The Incal, Vol. 3: What Lies Beneath

L'Incal

by Alejandro Jodorowsky

The Sci-Fi masterpiece by Moebius and Jodorowsky about the tribulations of the shabby detective John Difool as he searches for the precious and coveted Incal. John Difool, a low-class detective in a degenerate dystopian world, finds his life turned upside down when he discovers an ancient, mystical artifact called The Incal. Difool's adventures will bring him into conflict with the galaxy's greatest warrior, the Metabaron, and will pit him against the awesome powers of the Technopope. These encounters and many more make up a tale of comic and cosmic proportions that has Difool fighting for not only his very survival, but also the survival of the entire universe.

Genres: Comics, Bande Dessinée, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Fantasy, Comic Book

57 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Also credited as Alexandro Jodorowsky

Better known for his surreal films El Topo and The Holy Mountain filmed in the early 1970s, Alejandro Jodorowsky is also an accomplished writer of graphic novels and a psychotherapist. He developed Psychomagic, a combination of psychotherapy and shamanic magic. His fans have included John Lennon and Marilyn Manson.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is allover the place. John Difool inexplicably uses powers he didn‘t have in the previous volume. Behold the penis-shaped starship in the middle of this one. Wow, this story makes no sense. And the characters have no emotional depth. Upsettings things happen and they don‘t react or self-reflect at all. Pretty chaotic. Not my favourite.

[Veronique · Rating 3 out of 5]

And the nonsense carries on! LOL

I’m not focusing any longer on the ‘plot’, whatever there is of it. I’m pretty sure Jodorowsky did this on purpose, but it is not my cup of coffee.

No, my interest resides in the artwork. That is much richer! Moebius keeps changing the feel of his settings, which can be unsettling. Yes, there is a lot of stereotyping (how women and ships are portrayed, for instance) but I accept this is a comic of its time, even though it pushed the barrier on other aspects.

[G.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finalmente si arriva a una conclusione dopo un percorso tutt'altro che agevole e si scopre il vero ruolo di John.

[Alex Sarll]

Still a combination of intermittently brilliant ideas, fabulous visuals, and a terrible script. I'm almost impressed that even in a planet-sized garbage dump, they can find an excuse for a practically nude warrior woman; on the other hand, having obstacles which the heroes can only penetrate through enlightenment, but their pursuer simply clobbers through, manages to unite the least appealing aspects of hippy bollocks and gung-ho nonsense.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Lies Below starts off pretty amazingly: our main characters brought together into a group of seven, now traveling to previously unknown, legendary places beneath the world. However, therein lies some of its flaws too. By grouping everyone together we (mostly) lose the interesting multithreaded nature of the previous books; it also turns out to be too many for the author to give us much characterization. And then at the end, we start meeting weird hippy-dippy philosophy stuff.

It's still a fun read, and a worthwhile continuation, but not as good as what lay before.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start by saying I think these three books are at the pinnacle of the vast amount of graphic novels that have passed before my eyes. So I have to re-read them every so often. There is a re-working, re-colorized version available, along with the 'Before The Incal' stories, but the cheap bastards printed them so small you can barely read the goddamn things. Doing an enormous disservice to Moebius's artwork in the process. These three are the ones I first read as a snotnose, and therefore the most precious. Unfortunately, they are no longer readily available. Or if you can find them, the price is exorbitant. But, ya know, these are so good, it just might be worth it. It's only money after all, and this is Jodorowsky and Moeibius at their most magnificent. Not to be missed!!!

[Tristan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This, the third episode, is the weakest of the series, both in terms of the sloppy graphics and the nonsensical story, which is just a madcap chase embroidered with some clumsy mystical bullshit. Neither the art nor the writing has the detail or the inventiveness of what came before. It’s almost a self parody, realising that the story has literally reached the bottom. Really quite disappointing compared to the previous two episodes and the following one.

[William Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genius

Probably one of the most visionary graphic novel series ever created, an absolute must read.Jodorowsky and Moebius are known visionaries and this work has influenced countless other works including films, books and music

[Daniel Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Incal keeps getting better - and wierder - as it goes on!

