Customer Reviews

The Metabarons: Path of the Warrior

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Several things I'd read about this prior to buying it called it "space opera." After reading the first volume, I would say it's more like "space Shakespeare." I don't mean Love's Labors Lost. Think Titus Andronicus in all it's rape/mutilation/torture/dismemberment/cannibalism glory.

Our story begins with--and all too frequently returns to--a framing sequence in which one robot spins yarns of the beginnings of the Metabaron clan to another. These bookend pieces are awkward in the extreme. They make far too much use of such non-futuristic terms as "diodes" and "circuits" and "ultra-coolant." It is likely that they are just as awkward in the original French, and not simply a victim of the tyrrany of translation. Fortunately, its well worth fighting through these bits to get to the meat of the tale.

Thats where the payoff comes. We're presented with Othon Von Salza, an average enough crown prince of an average enough planet until the entire galaxy takes an interest in the family's powerful secret. Through a complex series of events--involving love, betrayal, intergalactic politics, space warfare, genital mutilation by laser blaster, mechanical space sharks, more space warfare, and genetically-engineered hermaphroditic fetuses (I'm not making this up)--Othon transforms into the irredeemably nasty patriarch of the ultra-powerful and self-abusive Metabarons.

The most frustrating thing about this story is its sheer density. There are six untold tangent stories hovering between the frames of each page. An obviously rich and complex back-story is sped past like so much roadside scenery, sometimes at the cost of clarity. But what story we get is engrossing and compelling, if perhaps a little gut-wrenching.

This seems to be the first Humanoids volume of the series. DC has taken over English distribution for Humanoids, [...]

The DC version is slightly different. This one collects the first five issues. The DC one goes back to the French original volumes and collects the first two, serialized by Humanoids as the first four issues. In other words, this Humanoids volume has half a book more in it, but that material opens the second DC volume. The DC versions are on cheaper paper but in a wider format that doesn't leave the white space at the top and bottom of the page, which the Humanoids versions (on high-grade paper) have. Also, the Humanoids versions were censored: clothes are added in some scenes.

In response to Avik Kumar Maitra, that 10-page story telling the origin of the clan was reprinted by Humanoids in a slim volume along with other miscellany, including pages cut from Incal showing the Metabaron and a preview of a new Metabarons series. The same 10-page story is included in the back of the first DC volume, the same one linked to above.

-- Julian Darius, Sequart.com (for the sophisticated study of comic books and graphic novels)

You know it's true. Your inner teenage brat is crying out for something in which the forces of light can clearly trump the forces of darkness, even if they have to be as evil as the the bad guys. Jodorowsky is your man. Because his artists have lots of time to do their art, the art is always stunning. One of the reviewers here complained of cliches in the story. And there are times when the resolution to problems seems too pat. But the plot twists are so durned hilarious that you can completely overlook it.

My sole complaint with this series of books is directed at Humanoids Publishing. I would really prefer to see this whole series collected in a giant edition, like Marvel is doing with Grant Morrison's X-Men (usually also quite amusing) and Bendis's Spider-Man. That way we get the art at the size it was intended to be seen at AND we get the entire story arc.

In a future so distant 'Paleo Terra' is just a myth, two robots exchange stories of their master the Metabaron while awaiting his return. And what wonderful stories they are! The first Metabaron Othon loses his wife and is forced cripple his son while defending his world. Soon after he accidentally kills his own son and is injured unable to father children. Eventually he does find a new love who bears him a son, but the this only leads to a new tragic twist...

Jodorawsy and Gimenez's Metabarons is one of the greatest space opera series I have ever read. It is filled with mad ideas and fantastic painted art. Fans of Frank Herbert's Dune or Games Workshop's Warhammer 40k series will see some familiar elements here, but that is not say Metabarons ever feels derivative or redundant.

Jodorawsy's use of language really conveys that this is an alien society, as strange to us as the 21st C would be a medieval peasant.

With the English rights to Metabarons in flux it is sadly out of print but if you can find a copy for around $20-30 pick it up, you won't be disappointed.

Truly epic in proportion, and narrated by a robot servant, this tale grows like a medieval tale sung by a minstrel. Yes it is exagerated, it is violent, (very slight spoiler alert) one hero with a dagger kills a host of fully armoured and armed to the teeth endoguards, the girl always falls in love with the dark, silent and brave hero, every hero and heroine gives his/her life away gladly for his/her code of honour or for love, etc...just like Roland splits the mountain with his sword, or Lancelot defeated hundreds of enemies, etc!

