COMIC BOOK REVIEW: Metabarons Genesis: Castaka

[JessHorsley]

Jodorowsky's Latest Addition To The Metabarons Mythos Available Now...

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Before there was the fan-favorite Heavy Metal Magazine, which began in 1977, there was the French publication Métal Hurlant. First published in 1974 by Les Humanoïdes Associés, the sci-fi and fantasy magazine's success inspired the publisher to continues to bring hard-hitting, gritty, and violent comics to the marketplace. Now, thanks to the publisher's American counterpart, Humanoids, fans of original sci-fi, fantasy, and hardcore comics can pick up a variety of graphic novels.

In an American comic market that's seemingly flooded with capes and crooks, foreign comics tend to focus on the darker, more violent and dirty realms of medieval, sci-fi, horror and crime...and fans in America have started to take notice. Over the last decade, the American comic market has seen more medieval, sci-fi, horror and crime than ever before. I have to believe this is in no small part due to the quality of the amazing comic writers and artists working overseas.

If you've read any of my previous reviews of Humanoids past publications - Son of the Gun, Megalex, The Technopriests, The Incal and The Metabarons - you know how much I enjoy the work of Chilean filmmaker and comic writer Alexandro Jodorowsky. With a unique perspective on all things spiritual and metaphysical, Jodorowsky's comic work is some of the most impressive hitting shelves today.

By far my favorite comic of all time is Jodorowsky's The Metabarons, a unique sci-fi tale of heritage and legacy; a story of one family's history that's filled with love and hate, birth and death, tragedy and accomplishment. Originally published intermittently as a series from 1992 to 2003, The Metabarons features themes such as loyalty, betrayal, pain and - above all - the journey to become the best one can possibly be. Humanoids released a collected edition of the original comic series in 2011 with The Metabarons Ultimate Collection, a gorgeous over-sized slipcase book that's one of the finest comic releases of the last decade.

Now, Humanoids has brought to life a new Jodorowsky tale set in the same universe as The Incal, The Technopriests and The Metabarons. Metabarons Genesis: Castaka, a prequel story that explores the history before the history of the Metabarons family; the background of one man's fateful ancestry and the inflexible moral code that began with a tribe of noble warriors and spread to the heart of a dishonest, vengeful pirate who would one day become the father of the Metabarons. Featuring amazing artwork by artist Das Pastoras (Wolverine, Thor), Metabarons Genesis: Castaka tells a new tale of an old family with a story that's impossible to imagine...unless you're Alexandro Jodorowsky.

If you've read Jodorowsky before, you know how thematic the author makes each of his works. Each story connects uniquely to the human condition and human emotions using themes such as betrayal and murder, love and the heartache of losing that love, desperation and the failure to accomplish one's goals, or even hope and a future brought about by unusual circumstance. Each story Jodorowsky brings to life on the comic page features a unique blend of all that makes us human and, with Metabarons Genesis: Castaka, Jodorowsky expands the already family-themed Metabarons tale to include the original patriarch, Dayal de Castaka, and the vital role he played in the Metabaron story.

The story begins by telling of two tribes of warriors, each seeking dominance and rule. Of course, once one tribe slaughters and kills the male population of the other, there is no other choice but to use chemical weapons, thus leaving the other tribe's men infertile. Of course, one lone warrior is spared and - as the sole male able to have children, it's up to him to sire the next generation. But what happens when the next generation is born and raised? What becomes of a man who's no longer needed? What becomes of a warrior who's never tested his metal against a true foe? What hope does this man - the patriarch of the Metabarons - do once he's deemed disposable and disgraced?

Like the previous Metabarons story, the narrator of Metabarons Genesis: Castaka is the patriarch of the Metabarons family passing a historical lesson on to the future leader of the family (this is a part of the family legacy). However, unlike previous Metabarons stories, which were passed to the next generation to both educate and encourage the future leader of the clan, this particular story seems less motivational and actually depressing and even discouraging. While it might end on a note of encouragement considering what the family must endure to become who they'll be, Metabarons Genesis: Castaka - compared to the original Metabarons series - seems brutal, disheartening and even a bit sacrilegious in terms of the lack of honor, respect and dignity provided the family tree. Where the previous Metabarons stories were more pictures to place on the mantle, ones to share and own; the story told here in Metabarons Genesis: Castaka seems like a skeleton in the closet. This is what makes Jodorowsky's work brilliant really; the ability to tell both the brutal and the beautiful, the ugly and the magnificent - all in an overarching story that's both engaging, entertaining and enjoyable.

I've never enjoyed sci-fi comics as much as I do when written by Jodorowsky and, while this new Metabarons tale isn't on the same level as the original series, it's better than 95% of the other sci-fi stuff out there. Let's not forget the brilliant artwork by Das Pastoras either. While it starts off a bit stiff and posed, Pastoras' line work improves drastically once the battles commence and, as the story progresses, the character artwork begins to seem reminiscent of Juan Giménez, the original Metabarons series' artist. Pastoras keeps the artwork both technically sound as well captivating; especially in larger, full-page and multi-panel scenes (above) and does an excellent job - especially later on - in developing unique character designs.

As for design and packaging, the book comes beautifully packaged in a gorgeous slipcase that will fit perfectly next to the previously mentioned The Metabarons Ultimate Collection.

Overall, Metabarons Genesis: Castaka does an excellent job of not only expanding the Metabarons' storyline; it makes for a new and unique story in and of itself, one based in a tribal feud that would end with unintended consequence and kickstart a legacy unlike any comic fans had ever read about before. Here's hoping Jodorowsky continues to explore the Metabarons universe and bring to life even more exciting tales of a family filled with war, pain and violence along with love, hope and victory.

Metabarons Genesis: Castaka - Oversized Deluxe Edition is available now wherever fine comics and graphic novels are sold.

Be sure to check out more amazing comics and graphic novels at Humanoids.com.

- Jess C. Horsley