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The Metabarons: First Cycle
A must-read spin-off of best selling Sci-Fi masterpiece The Incal. Visionary film director and author Alejandro Jodorowsky's returns with a grand-scale space opera about family, sacrifice, and survival told within a universe immense in both scope and originality. Available in softcover for the first time!
The Metabarons chronicles the fascinating dynasty of the ultimate warrior. This collection introduces the history of the Metabarons and reveals the origins of their deep-seated principles, their vast wealth, their cybernetic implants, and their most brutal custom: that the only way for a son to become the next Metabaron is to slay his own father in mortal combat. Follow generations of Metabarons as they struggle to overcome the forces amassed against them in a galaxy corrupted by greed, power, and terror.
The Metabarons chronicles the fascinating dynasty of the ultimate warrior. This collection introduces the history of the Metabarons and reveals the origins of their deep-seated principles, their vast wealth, their cybernetic implants, and their most brutal custom: that the only way for a son to become the next Metabaron is to slay his own father in mortal combat. Follow generations of Metabarons as they struggle to overcome the forces amassed against them in a galaxy corrupted by greed, power, and terror.
538 pages, Paperback
Published May 18, 2021
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41 people want to read
About the author
Alejandro Jodorowsky
695 books1,947 followersAlso 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 31, 2023
Perhaps I should have instead begun with the Incal. I am not sure. The prequel to Jodorowski's extended universe probably makes more sense in that context.
Maybe.
Metabarons is dense, convoluted, strange, unimaginably big in scale, a fever dream, and some of the strangest misogynistic sexual politics (and kink?) I've ever seen. When the woman the at the used book store where I bought this from said something to the effect of: "Its kinda controversial, but I'm into it." That was both a sign and probably some kind of weird pickup line.
But I digress.
The writing is flat, absurd, and painfully tropy. But the overall impact manages to be interesting and mesmerizing. The art is hazy and slightly abstract. It is filled with gigantic technology and bizarre creatures. If anything, it is exceptional dreamlike. The storytelling is almost stream of consciousness. Ideas are introduced suddenly and then taper off. Between readings, I would often forget how something resolved and have to go back several pages trying to make sense of it all.
I'm not sure I can recommend it to anyone, and yet the whole thing has a kind of curious draw to it.
Maybe.
Metabarons is dense, convoluted, strange, unimaginably big in scale, a fever dream, and some of the strangest misogynistic sexual politics (and kink?) I've ever seen. When the woman the at the used book store where I bought this from said something to the effect of: "Its kinda controversial, but I'm into it." That was both a sign and probably some kind of weird pickup line.
But I digress.
The writing is flat, absurd, and painfully tropy. But the overall impact manages to be interesting and mesmerizing. The art is hazy and slightly abstract. It is filled with gigantic technology and bizarre creatures. If anything, it is exceptional dreamlike. The storytelling is almost stream of consciousness. Ideas are introduced suddenly and then taper off. Between readings, I would often forget how something resolved and have to go back several pages trying to make sense of it all.
I'm not sure I can recommend it to anyone, and yet the whole thing has a kind of curious draw to it.
April 7, 2025
A robotic servant aboard the giant spaceship residence of it's master, the Metabaron, retells the family history of the Metabarons to another curious robot as they prepare for the arrival of their lord. The epic family saga illuminates how this lineage of warriors transformed themselves from modest beginnings on a remote, resource exploited world to the most powerful mercinary force in the galaxy. In the tradition of epic poetry, the tales of each metabaronic generation rhyme and instill a sense of divine fate with the journey of every Metabaron defined by physical mutilation, robotic prosthesis, patricide, and an unlikely birth of a new descendant. However, these traditions seem to be at risk as the contemporary Metabaron "No Name" looks to end his line once and for all.
Man, it's really hard to decide how I feel about this book as there's a lot I loved and a fair amount I hated. It's not hard however to decide how I feel about Gimenez's art, which is a feast for the eyes that gorgeously depicts the expansive diversity of the galaxy through some of the best art direction I've seen in a while (especially in the design of alien species, spaceships, and natural phenonena). While I did feel the art could get crowded at times, especially during combat sequences, this was totally understandable given the absurd scale of events on display. I also quite enjoyed the overall story arc which, while still a bit opaque, was nowhere near as scattershot as "The Incal" and really fit the bill of an far flung, epic space saga. Jodorowsky's futurist prose / technobabble isn't quite as entertaining as those in other techno-dystopic works like "Halo Jones" but still lends the narration a lot of character and makes for a unique read. Now to the bad... I found the frequent banter between the two robotic servants, which attempted to provide some humorous levity between tales, fell flat and became rather grating due to the conversations constantly taking focus away from the core narrative. I also found the rampant use of sexual assault as a driver for the plot off-putting and unnecessary, with basically every chapter utilizing rape to progress the story and depicting it in an erotic light. I would argue I'm probably more forgiving than most about the use of sexual violence in comics, and have defended works similarly accused of presenting sexual assault as erotic (like "Berserk") but in those works the heinous acts on display are given thematic weight and treated as horrific formative moments in a character's journey while in this book they feel like set dressing. All that being said, I think I probably lean closer to this story being good than bad and seeing that I finished the book in almost one sitting it obviously had me engaged.
