Megalex
August 13, 2020 by admin_name
Megalex
Created by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Fred Beltran
www.ink2quill.com
“Megalex” is a scifi graphic novel that takes place on the city planet of Megalex. Yes. The planet of Megalex covers the entire planet save for two areas known as The Dead Zone and The Chem Forest. Megalex is a planet with a corrupt ruling family comprised of the Queen Mother Marea, King Yod and princess Kavatah and the nobility who rule the planet from the gubernatorial palace of Calam. The story begins when our protagonist, a giant clone initially name of Anomaly, escapes from extermination with his group. The clones are only allowed to live for 400 days. The police clone Anomaly barely escapes and is eventually rescued by way of a chem root by the undergrounder, freedom fighter named Adama. The undergrounders, or freedom fighters, use a strange technology of roots abd are led by a hunchback named Zerain. The masses of Megalex are a drug addeled, unhealthy bunch completely pacified by the ruling class.
I loved this graphic novel for its ideas, some of which aren´t completely orignal, but are well presented anyway. You have the escaping clone who flees his own annihilation. You have the rebel group fighting an oppressive ruling class and degenerate culture. You have the male and female heroes who fight tyranny and, above all, you have a dystopia none of us want to live in. Megalex is a world dead in so many ways from the citizens who rejoice at a violent death because their lives are so stagnant and toxic to the clueless clones who face extermination every 400 days only to have a new batch grown so the cycle can continue. It´s a society that feeds off itself and stiffles the lives of all its people. We can call that cannibalism. Those themes are just as relevant today as they were years ago.
Let me start by saying how much I liked the art. When it comes to a graphic novel, any graphic novel, the art is so important. It´s what will keep your eyes glued to the story. Fred Beltran really did a good job. I especially loved the idea of the chem root breaking through the pavement and saving the protagonists. The art really brought the good ideas to life.
Alejandro Jodorowsky is really among the great storytrellers and graphic novels like the Megalex are a good example of this. I´ve seen videos about him and read some of his other graphic novels and I have to say that I was impressed. Other graphic novels of his include “The Incal” and “The Metabarons”, for example. Also, for those not in the know, his stories have deeper meanings like in mythology. You could call it modern mythology for that very reason.
How many times and in how many ways can we tell the story of a society that survives off the lives, quality of lives, of a designated group? In such stories we see how the privileged group stay silent and withers down while the downtrodden struggle and embody the best of the human spirit. We see how the rumblings of revolution grow stronger until things blow off.
If Megalex were done right I could see a successful miniseries from this graphic novel.
John
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