The sequel to the famous Incal comic by Jodorowsky and Moebius, this is the story of the Metabaron’s family tree, from his great-great grandfather to him, the last Metabaron. It’s a huge space opera full of violence and technology that takes place in Jodorowsky’s fictional universe (The Jodoverse). It’s also mostly narrated by a robot to another with brief interruptions as they go through their daily routine.
The first thing you must know about this story is that it’s very Jodo. The story is loose and built for spectacle and the fight scenes and worldbuilding are where Giménez’s art really shines. That said, I personally prefer other artists like Moebius, Bilal or Solano López and (this being my second Jodo) I can say that his stories aren’t for me. This is mainly because the story lacks a solid plot or deep themes or ideas at its core (which I thought the Incal had and was one of its better aspects with Moebius’ gorgeous art).
I also think character is one of the greatest weakness of both this and the Incal; I don’t feel attached to the characters (or even understand their motives at times) and lack subtlety. It’s also not great in the female representation department, with only most of them ending up as love interests or mothers to the Metabarons (which was boring).
If you want great European science fiction I would honestly recommend Moebius’s World of Edena or Enki Bilal’s Monsters (originally called “Beast Tetralogy”). And, if you want to check out Jodo, I enjoyed the Incal a bit more. On the other hand, if you like Jodorowsky’s storytelling or just enjoy looking at Giménez’s incredible ship designs then give it ago.
Spoiler Commentary:
As I’ve said before, the story is a week point for this comic, so there wasn’t much I really liked (though it wasn’t bad, it was somewhat below average). I think the fact that every Metabaron I stronger than the last or the whole pain endurance got a bit repetitive. The robot narrating also got tiring, as did the interruptions by the Steelhead robot. The twist was also quite predictable and didn’t manage to elicit any reaction in me (and neither did the rest of the narrative).
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