This is probably my favorite issue of Metal Hurlant so far, as every one of the stories within was one that I liked, and the spread of art styles and genres is pretty good as well. Alexandro Jodorowsky serves up a couple of entertaining and distinctive science-fiction tales, Francis Lombard teams with some well-known American talent for a straightforward fantasy tale and Italian writer/artist Stefano Raffaele provides a creepy horror story that is apparently the lead-in for a graphic novel, one that I would very much like to read. As always with Metal Hurlant, it's a solid package, and this issue is the rare case of an anthology where all the stories worked for me.
Probably my favorite story in this book is "Fragile" by Stefano Raffaele. I'm reminded of the work of filmmaker Robert Rodriguez in Raffaele's blend of horror and dark humor, and "Fragile" actually winds up reading like one of those films or an EC style horror comic, complete with the twisted twist ending. Raffaele's artwork is also fantastic, dark and moody with plenty of detail in the backgrounds and the designs of the characters. He has the ability to do the grotesque and the humorous at the same time, which is impressive and absolutely essential to his script.
Close behind in terms of my enjoyment is the continuing story of Megalex, which reminds me of my earliest exposure to European style comics and animation in Heavy Metal. The dark future and omnipresent industrialism of Megalex, not to mention the bizarre happy propaganda that characterizes the way the society works, is reminiscent of Jodorowsky's work on Incal and Metabarons, and it has the same twisted humor and big ideas I've come to expect there. This particular installment is a primer on the society of Megalex, which really lets Beltran's beautiful artwork and imagination shine, and I'm impressed that along with all this exposition, the continuing story of the Anomaly continues to develop as well. Megalex has been a story that really works in short installments, even though I expect it'll read well all at once as well.
Jodorowsky also has another installment in the standalone, loosely connected tales of "Metal Hurlant" with a science-fiction/fantasy story about loyalty and sacrifice. The twist ending is a little overdramatized, but the lead character is very likable, and the artwork by Pascal Alixe and Dan Brown is simply gorgeous. The designs for the alien warriors are definitely alien but with plenty of room for human expression, and I was really impressed with the oversized monsters and challenges that Khondor faces.
Then there's the Beowulf tale, spinning off from characters best known from the famous Beowulf story but reading largely like a straight fantasy epic, the kind you might find at Crossgen. Francis Lombard's choice of narrator is a good one, and I love seeing how his unqualified loyalty and admiration is tempered by the tragedy of the story. The artwork, by North American artists Kevin Altieri and George Freeman, is in a somewhat "animated" style with a little bit of gore and pyrotechnics added to it, and it blends visceral impact with exceptionally clear storytelling.
