Jerry Frissen

Simak is a graphic novel (originally a series of two BD volumes) set in a science fictional interstellar empire. It has noir and horror elements, along with overt sexual situations. Author Jerry Frissen was the first writer after the originator Jodorowsky to contribute to the Incal Universe (i.e. The Metabarons, Second Cycle), but there are no conspicuous carry-overs of character or location from the original Incal books.

The protagonist of the tale is Phoenix, whom the jacket copy describes show more as "a gifted but amnesiac policeman." He quickly goes off the books and to another planet--the "Solar Corona" of the subtitle--in a quest to avenge his partner's death. Solar Corona is a former mining colony that has become a corrupt "temple of pleasures" for the interstellar castes of humanity. The local technology emphasizes mutated interfaces with human biology, such as a pikal, a parasitic organism that provides pleasure to its host. The story is concerned to reveal information gradually about simaks: post-human creatures that can transform and reconstitute their own tissues at will.

The plot and many of the motifs in this book seemed like what you would get if you asked David Cronenberg to contribute to the Incal continuity. That sounds like a reasonably appetizing proposal to me, and I was correspondingly satisfied with the result.

Some "bonus material" appended to the reprinted BD content shows images from the digital modeling used by artist Jean-Michel Ponzio for a variety of settings in the book. The illustration style throughout has a sort of "rotoscoped" feel, with painterly effects applied over the top of rendered or photographic drafts. show less

Metabaron is alive (heh, you truly taught he can be killed?) but his ship is heavily crippled by the Orne-8's transhuman bodyguard attack.

Nameless Metabaron is still pretty fatalistic but finding happiness with Orne-8 when suddenly Orne-8 decides to leave (I wont spoil you the reason why). This puts Metabaron on a path to destroy everything linked to him and go back to his family's home-world to seek out the mysterious device that is linked to Epyphite.

Again, a cliffhanger ending (little bit show more weird one too but I think/hope answers will be provided in next volume).

I am truly pleased there are no sadistic tantrums and shocks in this story (this makes it 2nd in sequence). Story becomes more about story and less about mutilations and carnage for the carnage sake.

Recommended to fans of epic SF and Metabarons saga. show less

Second story of conflict between Metabaron (current one, aka No-Name) and Techno-Techno (man this is funny) sadistic Admiral. Successful in obtaining Metabaron DNA, Admiral creates the clone - Khonrad. As deadly as his genetic source Khonrad gets primed to kill No-Name but soon moral dilemma gets into his way.

Same as before Jodorowsky tell the story that shocks a lot (albeit it has more sense here than in previous issues) and follows the path of the folk hero epics (e.g. being born as grown show more up man using buffalo/animal).

Art is as great as in volume #1 while story is rather terse - No-name behaving like he has no intention to mess up with ordinary folks any more because he has seen end of everything with his inner-eye. This leads to very short action and story in general sequences - but again, "veni, vidi, vici" seems to be Jadorowski's approach from the start for Metabaron saga.

Recommended to fans of epic SF and Metabarons saga. show less

DNF. Too much gratuitous nudity and sex that had no value fo the plot.