36 EXCURSIONS & EXCAVATIONS in the HERMETIC GARAGE

27: Find the Major in this picture

I’ve indicated that Grubert was initially a very mutable figure, playing different roles in a handful of short strips. Giraud acknowledged his first appearance, as the unrecognizable W. W. Grubert, Commandant of the Galatee expedition, in Pilote No. 749, March 14, 1974.

     But had he already made an appearance, unheralded and unnamed, in the strip that launched Giraud in the direction of his career as Mœbius? Above is a panel from “La Deviation” (“The Detour”) which appeared in Pilote No.688, January 11, 1973. Study the picture carefully, and see if you can find the Major.

     Look for his helmet.