Review: RASL collected edition by Jeff Smith

"RASL," a sci-fi noir about a military engineer who figures out how to "drift" between parallel realities shows cartoonist Jeff Smith stretching a bit from the kid-friendly, fantasy antics of his very popular "Bone" series. And the result is a mixed success.

Originally published in 12 black-and-white comics released between 2008 and 2012, the collected "RASL" is due out in a full-color hardcover this fall. Only the first 60 or so pages of the review copy I received are in color, but the results are very good, though I enjoy Smith's black and white art, too.

The story is intriguing, mixing factual and speculative details about the work of pioneering scientist Nikola Tesla into a plot that sees the title character go AWOL due to his objections to Tesla's ideas being used to create a terrible weapon.


Using what look like jet turbines strapped to his arms and legs, RASL travels between dimensions, stashing away Tesla's lost journals and hiding out from the dark government forces who want to find him and his secrets. In an element of the story that's not fully developed, RASL ends up making a living by stealing art in one dimension -- works by Picasso and others created in an alternate reality but not in ours -- and selling them in another. He also falls in love with a prostitute and drinks a lot.

These elements seem to be present mainly to create a gritty atmosphere to the tale, but don't tell us much about RASL and what makes him tick. We understand his objection to Tesla's discoveries being used for violence, but why art thievery? Why did he fall so hard for this woman? These ideas aren't developed. Nor is there any explanation for why RASL wears what appears to be a wicker African face mask when he "drifts."


There are plenty of ideas here, many of them compelling and original, but more development is needed to give them full weight.

Smith's art is moody and expressive, and his visuals achieve the noirish tone he's striving for, even while his characters are drawn in the same kewpie doll/manga-style used for the humans in "Bone": Big heads on small bodies, lots of hair.

The structure of "RASL" is complex, shifting between alternate realities and back and forth through time. At times, I wished that Smith had paced the action more linearly instead of using flashbacks. It might have helped him to develop his characters more and to provide better explanations for the relationships between them. But flashbacks seem de rigueur post "Lost" when it comes to genre storytelling. Even so, Smith's visuals tell the story clearly with a nice flow.

Despite it's shortfalls, "RASL" is an interesting work by an accomplished cartoonist. It's good to see Smith branching out and taking risks when he could easily relax and enjoy the success of "Bone" and just do more of the same. I'm looking forward to seeing what he tackles next.


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