The story starts out with one of the characters reciting a poem by Rimbaud and continues from there in a beautiful bit of effortless free-association. Using the smoke as a panel transition really gives the page a nice organic flow – which suits the setting.

Moebius didn’t give the characters a happy ending because he was on deadline and still feels bad about it. I like to think of them here, in a happier time – right around the middle of the story.

(Heavy Metal issue #8, November 1977 – Page 47 Ballade by Moebius)