Metabarons
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The Metabarons or The Saga of The Meta-Barons is a science fantasy comic series relating the history of a dynasty of perfect warriors known as the Metabarons. The Metabarons series was written by creator Alejandro Jodorowsky and illustrated by Argentinian artist Juan Gimenez. The series, published by Humanoïdes Associés, is complete, the last volume having been released at the end of 2003.
The first appearance of a Metabaron (chronologically the last of the Metabarons) was May 1981 in the Incal comic book series as a supporting character. This was followed by a series of prequels that concerned this character's origin, presented as the narration of the droid Tonto to the droid Lothar, of his masters' achievements. The series takes place over the course of several generations, and chronicles the life of each of the five Metabarons. The stories are characterized by science fantasy on an epic scale, a background against which a space opera reminiscient of Greek tragedy plays out. The stories are also heavily influenced by Frank Herbert's Dune novels.
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[edit] Mythology
[edit] Rituals
Every Metabaron is conceived by his mother in a non-natural way (eg. by cloning or incest). In his youth he is handicapped by his father so that his endurance to pain is tested, and that he receives a powerful mechanical body part as a replacement for the destroyed limb - making every Metabaron a cyborg. The rite of succession is equally as cruel and uncompromising. In each generation, the son and heir must eventually face his father in a battle to the death. These battles have taken many forms, from hand-to-hand combat to dogfighting space duels. The rite of succession is only achieved once the cursed son succeeds in killing his father.
[edit] Bushitaka
The Bushitaka is the strict code of honor followed by the Metabarons, profoundly influenced by the Japanese bushido. It demands that the practitioner dedicate themselves to victory in all things at any cost. Compromise is never an option, and the only alternative to victory is death. Bushitaka demands that the practitioner stifle all emotion, even to the point of sacrificing their own family members in the pursuit of total victory.
[edit] Metabaronic Weaponry
Each Metabaron draws upon an array of advanced weaponry. These include cybernetically-implanted lasers, nanotech nuclear warheads implanted in the body, swords which can disintegrate in bursts of flame, and advanced spaceships. Many of the Metabarons also exhibit powerful psychic abilities.
[edit] The Dynasty
The story of the Metabarons begins on an isolated world which possessed a blue, jelly-like substance whose properties defied the laws of gravity. The planet was invaded by a space empire eager to seize the substance for themselves. The last surviving inhabitant was a tribal prince named Othon. After the planet's conquest, Othon became a mercenary of extraordinary skill and power. He wed Honorata, and was borne a son named Aghnar.
While still in his mother's womb, Aghnar was infected with the antigravity jelly, allowing him the ability to fly and hover through the air. Othon was disgusted, and exiled his son and wife to a distant planet where Honorata trained the boy to be powerful warrior. After witnessing his son's martial prowess, Othon accepted him. Aghnar was eventually forced to slay his father, and thereby seize the position of Metabaron for himself.
Aghnar wed the Princess Oda, but shortly after their wedding Oda suffered debilitating injuries. His mother Honorata used her psychic abilities to heal Oda, but was left crippled by the ordeal and forced to seclude herself. Oda bore Aghnar a son. However, it was eventually discovered that Oda's soul was destroyed, and Honorata had transferred her consciousness into Oda's body. Disgusted with his act of incest, Aghnar shot his child in the head.
Oda/Honorata could not bear to see her son/grandson slain. She fashioned a cybernetic head for the child, who would then be known as Steelhead. Like Aghnar, she trained Steelhead to become a perfect warrior. Steelhead was cruel and merciless, and returned to confront and kill his father Aghnar, in the process murdering his mother. Steelhead would eventually wed the Princess Doña Vicenta. Vicenta bore him twins, but the twins were deformed and the male child would soon die. Unable to bear the thought of raising a daughter, Steelhead put the male's brain in the female's empty skull.
The androgynous Aghora would be trained as a warrior by Steelhead, and eventually faced his/her father in single combat. After taking his/her place as Metabaron, Aghora became a mercenary warrior, as his/her fathers had been. Aghora eventually wished for an heir, but was unwilling to mate with another man. Instead, he/she extracted the male cells from his/her own brain and implanted them in his/her womb, thereby creating a male clone, in a procedure that Tonto described as 'autoincest'. It was this child who would eventually become the Nameless Metabaron who continues to reign in the "present" issues of Incal.
[edit] Publication
[edit] French
The series has been published in French as follows:
- Othon le Trisaïeul (Othon the Great-Great-Grandfather) (1992)
- Honorata la Trisaïeule (Honorata the Great-Great-Grandmother) (1993)
- Aghnar le Bisaïeul (Aghnar the Great-Grandfather) (1995)
- Oda la Bisaïeule (Oda the Great-Grandmother) (1997)
- Tête-D'Acier l'Aîeul (Steelhead the Grandfather) (1998)
- Doña Vicenta Gabriela de Rokha l'Aïeule (Doña Vicenta Gabriela de Rokha the Grandmother) (1999)
- Aghora le Père-Mère (Aghora the Father-Mother) (2002)
- Sans nom, le dernier des Métabarons (Nameless, the Last of the Metabarons) (2003)
A special volume, containing interviews with Jodorowsky and Gimenez as well as sketches, unseen art, and a short story concerning one of the Metabaron's ancestors, called La maison des ancêtres (The House of the Ancestors) was released in 2000.
[edit] English
The first six French albums were reprinted in English by DC Comics. Humanoids Publishing has plans to release the full series published so far.
Metabarons Book 2: Blood & Steel collects issues 6 through 10 of the English language reprint.