[Kevin Gentilcore · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is there to say? It's two master artists combining their awesomeness. It's about as good as a thing can be.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the peak of Incal. Just utterly mad, utterly fun and utterly wonderful. I particularly love Wolfhead.

[Bruno Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neste 3° livro do Incal somos inundados de mística cabalista e o livro torna-se complexo e mais profundo. Temos também traições e crueldade intensa nos antros políticos e de conquista de poder.
Na descida do lago de ácido os 6 heróis vão parar a uma lixeira sem fim, reflexo do espírito humano de imundície. Nessa lixeira John encontra um rato que aumenta de tamanho e de repente estão rodeados de psico ratos, animais que se alimentam do medo dos humanos . Para os salvar surge Animah, a rainha dos ratos que pede que façam um vazio mental para controlarem os ratos. No entretanto a necro sonda continua a perseguir os heróis sentindo um contacto telepático hiper potente com Animah.
A forma de travar a necro sonda começa por ser a invocação do poder unido dos 2 incais, com Animah e John Difool a invocar os mesmos e travar o ritmo de progressão da necro sonda. É o poder dos 2 incais que ajuda a salvar a madrinha Tanatah puxando o veneno do lado direito e dando forças de reconstrução do lado esquerdo .
Para fugir de uma tempestade de lixo o grupo, agora 7, refugia-se dentro de um contentor. O rei mutante do lixo tenta atacar o contentor mas mais uma vez a fusão dos 2 incais coloca o contentor em voo na direção do porta do coração sol onde o grupo atravessa um labirinto em direção a um pentáculo (pentagrama dentro de um círculo) que os vai permitir fazendo as pazes que faltam (Tanatah com a sua irmã Animah, Solune com a sua mãe Animah e kill com John Difool ) e com essa paz vão conseguir ascender ao coração sol do centro terra.
No centro da galáxia a nave de Kamar Raimo, que representa os planetas coloniais de forma justa, dirige-se ao planeta de ouro em plena assembleia geral imperorial para revelar a traição cometida pelo Ekonomat, técnicos tecnos e pelo Iman horlog, facões sedentas pelo poder absoluto , que foi a destruição de mundos através da obliteração de um sol por um ovo sombra. E é nesta manipulação e traição que a imperoratriz é assassinada e o Iman Horlog e a sua manipuladora Stirlog se tornam o poder absoluto . E a primeira ação do novo ditador é de enviar Kamar Raimo e a sua equipa para o planeta prisão coberto de tempestades permanentes e constituído totalmente por água , Aquaend. Mas entretanto os Berg já invadiram vários sistemas humanos e a revolta e motins devido à transmissão em direto pelo sistema 3d alastrou-se aos outros planetas do império . É o caos absoluto .
Em paralelo temos a chegada dos 7 , como número místico , ao coração sol recebidos por 12 guardas Arhats, para permitir entrar na floresta dos cristais cantantes colocando-se em uníssono com o espelho e atravessando o mesmo. São adormecidos na floresta quando Deepo decide tocar num cristal e ver o que acontece mas acordam com a chegada destrutiva do invólucro de destruição , agora um necro tanque.
Ao chegarem ao topo da torre de cristal os nossos 7 heróis descem para a porta da transfiguração onde cada um vai encontrar o seu lugar específico , ficando no centro Solune (Sol e Lua, masculino e feminino) que completa a transfiguração numa esfera de pontas de luz que voa para a ilha das pirâmides para criar a nave estrela.
Essa ilha tem a pirâmide branca no topo e a pirâmide negra em baixo com as pontas truncadas para poder receber da mãe o incal negro na raiz e do pai o incal luminoso no cume, ou seja, o incal negro sob a pirâmide branca e o incal luminoso sobre a pirâmide negra. Neste momento é feita a revelação surpreendente que John Difool é o pai de Solune pois Animah transformou-se em omeo-prostituta e iludiu o detetive de classe R, pois havia uma forte probabilidade do código genético que favorecesse a mutação de Solune passasse por ele.
E com a colocação dos incais as pirâmides fundem-se e forma-se a nave estrela . O necro tanque não desiste a sua perseguição louca e Difool na sua frustração de ter sido enganado por todos passa uma mensagem fulcral à câmara 3d com patas (o que sobra do necro tanque e presidente ) que é “saiam de casa! Enfrentem o mundo! Caminhem para a luz!” Esta mensagem cada vez é mais importante neste momento tecno.
E para terminar a primeira viagem da nave estrela é ir a caminho do ovo de sombra lançado pelos tecnos que está a devorar o sol.