Man, it's really hard to decide how I feel about this book as there's a lot I loved and a fair amount I hated. It's not hard however to decide how I feel about Gimenez's art, which is a feast for the eyes that gorgeously depicts the expansive diversity of the galaxy through some of the best art direction I've seen in a while (especially in the design of alien species, spaceships, and natural phenonena). While I did feel the art could get crowded at times, especially during combat sequences, this was totally understandable given the absurd scale of events on display. I also quite enjoyed the overall story arc which, while still a bit opaque, was nowhere near as scattershot as "The Incal" and really fit the bill of an far flung, epic space saga. Jodorowsky's futurist prose / technobabble isn't quite as entertaining as those in other techno-dystopic works like "Halo Jones" but still lends the narration a lot of character and makes for a unique read. Now to the bad... I found the frequent banter between the two robotic servants, which attempted to provide some humorous levity between tales, fell flat and became rather grating due to the conversations constantly taking focus away from the core narrative. I also found the rampant use of sexual assault as a driver for the plot off-putting and unnecessary, with basically every chapter utilizing rape to progress the story and depicting it in an erotic light. I would argue I'm probably more forgiving than most about the use of sexual violence in comics, and have defended works similarly accused of presenting sexual assault as erotic (like "Berserk") but in those works the heinous acts on display are given thematic weight and treated as horrific formative moments in a character's journey while in this book they feel like set dressing. All that being said, I think I probably lean closer to this story being good than bad and seeing that I finished the book in almost one sitting it obviously had me engaged.
April 10, 2024
Reading a Jodorowsky comic is like embarking on a surreal journey into the depths of the unknown. Each turn of the page leaves me with a lingering sense of "wtf did I just read," as if my brain cavity has expanded to accommodate the sheer strangeness contained within. "The Metabarons: First Cycle" is no different.
Having said that, Jodorowsky's story is not without its flaws, particularly when compared to the masterpiece that is "The Incal." First, the framing story told by Tonto and Lothar is repetitive and at times annoying. I understand it might be necessary when the book was published in periodic form, but I wish more attention was given to making it enjoyable also as a graphic novel. Second, clarity in continuity sometimes eludes, with apparent contradictions scattered throughout. Nonetheless, such hiccups are overshadowed by the sheer madness and brilliance of the tale, complemented by the exceptional artwork, skillfully crafted by Giménez, that never fails to astound.
For those diving into the world of Jodorowsky, I recommend starting with "The Incal" trilogy before delving into this enigmatic work. Despite its imperfections, "The Metabarons: First Cycle" earns a solid four stars out of five, serving as another testament to Jodorowsky's unparalleled imagination and the artistic prowess of Giménez.
Having said that, Jodorowsky's story is not without its flaws, particularly when compared to the masterpiece that is "The Incal." First, the framing story told by Tonto and Lothar is repetitive and at times annoying. I understand it might be necessary when the book was published in periodic form, but I wish more attention was given to making it enjoyable also as a graphic novel. Second, clarity in continuity sometimes eludes, with apparent contradictions scattered throughout. Nonetheless, such hiccups are overshadowed by the sheer madness and brilliance of the tale, complemented by the exceptional artwork, skillfully crafted by Giménez, that never fails to astound.
For those diving into the world of Jodorowsky, I recommend starting with "The Incal" trilogy before delving into this enigmatic work. Despite its imperfections, "The Metabarons: First Cycle" earns a solid four stars out of five, serving as another testament to Jodorowsky's unparalleled imagination and the artistic prowess of Giménez.
December 2, 2022
I took an epic amount of time to finish this when oddly it was itself an epic read to get through. Having read The Incal, I came in expecting the usual weirdness from Jodorowsky. I love Mœbius’s concept work but I really appreciate Gimenez’s disturbing and sometimes visceral imagery that reminds me of a more approachable blend of Mœbius and Giger. The story here is epic and the scale is beyond the galactic, despite the characters being very human and mythological in their foibles. I struggled with some of the immaturity in terms of both the humor and the character interactions, especially with Tonto and Lothar. I get why it’s there, but it feels so deeply silly and repetitive after a while that I almost wished I’d skipped some of those sections were it not for the slight groundwork they lay for a twist coming fairly late in the the whole volume. I’ll probably read more of Jodorowsky’s stuff down the road. Not sure I’d recommend it to anyone who isn’t a pretty hardcore SF fan though. Also, the Goyer afterward fans out but I really appreciated it.
December 25, 2024
Hard to review this bizarre, sprawling work other than to say a) it's far superior to The Incal, largely because of Gimenez's fantastic art but also because Jodorowsky's approach is weirder and earthier and b) it's surely the closest we'll get to a Euro-Chilean JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (generational tragedy, with each generation weirder than the previous and more techno-incest than you previously thought imaginable (this being true regardless of how much you could imagine). Highly recommended if moms taking over the bodies of their daughters-in-law so their sons can impregnate them or headless, heartless heroes grafting ancient poets' still-living heads to their bodies so they can share a lover happens to be your thing.
December 29, 2025
Rating 3.5
Mixing Dune, mythology, philosophy, and his own concept of psychomagic, Jodorowsky gives us an epic spawned from the pages of The Incal, but that goes well beyond the mere spin-off. The plot follows more the rules of myth and symbolism, rather than logic, making some characters more narrative devices than actual fully-developed personalities, and sometimes it can be too much of a fever-dream, but one can't deny the mastery behind it, enhanced by Juan Giménez's art.
Mixing Dune, mythology, philosophy, and his own concept of psychomagic, Jodorowsky gives us an epic spawned from the pages of The Incal, but that goes well beyond the mere spin-off. The plot follows more the rules of myth and symbolism, rather than logic, making some characters more narrative devices than actual fully-developed personalities, and sometimes it can be too much of a fever-dream, but one can't deny the mastery behind it, enhanced by Juan Giménez's art.
September 17, 2023
This is a spectacular title, sui generis. Nothing about this story is expected or predictable. The hyper-realistic art contributes to making this a standout in the genre. The Incal is probably a necessary first read before tackling the Metabarons.
June 3, 2023
Incredible art
November 16, 2025
As hard as it is beautiful. Violent, brutal, weird, honest. Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews