September Book Club: The Metabarons Vol.1

[thwhtGuardian]

And the votes are in for the September Book Club, and the winner is....
The Metabarons Vol.1

Written by Alejandro Jodorowsky
Art by Juan Gimenez

Summary: Spinning off of the Incal this sci-fi epic traces the bloodline of the enigmatic Metabaron in a story about family, sacrifice and survival.

I've read the Incal before but this one will be entirely new read for me. For those who have read it before, what can a new reader expect?

[Johnny Thunders!]

I’ve only read it once, like the Incal. If I remember correctly, the Metabaron in the Incal has a Han Solo vibe. After reading it way back, I thought it was a bit like an NC-17 New Gods. It felt epic and there are generational stories told. Superbeings, Knights, brutally alter themselves with tech too? I am going to try and dive in today. Jodoroskys Dune documentary is of course must see as a companion piece. He is a character.

[Reviresco]

I’ve only read it once, like the Incal. If I remember correctly, the Metabaron in the Incal has a Han Solo vibe. After reading it way back, I thought it was a bit like an NC-17 New Gods. It felt epic and there are generational stories told. Superbeings, Knights, brutally alter themselves with tech too? I am going to try and dive in today. Jodoroskys Dune documentary is of course must see as a companion piece. He is a character.

How fortunate that I requested BOTH the Dune DVD and the Metabarons and they arrived at my library yesterday. I will be indulging this weekend. Also, Hoopla had the Metabarons omnibus, so I checked that out also, as my unread copy of the book is sitting in a box in storage.

Just flipping through the first volume book, however, the art is GORGEOUS.

[etrumble]

The series is available from Hoopla for those with a library card.

Just finished Othon. Very fast read but beautiful art. I did find the robot narration technique a little distracting but the story drew me in and I plan to get to Honorata soon.

I'm enjoying the old school European feel.

[MRP]

The series is available from Hoopla for those with a library card.

Just finished Othon. Very fast read but beautiful art. I did find the robot narration technique a little distracting but the story drew me in and I plan to get to Honoraria soon.

I'm enjoying the old school European feel.

Your library needs to subscribe to Hoopla in addition to you having a library card I think. It's free for patrons, but the library pays Hoopla for the service for their patrons. If your library does not subscribe, you can't get access I don't believe. Luckily my library does subscribe and allows each patron 15 borrows a month. I have part of the Metabarons in singles, but am missing several issues, so I will likely have to use Hoopla to get this to read at some point this month.


-M

[etrumble]

Just finished Honorata.

I plan to complete the series and am really enjoying the ideas put forth and the art.

However, the actual prose seems to suffer in the translation. The technique of using the robot narrators is also off putting, keeping me from being immersed in the world.

[Johnny Thunders!]

I finished the first two books and started the third. I think there were some robots in Judge Dredd that were also tongue in cheek corny. The imagery in the books is surreal. Lots of profane stuff, I kind of think the robots in Metabarons is very much Jodorosky’s voice. It looks like many of his Dune ideas ended up here.

[thwhtGuardian]

While I find the art to be beautiful I just can't really get into the story, such as it is.

[hyped78]

Omar from the Uncanny Omar is always raving about Metabarons, which has made me curious about it. What comics/ books is it similar to? I am reading a "Dune" vibe from the comments here?

[thwhtGuardian]

Omar from the Uncanny Omar is always raving about Metabarons, which has made me curious about it. What comics/ books is it similar to? I am reading a "Dune" vibe from the comments here?

The generational aspect definitely reminded me of Dune, as did the various poltical factions like the technopriests and the motherhood of shahooud, but I think it lacks a sense of empathy for a central character. I don't really know "who" the Metabaron is so I don't really care what happens to him, or who his family was.

[etrumble]

The generational aspect definitely reminded me of Dune, as did the various poltical factions like the technopriests and the motherhood of shahooud, but I think it lacks a sense of empathy for a central character. I don't really know "who" the Metabaron is so I don't really care what happens to him, or who his family was.

Completely agree. I have continued to read it, hoping I would care about the characters.

Now, 5 volumes in, I still don't care. I find the ideas presented interesting and the art beautiful, but the prose does not draw me in. The characters seem more like coat hangers on which to hang ideas, rather than fully formed characters we are meant to care about.

[thwhtGuardian]

Completely agree. I have continued to read it, hoping I would care about the characters.

Now, 5 volumes in, I still don't care. I find the ideas presented interesting and the art beautiful, but the prose does not draw me in. The characters seem more like coat hangers on which to hang ideas, rather than fully formed characters we are meant to care about.

I don't think the robots help in this matter either as it adds another layer of distance to the narrative.

[Johnny Thunders!]

The robots function as an audience substitute so it’s hard to sympathize when there is so much contempt for the audience. Tonto in English means fool.

Quick thoughts:

1. Mad Magazine Underground Comics Cheech and Chong

2. Sterankos Superman story from Superman 400

3. Stream of consciousness storytelling

4. The space whales from the Avengers movie show up in later volumes.

I prefer the Lord of the Rings to Game of Thrones and the New Gods to Metabarons but I read all 8 volumes and I really enjoyed it.

[thwhtGuardian]

This is just one of those books where I just don't get why it gets included in so many "greatest of" lists, outside the art I just don't see what it really has going for it. Is it literally just the art? What am I missing?

[Johnny Thunders!]

There’s an explosiveness of concept and a huge scale to the violence. I preferred later volumes to the first. I see echoes in Dragon Ball Z and definitely Game of Thrones. Grendel seems to take a Metabarons turn. I think the hallucinatory pace and imagery can be taxing, plus the willfully transgressive imagery. The Boys got to me where it’s just so much gore.