Publisher and creators subsequently embarked on a search for a suitable artist to take on the task. It was then that fate intervened when Giraud, before his departure to Tahiti, discovered the work of the still unknown ex-pat Colin Wilson from New Zealand, who was publishing a science fiction comic series "Dans l'Ombre du Soleil" – for which Wilson did both the writing and the art – for the French "Circus" comic magazine, which featured the character "Raël" (also the first story title) that shared a stunning resemblance with Blueberry. Wilson was actually was a huge Giraud fan himself and had modeled his "Raël" character after a Western hero he had created for the New Zealand fanzine "Strips", and who in turn was modeled after Blueberry. Ironically in hindsight, it were the original black & white "La Jeunesse de Blueberry" shorts that introduced Wilson to "Blueberry" as some "Super Pilote Pocket" issues had somehow found their to way to New Zealand, then a country without a comic tradition to speak of, according to Wilson. His admiration for Franco-Belgian "bande dessinée" artists, Giraud in particular, became in 1980 the driving force for Wilson to try his luck as such in Europe, aside from the fact that his native country did not afford any opportunities to become one professionally. "Those drawings of Giraud convinced me to leave New Zealand", Wilson reiterated in 1986, "If that's what European comics are like then I wanted to be a part of it". It was comic artist François Corteggiani who brought Wilson to the attention of Giraud by sending him a few pages of the "Raël" comic, and who in turn brought them to the attention of his co-worker Charlier (or vice versa as sources are not in concordance with each other). Unaware that his work was already brought to the attention of his idol and "his" co-worker, Corteggiani arranged Wilson's first face-to-face meeting with them in September 1983 in Paris. "To have a discussion with Giraud, what a chance!", said a delighted, but non-French speaking Wilson, "That's why I immediately said yes to François Corteggiani". Much to his own surprise, Wilson was almost immediately asked if he was interested to take on the new "Young Blueberry" series. After having accepted, he developed a close and warm working relationship with Charlier, and the Wilson/ couple befriended both him and his wife Christine, with household visits back and forth.