Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Crazy metaphysical sci fi with gorgeous artwork in a beautiful collected edition.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Incal is nearly exactly what I wanted. While it’s got a couple of places where it shows its age, it is for the most part a stunning representation of Jorodorowsky’s brain. And that I loved. To more!
It was ok,
I liked the concept and the overall plot of this comic book, but I did not like that there were many childish attitudes and lines throughout it.
Many responses and solutions were played in a very safe way in my opinion, and to be honest, I kind of hated John DiFool.
Nevertheless, I am planning on giving this story another chance with the prequel collection, I hope it improves.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
I liked the concept and the overall plot of this comic book, but I did not like that there were many childish attitudes and lines throughout it.
Many responses and solutions were played in a very safe way in my opinion, and to be honest, I kind of hated John DiFool.
Nevertheless, I am planning on giving this story another chance with the prequel collection, I hope it improves.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
How do you review a work that has been touted as an inspiration for so many modern works of science fiction?
As someone that experienced most of those works prior to this alleged inspiration, I can confidently say that The Incal does not hold up well in comparison to the stories that have expanded on and sharpened the ideas which it introduced. Had I read The Incal in the 1980s when it originally came out, maybe it would have blown my mind, I can't say. What I can say is that in a vacuum, this comic is full of fantastic art, highly creative ideas, and some of the worst plot and character writing I have ever encountered.
I want to give The Incal 2 stars because of how bad the narrative is. There is no character development to speak of, as the characters exist solely to serve the plot. Unfortunately, the plot only exists to serve some vague, new-agey ideas that seem to show up in all of Jodorowsky's work. A lot of spiritual mumbo-jumbo and some oedipal issues being worked out throughout these pages, covered up by some of the most wooden dialog I've ever read. On the whole, the book functions on a "Tell Don't Show" ethos.
The main character, John Difool (almost always referred to by his full name, over and over again by everyone), is a private detective. But that doesn't matter, because he literally never does anything anywhere close to detective work. He and everyone else just do whatever "The Incal", a macguffin in its purest form, tells them to do. There is no narrative tension, as conflicts are introduced out of nowhere and promptly solved by deus ex Incal. Occasionally I was stirred to read more just out of a morbid curiosity of what bizarre nonsense could happen next, but this is no thriller. The ending, which I won't spoil, was perhaps revolutionary in its time, but now comes across with a similar hokeyness as an "it was all a dream" type conclusion.
So yes, I think that this comic deserves just 2 stars. But the art kicks ass, and it is apparently a very "important" work, so I'll give it 3 just for that.
As someone that experienced most of those works prior to this alleged inspiration, I can confidently say that The Incal does not hold up well in comparison to the stories that have expanded on and sharpened the ideas which it introduced. Had I read The Incal in the 1980s when it originally came out, maybe it would have blown my mind, I can't say. What I can say is that in a vacuum, this comic is full of fantastic art, highly creative ideas, and some of the worst plot and character writing I have ever encountered.
I want to give The Incal 2 stars because of how bad the narrative is. There is no character development to speak of, as the characters exist solely to serve the plot. Unfortunately, the plot only exists to serve some vague, new-agey ideas that seem to show up in all of Jodorowsky's work. A lot of spiritual mumbo-jumbo and some oedipal issues being worked out throughout these pages, covered up by some of the most wooden dialog I've ever read. On the whole, the book functions on a "Tell Don't Show" ethos.
The main character, John Difool (almost always referred to by his full name, over and over again by everyone), is a private detective. But that doesn't matter, because he literally never does anything anywhere close to detective work. He and everyone else just do whatever "The Incal", a macguffin in its purest form, tells them to do. There is no narrative tension, as conflicts are introduced out of nowhere and promptly solved by deus ex Incal. Occasionally I was stirred to read more just out of a morbid curiosity of what bizarre nonsense could happen next, but this is no thriller. The ending, which I won't spoil, was perhaps revolutionary in its time, but now comes across with a similar hokeyness as an "it was all a dream" type conclusion.
So yes, I think that this comic deserves just 2 stars. But the art kicks ass, and it is apparently a very "important" work, so I'll give it 3 just for that.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
visual masterpiece! feels a little "I'm making this up as I go along" in how it's constructed but it's such a fun journey. GREAT shit.
I loved the enormously imaginative and colorful artwork in this one. I've never read anything illustrated by Moebius before and truly, it was a non-stop feast for the eyes. Every single page was an eye-popping explosion of creativity. 5 stars for the art.
Which is why I'm giving The Incal three stars, because Alejandro Jodorowsky's story is...well, not a story. The guy just isn't a storyteller. I'm not super familiar with his body of work, save for Jodorowsky's Dune, but by virtually all accounts, Alejandro Jodorowsky is not a storyteller. The basic stuff of a good story (characters that we can connect with, a coherent plot) is totally absent here, and I don't think those things interest Jodorowsky at all. Instead, there's a rapid-fire maelstrom of cosmically huge ideas and concepts, punctuated by way too many exclamation points. Jodorowsky has a lot on his mind and he doesn't care if it makes sense. This might be a feature, not a bug, but it didn't work for me.
So, for me, The Incal was a glorious thing to behold, and a frustrating slog to read. I'm not sorry I read it, but I don't know if I can recommend it. But what I can say for certain is that, if you love great comic art, prepare to be blown away.
Which is why I'm giving The Incal three stars, because Alejandro Jodorowsky's story is...well, not a story. The guy just isn't a storyteller. I'm not super familiar with his body of work, save for Jodorowsky's Dune, but by virtually all accounts, Alejandro Jodorowsky is not a storyteller. The basic stuff of a good story (characters that we can connect with, a coherent plot) is totally absent here, and I don't think those things interest Jodorowsky at all. Instead, there's a rapid-fire maelstrom of cosmically huge ideas and concepts, punctuated by way too many exclamation points. Jodorowsky has a lot on his mind and he doesn't care if it makes sense. This might be a feature, not a bug, but it didn't work for me.
So, for me, The Incal was a glorious thing to behold, and a frustrating slog to read. I'm not sorry I read it, but I don't know if I can recommend it. But what I can say for certain is that, if you love great comic art, prepare to be blown away.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Una compleja ópera espacial protagonizada por un necio, John Difool. Jodorowsky y Moebius desatan toda su creatividad en esta obra escrita a lo largo de ocho años, donde sus distinguidos protagonistas viajan por todo el universo con el único y noble fin de luchar contra la Tiniebla. John Difool se enfrenta constantemente a su destino de sacrificarse por un bien mayor, pero no es capaz de dejar de caer en la tentación de una vida egoísta y hedonista dada a los placeres, incapaz de sacrificarse a sí mismo por todo lo que es bello y bueno. Con muchísimas localizaciones diferentes y personajes que bien darían para su propia novela, como Metabarón o Emperarotriz, El Incal es una demostración de creatividad y gusto excéntrico, donde religión, tecnología, destino y héroes se dan la mano para crear una obra única.
A beautiful thing. I was washed away by the immensity of the drawings, of the world Moebius creates. I was only occasionally stimulated by the story -- some times I would have fun with it, sometimes I could even find it very meaningful, but other times I was distracted by how quickly it moved through events. I was hung up on the main character's clear-cut anti-virtues. I did however truly enjoy the last volume, which was composed of more symbols than any actual depictions of material things.