As with all reviews on this website, our goal is not to provide a complete overview of the book; rather, it is to examine how the book relates to the meaning of life.
The Incal: Psychoverse by Mark Russell is the first time the Jodoverse, so to speak, has been opened outside of the mind of Alejandro Jodorowsky. It is essentially a prequel to The Incal.
The series combines elements from across the Jodoverse, including characters like John Difool, Metabaron, Wolfhead, Solune, etc. Also introduced in the series we have the Psycho-Nuns found only in the Psychoverse (the place where beings go when they die). A small number of Pyscho-Nuns declare war on the material world as the Incal goes missing (maybe even stolen). John Difool, a class-R detective is sent to investigate what the heck is going on, and only the band of misfits can save the universe from the Psychoverse.
With that said, let's focus on the parts of the series that touch upon the meaning of life rather than giving a complete overview.
When John Difool visits the Berg world, only to be chased away to a moon unbeknownst to the Berg, he strikes it rich and fathoms that all the money he's found will give him more time to explore spiritual endeavors (and whores). This leads us to a great question, after all, if an individual is constantly struggling just to survive, how can that individual have any time to spend on spirituality? Sounds like a classical Maslow's Hierarchy dilemma, though Viktor Frankl in the book, Man's Search of Meaning, has some ideas about creating meaning amidst suffering.
In the above panel, we revisit the idea that there is no purpose in our creation, we are only what we become. Does that mean we can determine our own purpose in life? This expansion of the Jodoverse doesn't explore the concept much further, but the idea is explored in the original Incal series. Russell, just as he does in The Flintstones series, wrestles with the idea of fate and spirituality, about finding our place in the universe (or Pyschoverse), and overcoming our past.
The Incal: Psychoverse also investigates ideas like fatherhood through the Metabaron trying to change what he has become—to end the cycle of violence, to love his androgynous child.
Overall, the series was a fun read and can be finished in one night. But at the same time, it didn't quite capture the magic that Alejandro Jodorowsky once did so many years ago. If you read the new Incal, what did you think? Comment below and let us know.
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