You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
kevinowenkelly 's review for:
The Incal
by Alejandro Jodorowsky
Wow.
I wasn't aware of the existence of The Incal or any of the other works in the 'Jodoverse', or even that Jodorowsky had even authored comics. But an image of a gorgeous comic cover in a random Facebook ad led me on a search (it was a cover for a volume of the newer The Metabaron series), and that search led me to a unanimous chorus of people saying that, not only should I start here with The Incal, but that it was also allegedly one of the greatest works the medium had to offer.
Between the praise the work received, the importance it seemed to hold, and the fact that it was, to me, largely just a formality so that I could get to the works that I was actually interested in (The Saga of the Metabarons), I was understandably pretty underwhelmed at first. The writing had a rushed and almost stilted quality that made me question if it was the writing itself or merely an artifact of translation, but it was an issue I had to grapple with all the same. Likewise, the book moves rapidly, throwing new places and characters and concepts at you with each new page; it's hard at first to get a foothold, making a lot of the first issue feel like a series of comic strips with little to no payoff rather than a concurrent, singular work. Even the art of Moebius, which seemed to hold equal share of the adulation the book received, wasn't really doing it for me.
But for all of those same reasons that my expectations set me up for initial disappointment, I kept going, and am so glad that I did. Like the cast standing before the mirror wall and having to attune themselves to its frequency to pass, I found myself coming to terms with those rough edges I had found and fell into the pacing and rhythm that the book resonated at; with so much happening, you just have to strap in and go along for the ride, and in doing so those edges get smoothed out.
The reward for doing so is a psychedelic trip through a work of supreme imagination and creativity, populated by fantastical stories, mind bending moments, and the kind of staggeringly inspired artwork that freezes you in your seat. This is one of those rare works that is so boldly creative and original the you can't help but feel inspired to create something of your own, even as you despair of the challenge of doing so in the shadow of what you just absorbed.
That all may sound a bit over-the-top, and maybe it is, but it's an over-the-top work. It has its flaws, sure, but it seems open and unconcerned about them in a way that the reader may find themselves emulating; the flaws, things like thin characterizations and poorly motivated actions, feel like besides the point of the universe-spanning and attempted soul-expanding story that's being told.
It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's certainly one that everyone should at least try.
I wasn't aware of the existence of The Incal or any of the other works in the 'Jodoverse', or even that Jodorowsky had even authored comics. But an image of a gorgeous comic cover in a random Facebook ad led me on a search (it was a cover for a volume of the newer The Metabaron series), and that search led me to a unanimous chorus of people saying that, not only should I start here with The Incal, but that it was also allegedly one of the greatest works the medium had to offer.
Between the praise the work received, the importance it seemed to hold, and the fact that it was, to me, largely just a formality so that I could get to the works that I was actually interested in (The Saga of the Metabarons), I was understandably pretty underwhelmed at first. The writing had a rushed and almost stilted quality that made me question if it was the writing itself or merely an artifact of translation, but it was an issue I had to grapple with all the same. Likewise, the book moves rapidly, throwing new places and characters and concepts at you with each new page; it's hard at first to get a foothold, making a lot of the first issue feel like a series of comic strips with little to no payoff rather than a concurrent, singular work. Even the art of Moebius, which seemed to hold equal share of the adulation the book received, wasn't really doing it for me.
But for all of those same reasons that my expectations set me up for initial disappointment, I kept going, and am so glad that I did. Like the cast standing before the mirror wall and having to attune themselves to its frequency to pass, I found myself coming to terms with those rough edges I had found and fell into the pacing and rhythm that the book resonated at; with so much happening, you just have to strap in and go along for the ride, and in doing so those edges get smoothed out.
The reward for doing so is a psychedelic trip through a work of supreme imagination and creativity, populated by fantastical stories, mind bending moments, and the kind of staggeringly inspired artwork that freezes you in your seat. This is one of those rare works that is so boldly creative and original the you can't help but feel inspired to create something of your own, even as you despair of the challenge of doing so in the shadow of what you just absorbed.
That all may sound a bit over-the-top, and maybe it is, but it's an over-the-top work. It has its flaws, sure, but it seems open and unconcerned about them in a way that the reader may find themselves emulating; the flaws, things like thin characterizations and poorly motivated actions, feel like besides the point of the universe-spanning and attempted soul-expanding story that's being told.
It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's certainly one that everyone should at least try.