The Technopriests Book One: Initiation (Technopriests (DC Comics)) [Paperback]

Alexandro Jodorowsky (Author), Zoran Janjetov (Author)

Book Description

Series: Technopriests (DC Comics) | Publication Date: August 1, 2004

Albino, bastard son of a space pirate, has only one goal, to become a member of the Technoguild and create the video games that influence every citizen in the galaxy, or die trying. And he just might! The path to become a Technopriest is a difficult one and Albino must face many trials before he can fulfill his destiny. Meanwhile, Albino's mother, brother and sister begin a perilous quest to find the brutal pirates who fathered Albino and his siblings. INITIATION tells the story of Albino's first three years of training to become a member of the powerful Technoguild.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Though still best known for such perverse cinematic epics as El Topo and Santa Sangre, Chilean eccentric Jodorowsky has always found the film medium too restrictive for his visions... For those with the stomach for imagery that makes work by Tarantino and Peckinpah look like that of Disney and Don Bluth, Humanoids' series offer unique peeks into the mind of a mad genius at his unsettling peak. --The Austin Chronicle

Collaborating with a host of the world's finest talents during the last 25 years, Jodorowsky has found in comics an art form that can accommodate his seemingly boundless imagination. --LA Weekly

About the Author

Writer Alexandro Jodorowsky, co-creator of THE METABARONS and THE INCAL and writer/director of the famous cult films EL TOPO, SANTA SANGRE and THE HOLY MOUNTAIN, collaborates with artist Zoran Janjetov and digital artist Fred Beltran to create a universe that is truly imaginative and limitless.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Humanoids, Inc. (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401203590
• ISBN-13: 978-1401203597
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,238,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Jodorowsky's Best, But Not Uninteresting, December 7, 2004

By 

J. Bukalski "comic book scholar" (Honolulu, HI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Technopriests Book One: Initiation (Technopriests (DC Comics)) (Paperback)

This is a perfectly worthwhile introductory tome to a perfectly worthwhile series. But it is not Alexandro Jodorowsky's best.

If you're new to Jodorowsky, start with INCAL or METABARONS. Most find METABARONS the most approachable, and it will blow your mind, but INCAL came first and was more influential.

TECHNOPRIESTS, like METABARONS, technically occurs in the same world born with INCAL -- but you don't need to know this to appreciate the stories.

The art in TECHNOPRIESTS really sets it apart from INCAL and METABARONS, which have pretty crisp drawn art. TECHNOPRIESTS has pretty crisp computer-generated or influenced art, and as a result it looks very sleek but also very sterile.

The problem with TECHNOPRIESTS is the story. It's another kind of impoverished-kid-gains-power story, but without the guts we expect from that sub-genre. The real problem is that, typical of computer-driven stories, we don't believe in the conflict: in such tales, the writer has to tell us that a "virtual" threat is real and we ought to be frightened or care. I think that too often with TECHNOPRIESTS we don't care.

That said, it's certainly worth having -- especially for fans of Jodorowsky. But if you haven't read INCAL and METABARONS, definitely start there. And SON OF THE GUN is better too -- a present-day (non sf) story by Jodorowsky. If you've got those (in as much as they're available), pick up TECHNOPRIESTS.

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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 'B' for Initiative, May 12, 2007

By 

Charles T. Riley "runist" (Tucson, Arizona USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Technopriests Book One: Initiation (Technopriests (DC Comics)) (Paperback)

Mr. Jodorowsky was always a favorite in the 'Metal Hurlant' (US 'Heavy Metal') publication. His high quality of panel art is sustained in the 'Technopriests' and the teens are going to love the level of fan-service: Loads of TnA and gore strewn combat. The story arc is good, though lacking the bite of his earlier work. I look forward to deciphering the continuation of this tale of spiritualistic cyberspace.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "french" is not a criticism, September 28, 2006

By 

Clastito "humble genius" (New Haven, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Technopriests Book One: Initiation (Technopriests (DC Comics)) (Paperback)

Doc Tarantula gave this 2 stars and seemed to be quite put off by the "frenchness" of a comic that was written by a Chilean. Too many americans want things to smell like apple pie and seem convinced they only need to stare at their belly buttons. Hey, Doc, you read the whole darn thing and bothered to write that lengthy review...most of the american superhero comics (which stack 90% of the stores) that I' d ever bothered to read have hit the trash before getting even halfway.
In one point of the book, albino has the challenge of sacrificing his talent to create games only to please 50 mediocre critics called..."the fifty morons". Any hints, Doc?
Truth is, any of Jodorowsky's comics is worth your reading time. I agree that this one is not the best...Son of the gun, The white lama, are my favorites and would get the full 5 stars. Bouncer, a western, is pretty good too. But, in any of Jodorowskys works, be it film, novel, or comics, you will always find something that makes you think.