As a fan of The Metabarons, the galaxy-spanning epic that shares a universe with The Incal, I had a certain expectation that I would like this book. And I do, although it doesn't blow me away with its imagination and epic scope as The Metabarons did, largely because it's a smaller story, focusing on one character of rather humble means making his way in a relentlessly dark and cruel world. The Incal does stand out as something very different, however, with some imaginative and twisted settings, characters and plots, and the tone is strange and unique as well, at times dark and foreboding and at other times almost goofy.
John DiFool's background makes him sound like something out of a crime novel: Born of a prostitute and a habitual criminal, he spends his time hanging out with petty thugs and wishing for something better. However, The Incal is not a crime story, despite the focus on conspiracy and investigative plots; it's a science-fiction story, in terms of both hard science (technology) and soft science (a twisted social structure that reads like the most dismal extrapolation of modern-day corporate/religious structures). John DiFool is the everyman hero of this world, because although his circumstances sound especially dire, he's actually relatively normal and well-adjusted for the dregs of society where he comes from. At least he's not committing suicide by diving into the acid baths, only to be shot at by the aristocrats while they amuse themselves. And no, I'm not kidding.
So that's one aspect of The Incal that is shared with The Metabarons, plenty of big ideas that straddle the line between genius and insanity and often cross the line into the latter. Jodorowsky's vision of the "Aristos" makes the English royal family and the Kennedy family look like kindly philanthropists without a single skeleton in their closets. A big part of The Incal is an exploration of social structures and divisions, as John DiFool mixes with those of a higher aristocratic strata who are slumming, or begins his rise from his lowly beginnings. I was also quite intrigued by the political forces driving the world of The Incal, which include the technology-minded scientists known as the Techno-Technos, the President who clones himself into different forms on various whims and the "Catholic Church on methamphetamines" style Technopope and his followers.
Jodorowsky, having established these forces through background news and conversations between other characters, then throws them all together into a conspiracy of galactic proportions. This collection actually ends on a cliffhanger, having not revealed the truth of the conspiracy that involves kidnapped prostitute babies, frozen saints and the addictive and popular drink Cocoloco that everyone drinks, among other things, and I desperately want to know the story behind it.
The only downside is that John DiFool never really feels like he's acting on anything, instead he's at the mercy of the plot, and I never get that much of a sense of personality from him, which is a shame given that the actual setting has a great deal of personality. Jodorowsky's weakness does seem to be characterization, though, as some of the characters express emotion in a way that is stiff and unreal, reminding me at times of manga that has been weirdly translated.
In terms of artwork, The Incal is quite impressive as well. Janjetov's painted artwork is very much in the lush, heavily detailed European style that I've come to expect after reading The Metabarons, but it also reminds me at times of the strange proportions and unusual character designs of Richard Corben. His work on blood, ugliness and violence in particular is very strong, and Janjetov really brings the dark and polluted world of The Incal to life. My only complaint is that Humanoids has inexplicably censored the books for American sensibilities, covering nudity with garish painted-in clothing or unconvincing strategically-placed arms, and it's very distracting. Especially when the themes and nature of the book hardly make it acceptable reading for kids anyway.
