Blueberry: Fort Navajo #1 Page 23 First Storyline Original Art (Pilote #221, Dargaud, 1964)

Serialized across 23 issues of Pilote magazine -- from #210 (October 31, 1963) to #232 (April 9, 1964) -- this 46-page story introduced Lieutenant Mike Blueberry to a post-war European readership steeped in the tradition of magazine pre-publication. Fort Navajo is the first book in the Blueberry series. Set against the backdrop of a violent frontier, this early 1960s bande dessinée classic showcases Giraud's growing command of expressive faces, cinematic angles, and richly rendered landscapes. Though rooted in the Western tradition, the visual language here contains the seeds of his later sci-fi masterpieces like Arzach, The Incal, and The Long Tomorrow.
Written by Jean-Michel Charlier, Fort Navajo marked a turning point in elevating French comics to literary art. Its realistic tone, moral complexity, and dynamic storytelling helped define the mature aesthetics of adult comics, influencing everything from Métal Hurlant to Heavy Metal.
The collected hardcover comic album appeared in January 1965 as Blueberry: Fort Navajo #1, cementing its status as a cornerstone of bande dessinée. Revered by artists like Frank Miller and Geof Darrow, this volume remains a masterclass in narrative art. On this page, Blueberry challenges blind military aggression as Major Bascom orders an unprovoked attack on innocent Apaches, exposing the brutal cost of rigid authority and frontier injustice.