drawing of a man wearing a helmet and goggles sitting in a chair
FRANCOIS EPIN ART & DESIGN CONSULTING

172 - Albator, the Space Pirate – Captain Harlock (宇宙海賊キャプテンハーロック)…
See original version (French)

Estimate €250 - €450
Sale commission
Description
Albator, the Space Pirate – Captain Harlock (宇宙海賊キャプテンハーロック) Albator (Captain Harlock) Pencil and coloured pencil artwork created for the production of the anime series Albator, the Space Pirate, based on the work of Leiji Matsumoto (松本 零士). Produced by Toei Animation 1978–1979, Japan H25.4 L30.4 cm The profile view is the graphic composition that best reveals Albator’s scar — a defining feature of the character, a mark of a past battle whose origin varies depending on the adaptation but whose significance remains constant: Albator survived something that should have killed him, and he bears the mark of that survival on his face. Viewed from the front, the scar is visible but only partially; viewed in profile, it runs the full length of his face, from his forehead to his jaw, with nothing to conceal it. The leather helmet and pilot’s goggles set this character apart from all other standard depictions of Albator in the 1978–1979 TV series, where he wears his large black pirate’s cloak. This close-combat pilot’s gear — evoking both a First World War aviator and a cosmonaut — is consistent with the solo spacecraft flight sequences or the battles aboard the Arcadia in the early versions, or with the youth sequences in the film *Albator 84: The Atlantis of My Youth (1982), in which Albator’s father pilots combat ships wearing similar gear. This dôga, shown in profile, is graphically the most revealing depiction of the character in the collection: whereas the cell from lot 170 shows Albator in his iconic pose as a space pirate, this dôga reveals him in his role as a pilot — the man behind the cape, at the controls, his scar exposed to the void.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale Knights, Armour and Samurai + Animation Art Selection
Auction location
Auction time 06/28/2026 at 3:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like