The Metabarons

The last couple of weeks I managed to find highly entertaining reads like One Piece and Harry 20 on the High Rock, but there are only so many mindless adventures I can read in a row. Eventually, I need something full of adventure and somewhat thought provoking, too. I need to read something that is so good that it defies description, and I found that book in THE METABARONS VOL. 1: OTHON & HONORATA, written by Alejandro Jodorowsky, illustrated by Juan Gimenez, published by Humanoids.

The Metabarons was originally published for American audiences by the DC/Humanoids joint venture back in the early 2000s. It was printed in standard comic book format and, in typical heavy handed DC editorial fashion, the art was touched up to protect me from specific anatomical references. I read Metabarons when it was first released and loved it. When I heard that Humanoids was going to rerelease the series as a set of TPBs, I knew I had to read it again. There are very, very few books that I have reread because I am always looking for something new. This became one of the rare exceptions.

The Metabarons is the story of the universe’s greatest warrior, the Metabaron. The book is an oral history of the Metabaron as narrated by the robot Tonto to another robot, Lothar, caretakers of the Metabaron’s castle while he is away. Volume 1 recounts the tale of the first Metabaron, Othon, and how he became one of the universe’s greatest warriors. Othon is part of a reclusive caste that values honor above all else and lives in relative peace. When an accident forces the caste to reveal the secret of its wealth and power, universal war erupts. In a series of events far too complex to describe, Othon eventually has a son, even though the lower half of his body was destroyed. But, Othon will only accept the child if he can pass a series of ordeals designed to test the childs endurance of pain and beliefs of honor.

I’m not sure what I can say about the Metabarons that will do this book justice. Alejandro Jodorowsky weaves a tale that is so rich and so grand in its scale that I don’t have enough words to explain it all. In 100 pages, Jodorowsky  creates an entire universe full of complex civilizations and secret societies that put the Marvel and DC Universes to shame. At the same time he throws out concepts and ideas so fast, that it took me pages to absorb the magnitude of what he was presenting. More than once I found myself saying, "well you really can’t top that," only to turn the page and find something even grander and more bizarre. And if the settings and concepts were enough, he has characters that are so believable and so vivid that you can’t put the book down.

In Othon, Jodorowsky has created a character that possesses King Arthur’s knightly demeanor and sense of honor, and at the same time is as tortured a soul as Macbeth ever was. Othon has taken the concept of honor to the ultimate extent and it taints the decisions he makes. And just when you think that he can’t make any more deliciously bad decisions, he meets his wife Honorata who has the exact same ideals. It’s fascinating to read and watch when decisions aren’t based on love or emotion but only on honor.

The art is absolutely amazing in this series. Juan Gimenez is a master of the medium that has few equals. His figure work is grounded in the real world and doesn’t possess the normal distortions present in most superhero books. At the same time, he creates machines and designs that Kirby would envy. The best part of the latest printings: the art was restored to all its original glory.

Overall, Metabarons Volume 1 is one of the biggest, grandest comic book stories I have ever read. As I said, there are very few books that I have reread, and of those even fewer that lived up to my memories of how good they were. Not only was the Metabarons good upon second read, it actually got better with time. It is one of those rare stories that really transcends the medium and becomes something more. If you are looking for something different, then this is the book for you.

- David Lee