧 European Artists (Heavy Metal / Métal Hurlant Influence)
Moebius (Jean Giraud) – Legendary French artist known for surreal, elegant sci-fi and fantasy (The Incal, also with Jodorowsky). More fluid and symbolic than Giménez, but shares the cosmic scale and visionary scope.
Philippe Druillet – Creator of Lone Sloane, his style is dense, architectural, and wildly psychedelic—perfect for fans of hyper-detailed space epics.
Enki Bilal – Merges dystopian themes with expressive, painterly technique. His Nikopol Trilogy blends political sci-fi with mythic overtones.
Milo Manara – While known for erotic art, Manara’s work (especially The Borgias or The Golden Ass) shows a similar obsession with detailed linework and historical grandeur.
🛠️ Technological & Cinematic Realism
Geof Darrow – American artist of Shaolin Cowboy and Hard Boiled fame. Like Giménez, his pages are insanely intricate, with a fascination for guns, gears, and gory chaos.
Alejandro Burdisio ("Burda") – Argentine concept artist inspired by retro-futurism, steampunk, and Latin American urban life—his airbrush style and vehicle-heavy art echo Giménez’s mechanical fantasy.
Ian McQue – Known for flying ships, rusted cities, and detailed tech—McQue’s atmospheric work is like Giménez if crossed with Miyazaki’s Laputa.
🧬 Modern Artists and Designers Influenced by Giménez
Félix Vega – Chilean artist whose painterly style (see Duam or Juan Buscamares) carries forward Latin American narrative and fantasy traditions.
Stéphane Levallois – French artist with detailed, organic sci-fi and speculative design, blending biological and technological aesthetics.
Paul Chadeisson – Concept artist who builds massive, Giménez-like industrial landscapes for games and films (Blade Runner 2049, Love, Death & Robots).