-Petar Meseldzija

French comic-book artist Jean Giraud, alias “Moebius”, best known for his gritty Wild West character “Blueberry”, has died at the age of 73 after a battle with cancer, according to his publisher.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Giraud developed his experimental side by branching out into science fiction under the “Moebius” name.

Giraud also ventured into cinema, working with director Ridley Scott on the visual effects for “Alien” and the computer-effects-driven movie “Tron”.

His death was confirmed by publishing house Dargaud on Saturday, which said the comic-book world had lost “one of its greatest masters”.