[Adam K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Psychorats, flying leeches, an order to (paraphrasing) shoot anyone who is not applauding loudly enough, and one of the characters transforming into a consciousness of a spaceship. To put it differently, volume 3. gives us more of the imaginative, over-the-top narrative we came to expect from the previous two parts. As much I enjoyed it and liked how many original and classic sc-fi motifs are interwoven together here, it felt like Jodorowsky and team were trying to outdo themselves in stacking together as many crazy ideas as possible. Nevertheless, the tale thus far fits into a whole. Perhaps it is not neat or carefully designed, but it is definitely fun and at times thought provoking. Let's see where do we fly to next!

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

La calidad sigue igual que la anterior. Tiene muchos mensajes juntos que me gustaría verlos dramatizados en una serie. Aunque a veces es experimental en algunas esquinas, en otras es bastante cliché. Yo solo estoy aquí para observar qué tan loco puede llegar a ser, y hasta ahora no ha decepcionado. Pero en cuanto a expresar esas extrañas ideas que tiene Jodorowsky, Moebius fracasa. Por ejemplo, en una situación, las gravedad es más débil, pero en vez de expresar eso de manera gráfica, se reduce a un par de burbujas de diálogo.

[Andrew D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continues as it started

The adventure continues for all and some characters we meet along the way, but the fact that each new setting brings with it a completely new set of characters organizations, ideas and cultures, but his hand waved away as “as you know the blah blah blah…. “It starts to feel a bit exhausting. The imagery is beautiful the art and some of the ideas are wonderful, but I wonder if it will ever stop feeling like a surrealist exercise.

[Ridanwise · Rating 2 out of 5]

At this point, the only thing keeping glued to The Incal is the morbid curiosity boiling within me: I am dying to see how this absolute dumpster-fire of badly interlaced plots and clumsily delivered exposition reaches some sort of resolution. And this is supposed to be a classic?

[Daval Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easily my least favorite of the series so far. Could definitely have used a more cohesive plot and a little less exposition. I would probably have given up at this point but i'll press on a bit more because it's Jodo.

[Corbin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay but not as good

This definitely felt like an interquel rather than a true sequel. Still a good adventure but not quite as imaginative. The story somewhat stalled but did setup for a new part in the adventure.

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's no difool like an old difool.

Good color artwork from the pages of heavy metal magazine. The incals are travelling to a metaphysical destination. Little will be explained, action rules.

[Hugo Domingos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muita imaginação!

Gostei da narrativa e da parte gráfica.
Apesar de ter muitos anos, envelheceu bem.
A narrativa é muito imaginativa. Vale a pena.

[Grehgarious · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only understood ~70% of the french and the art is incredible. The story seems primitive but it's still fun to read.

[Vitaliy Hristyuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible!

This gem of a book need to be more widely-known. Authors are magicians, as they move you to a another time and place.

[Audrey Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

Technoguild? Necroprezident? Emperoress? Troglosocialik United Colonial Forces?!? I'm ok without a discernible plot so long as the silly naming conventions keep getting stepped up

[Dale Regnier · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Incal#3

Light versus dark...
Who knew that a world's centre was this diverse?
The ones in power are the worst...fiction copies life?

[Hubert Ricard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Voir tome 6

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting trippy

[Moonglum · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome conclusion to the first 2 volumes-- funky, psychedelic, satirical, and fun.

[Jeffrey Greek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm starting to think these fellows may have partaken of some illicit substances on a few occasions.

[Sonny Strait · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant

This is Moebius and Jodorowsky at their best. Mind blowing and expanding. A must read for mystic comic book fans.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wtf sérieux