Deconstructing the Metabarons

The second reference guide to the Jodoverse, focused on unveiling the secrets of the Universe's fiercest warrior clan: the Metabarons.

Deconstructing the Metabarons sheds light on the secrets surrounding the celestial clan of warriors, first introduced in the the seminal science-fiction graphic novel, which has become the cornerstone of the Jodoverse, The Incal. This encyclopedic reference book is packed with fascinating insights from the Metabaron's original creators, Jodorowsky and Mœbius, alongside revealing text, and rare and unseen preliminary illustrations from Juan Gimenez. Discover the complexities of the Metabarons' sacred bloodline, traveling all the way their inception, through the tales of the intricacies of the expanded Universe and into the recent relaunch, The Metabaron.

When he was little, Christophe Quillien dreamed of being a superhero. Alas, he quickly realized that life had given him a single super-power: writing. Since then, he has busied himself by writing books on comics. He published Grandes aventurières et femmes fatales de la bande dessinée (Huginn & Muninn), Méchants, crapules et autres vilains de la bande dessinée (Huginn & Muninn), La Bande dessinée (Gallimard Jeunesse), Le Guide des 100 bandes dessinées incontournables (Librio), La Bande dessinée à Paris (Parigramme). Il a aussi écrit des articles sur la BD (et d’autres sujets moins sérieux) dans la presse: The Good Life, Rolling Stone, Epok, Le Magazine Littéraire, Le Monde, Les Inrockuptibles, Télérama Sortir… He has also written articles about comics (and other less serious topics) in the press: The Good Life, Rolling Stone, Epok, The Literary Magazine, The World, Inrockuptibles, Télérama Sortir ...

Born February 7th, 1929, in Tocopilla, Chile, of a Jewish Ukrainian immigrant family.

Jodorowsky was multi-talented from an early age, becoming skilled in puppetry and mime, in addition to writing, by his late teens. He traveled with a pantomime troupe in the 1950s, and within a couple years had made his way to Paris where he collaborated with the world-renowned mime Marcel Marceau.

In the 1960s, Jodorowsky ventured further into the world of theater, creating in Mexico, the Panic Movement. This innovative artistic movement allowed him to creatively participate in over a 100 theater productions. The 1970s saw him transition into the world of film where he quickly put a defining stamp on all his cinematic works. He directed several cult films, namely the infamous "El Topo," a Midnight movie favorite. Shortly thereafter, Jodorowsky became attached to direct the adaptation of the famous Frank Herbert sci-fi epic novel "Dune." At the preparation stage of the film, he brilliantly assembled a team of extremely diverse and gifted artists such as HR Giger, Chris Foss, Dan O'Bannon, and Moebius, all of who would later be hired as concept artists on Ridley Scott's "Alien." The development of "Dune" came to a halt due to financial problems, but Jodorowsky, having been exposed to such immense visual talent, propelled himself into writing graphic novels, pairing up with the artist Moebius. This collaboration resulted in what many consider to be one of the most creative European sci-fi graphic novel series of all time, "The Incal," which went on to sell millions of copies worldwide.

Since penning "The Incal," Jodorowsky continued writing top selling comic books with a wide variety of Europe's most talented artists, such as "The White Lama" (with Bess), "The Metabarons" (with Gimenez), "The Technopriests" (with Janjetov), and most recently "Bouncer" (with Boucq).

Along with nurturing his many other talents, Jodorowsky remains a unique storyteller whose published contributions have secured his status as one of the world's most prolific graphic novel writers.

Born November 26th, 1943 in Mendoza, Argentina.

Gimenez finished his high school education as an industrial design major and advanced his artistic education by attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Barcelona, Spain, where he studied drawing. For the next few years, he dedicated himself to the drawing of comic books, both back in his native Argentina with such publishers as Colomba and Record, as well as in Spain, contributing to magazines such as Zona 84, and Comix International. By this point, Gimenez had made quite a name for himself for his extremely detailed renditions of machinery, chiefly in the war and science fiction genres. His art further propelled him to international collaborations, and it was in 1979 that he was first published in France with a series of titles including “Leo Roa," which he also wrote. The following year, he participated, as a creative designer, on a segment of the film “Heavy Metal." For the next decade, he continued his work in comic book magazines, notably the French comics anthology Metal Hurlant and the Italian L'Eternauta.

The 1990s saw him strengthening his fan base as he was repetitively voted best artist by European audiences, a recognition that was mirrored in the festival and critical realms, with such awards as the Gaudi award at the Feria Internacional del Comics de Barcelone, in 1990. In 1992, he meets Alejandro Jodorowsky for the first time, and the two began work on “The Metabarons," a sci-fi saga of epic proportions in both art and story. It is to this day regarded as one of the true graphic novel classic of the genre and it continues successful sales around the world.

Gimenez currently maintains a consistent yet varied workload, lending his talents as illustrator to covers for CD albums and novels, as well as serving as a concept artist on video games, and motion pictures. He also remains in high demand as a graphic novel artist, collaborating with some of Europe's most acclaimed authors such as Carlos Trillo, Emilio Balcarce, and Roberto Dal Prà, when he is not writing his own stories as he successfully continues to do, as with “The Fourth Power" collection.

On April 2nd, 2020, he passed away in his home province of Mendoza, Argentina, from COVID-19 complications.