Like many, I've been anxiously awaiting the return of Travis Charest to comics, and so Alpha/Omega is a welcome sight in that it features his first work for Humanoids Publishing. Unfortunately, this work comes in a package that didn't really please me, seeming a bit pricey (48 pages for $10), especially when you consider that the stories are largely reinterpretations of a single story. While it's certainly interesting to see how different artists interpret the same story, there wasn't a lot added to the overall Metabarons saga here, and given how the story in general is sweeping and epic, the focus on a relatively small event over and over seemed a bit odd.
This book is a teaser more than another volume in the Metabarons saga, and if you're looking to get a sense of whether or not you should invest in the trade paperbacks collecting the series, this might make a slightly cheaper entry point. Since Jodorowsky writes the entire book, the goofy and over-the-top dialogue and big ideas that define the Metabarons are in full display here. The stories fill in gaps in the overall Metabarons story, focusing on where the Metabaron got his tattoo and indeed how the legacy started as well as exploring the passage from one Metabaron to another in detail. It's a smaller and more focused story, unusual given that the Metabarons story is generally a galaxy-wide epic.
However, while the focus is on smaller aspects of the story, the approach is still big and wide. A family of four becomes the scourge of the galaxy, a father and son hunt an enormous beast that is practically unkillable, and the lineage of warriors that is the Metabarons encounters another turning point. The latter sequence is played out three times, once in an identical script sequence interpreted by Moebius and Juan Gimenez and then in a slightly-altered form by Travis Charest. Though the art was gorgeous, I wasn't quite interested enough in the plot to want to see it three times in a row.
Though the stories in this issue leave something to be desired, there's no denying that the artwork is absolutely beautiful. When Travis Charest doesn't just blow the competition away, you know that you're dealing with a high caliber of artist, and regular Metabarons artist Juan Gimenez even manages to top European legend Moebius with his interpretation of "Metabarons 1: The Lost Pages." However, while all the art is great, it is Travis Charest who stands out to some degree, with amazingly real designs for the Leodactyl and the armor used in the duel between the Metabaron and his son.
In the end, Alpha/Omega is an artists' showcase more than a part of the overall Metabarons story, and the high price point and lackluster story makes it hard to recommend. However, those who enjoy the beautiful art style that has defined a lot of Humanoids' work, or those who have been wondering what Charest is up to, should definitely give the book a look.
