RASL, Vol. 1: The Drift

Rasl is an art-thief, but he has an edge when it comes to staging getaways. Using some distinctive and unwieldy machinery, he can move into other worlds, thereby evading pursuit. It takes a heavy toll, and Rasl self-medicates with alcohol and meditation. Quite why an art-thief would have access to this technology, or why someone with access to this technology would choose to be an art thief, is the central mystery to this comic as it slowly unfolds. Rasl is attacked by a man of bizarre appearance - someone has found him and is determined to chase him down.

This was Jeff Bone's next project after the child-friendly Bone. Rasl is a tougher, grittier, adult work, with sex and violence, drinking and swearing, so don't go giving it to the show more kids if they're fans of Fone Bone & co. All Smith's skills as a cartoonist are o display, however, lots of silent sequences, natural landscapes and unhurried action. The volume ends with questions left unanswered, and I have the next volume already on order. show less

I’ve heard plenty of recommendations for Jeff Smith’s work so I was pleased to pick up a copy of RASL. And even more pleased having reading it. It tells the story of a man who can move through time or as it turns out jump to parallel Earths using a semi mobile piece of kit. As he jumps his movements are being tracked by a weird looking guy, possibly working for a covert organisation. Although this story might not be ground breaking in its basic element, i.e. time travel/parallel worlds, the story is beautifully paced with intrigue a plenty to keep me turning the page. The artwork is glorious with a high degree of panels without dialogue or exposition. The black and white artwork, a strong and punchy style is allowed to breath on the show more page. Just loved it. show less

Such an interesting follow up to Bone and I give Jeff Smith a lot of credit for going in a completely different direction. The oversized nature of the work allows the art to really breathe and the presentation of the material is stunning. I can't say the plot or characters are as striking as we had in Bone, but it's definitely worth a read.

I was, and still am, madly in love with Jeff Smith's Bone series, so when I saw a new graphic novel volume sitting on the library shelf, I had to read it right away. Smith steps away from the mystical and into straight science fiction with Rasl.

Rasl is an outcast, a former scientist, not art thief, who accomplishes his crimes by jumping back and forth between alternate worlds. A strange ape/lizard-like man is tailing him through the worlds, however, a man who works for the Compound and wants something Rasl has taken.

Being book one, there is a lot of introduction and explanation to get out of the way, but Smith expertly weaves it into the action of the story. Already he's brought several characters into life that are interesting, ones show more that I can't wait to know more about, and I'm sure they will all grow to be more complex and interesting as the story continues. I kinda wish I had some to this with story complete, because now I've got to impatiently wait for the next compilation. show less

Rasl is a suspenseful science fiction/action/romance graphic novel by Jeff Smith, the creator of Bone. In this volume, the reader is introduced to Rasl, an art thief who has a machine that lets him hop into parallel universes.

Rasl used to be a respected scientist, working at a government compound. He and his childhood friend are trying to use the ideas of Nikola Tesla to certain ends. When Rasl and his friend have a falling out over an invention that has the capacity, if used in a certain way, to do extreme harm to the world and mankind, Rasl sets fire to the compound and absconds with the invention, the one that helps him skip to alternate universes. To make ends meet, he steals Picassos from alternate universes and sells them to an show more art dealer in our universe.

Meanwhile, he is being pusrued by a reptilian thug hired by the compound who is after the item that contains the information they need to rebuild the dangerous technology they were building at the compound: the secret diaries of Nikola Tesla.

This has a little something for everyone, or most people anyway. I am really looking forward to reading the next trades (but it's not sooooo thrilling that I need to troll the comic shop for single issues. Not like Neonomicon). show less

The long awaited new series by the creator of the popular all-ages Bone chronicles, the mature audiences science fiction tale Rasl centers around the eponymous dimension-hopping thief. Drawn in Smith's trademark clean, cartoony style, Rasl Volume 1: The Drift entertains and thrills while introducing a complex, interesting tale. Sadly, the volume is all too short, leaving the reader unsatisfied and yearning for more of what promises to be an excellent adventure tale.

I fully admit that I really don't comprehend the science behind the drift and the parallel universes but I do find the mystery interesting. I want to know who the lizard man is why he and RASL are the only ones who can travel and what happened between RASL and Maya. I like the black and white art. I feel like it adds to the mood of the story.