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Juan Giménez, Co-Creator of The Metabarons, Dies Aged 76
Comic book creator Juan Giménez, co-creator of The Metabarons, has died, aged 76. His publisher Humanoids issues the following statement this morning.
Two weeks ago, he was admitted to Intensive Therapy at the Mendoza Central Hospital in Argentina. He has been suffering from symptoms related to the coronavirus since March 16th, and he passed away last night. Juan Giménez is the first named comic creator to die in this way.
Born in 1943, in Argentina, Juan Giménez began working in advertising. In his thirties, he switched to comic books, published in Argentina, Spain, France, Belgium and Italy on boy's action-adventure comics of the time, inspired by Hugo Pratt. He continued working regularly into his sixties, living in Spain. He gained further recognition for work published in Heavy Metal and by Humanoids. Juan Giménez designed the Harry Canyon segment of the movie version of Heavy Metal. He also created more experimental works of comic book art, away from war comics, including Time Paradox. It was this that led to his best-known work, The Metabarons, written by Alejandro Jodorowsky, running through the nineties. Published globally, it became a major influence on Hollywood sci-fi and fantasy movies over the last twenty years.
He was also known for the Italian comic book L'Eternauta, experimental short comic book stories under the title Time Paradox, The City with Ricardo Barreiro and Le Quatrième Pouvoir (The Fourth Power), which he wrote by himself.
Comic creators respond to Juan Giménez's death
"He was a brilliant artist and a treasure of South America and to all the illustration world" — Jill Thompson
"He did beautiful elaborate and decorative work that was the envy of many, including me. Never met him, but I didn't have to. His influence touched my work and still remains, hidden away here and there." — Walter Simonson