From ruler of a low tech world with a powerfull secret, to becoming THE Metabaron and the most powerful warrior in the universe...the rise of the Von Salza family is interesting and operatic.

in an imaginative (although not entirely original) way, the author probably adapted many sources including historical warrior creeds,and romances like Dune or Star Wars in a dark and gritty vision of the future.

There is also an interesting "jargon" that, although not very credible, gives a certain Theatrical atmosphere and distancing the reader from the events (the way historical fiction normally uses certain expressions not used nowadays).

Gimenez art is very good and works remarkably well with the text. The perfect bodies, the power of the emotions and pain are masterly represented.

There are some things, in my perspective, that could have been avoided (like the "monkeys" understanding Aghnar language, or the microimplanted bombs...if the metabaron had a simple accident and for some bad luck was pierced by anything, he would explode??!?).

But Jodorowsky gave us a full universe, with interesting characters, factions (like the Shabda-Oud) and (spoiler alert) the plot to make the perfect being...the Metabaron opponents have a strong motive for their actions.

Jodorowsky's creation is larger then this saga; those of you that appreciated the storyline and became curious about the story of the powerful metabaron, should also read the Incal.

Don't miss this fine Graphic Novel.

I just got the Humanoids version of this trade paper back, and was excited to tear into it since I'd heard about it for a long time. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. I am a big fan of Alejandro Jodorowsky's film work (Holy Mountain... perhaps the greatest surreal film?), and was anxious to see what he had been doing since Santa Sangre. I've also recently gotten into comics, have been burying my nose in a lot of eccentric graphic novels (Dave Sim, Alan Moore, Harvey Pekar, Neil Gaiman, Will Eisner, Jack Kirby), and was hoping to find something a little more surreal or avant garde. I've read very little from European or South American creators, but from what I've seen Euro comics often have very interesting painted art with better printing than U.S. counterparts. Maybe I should have picked up some of his famous work with Moebius instead, but I really can't help feeling that many of the flaws of this volume lie with Jodorowsky, rather than illustrator Juan Gimenez. The art is for the most part impressively painted - the only complaint being that even though the images look beautiful, it's often difficult to follow the continuity from panel to panel. In some of the more action-packed scenes, devoid of proper context clues in surrounding panels, I was not even aware of what I was supposed to be looking at sometimes... spaceship dogfights appearing like lots of lines and explosions zipping around. I have to admit that mostly it looks amazing, especially the scenery. The story, on the other hand, is highly derivative of Dune (yes, I know AJ was supposed to direct an adaptation of Herbert's novel in the 1970s), and all of the characters are so warlike, stoic, and emotionless that it's almost impossible to feel any kind of connection with them. No one seems to have a discernible personality or motivation aside from the two obnoxious robots who provide the gimmicky framing of the story. In the end, this book reads exactly like you would expect - Dune meets Heavy Metal (not exactly a good thing as you'd hope in this case, unfortunately). I really wanted to love Metabarons - or even LIKE it, but the writing was extremely cold and humorless with precious little of the crackling mysticism of Jodorowsky's films. I will only consider buying future volumes if I find them very, very cheap. Perhaps it takes off from here???

I have bought this book, and I have mixed feelings about it. The story, as the other reviewers have already mentioned, is complex - but not too deep, and is full of cliches. The artwork is also ambiguously good - Gimenez is a master of both colour and line, but not of continuity. Check out the children - it's his Achilles heel. He even draws Othon's first wife Edna in an irregular sort of way, and I sometimes got confused between her and Bari, Othon's son. Also, when I read the first book on Metabarons in the "Heavy Metal" magazine (July 1995), there were ten pages in the earlier portion concerning the current Metabaron. Those pages are missing from this book. Can anyone out there tell me why?

This book when I first saw it I knew I had to pay the mere [amount]to have it on my collection. The story is a wonderful space opera, and I adore futuristic settings. This story also had a mixture of drama and action...some melancholy segments, and ones where you wanted to hero to come out in the end. The book doesnt contain the entire series but it definatly will leave you wanting more. The art is spectacular and the story flows together wonderfuly. You people will want to pick up this book!

This is typical jodorosky. I've read a number of his works and they're all the same: excellant imaging centered around violence, and a story line which only serves to support that violence. If you're into it, fine; but I've read this book and the next ("blood and steel") and I don't see myself getting the third.
And, I agree totally with the other reviewer. The two robots (one telling the story to the other) are tedious in the extreme.
Buy it for the art; but don't expect much else.