The Incal

Author: Alejandro Jodorowsky

What happens when an avant garde filmmaker who is obsessed with the science fiction novel Dune, like Alejandro Jodorowsky, ends up collaborating with the legendary French science fiction artist Moebius? The answer is a strange, dark, powerful like The Incal, a sprawling, mad space opera that is a thing of absolute beauty. With elements borrowed from Dune, early issues of Metal Hurlant, and evenStar Trek, we are presented a galaxy where humans have spread all about, and are still kinda lame. Our hero, John DiFool, is a private eye who happens to be moody, damn-near bi-polar in his presentation. He's a tough guy, but at the same time, he's got a trusty sidekick handling the tough stuff for him! No matter how good the writing is, the fact that it got made at all is a wonder. Jodarowsky didn't know how to write a comic script, and so he mimed and told the concepts to Moebius, who then put it all together and created art that is instantly recogniseable. The out-of-this-world conceptualization, mixed with the gorgeous images, makes The Incal an absolute delight. Why it's on the list: Few graphic novels go as far into the strange as The Incal, and fewer still manage the level of incredible.