Web of Fear Reviews RASL
RASL
Written and drawn by Jeff Smith
Cartoon Books
First off, I’m going to try and avoid making comparisons to the title for which Jeff Smith is most well known, Bone. I’ve drawn a few parallels already, but I’m sure there will be plenty of those elsewhere, so I'll avoid posting them here.
Four years after finishing his epic, Jeff Smith returns to the world of writing, drawing and publishing his own title. While Bone belonged to a world of dragons and princesses, RASL (pronounced “Rassle”) establishes its own credentials as a sci-fi noir, as the central character is an inter-dimensional art thief.
Yes, you read that right.
RASL uses an “immersion suit” (resembling four large jet engines strapped to his shoulders and knees and an Aztec mask) and uses the technology to power though realities, known as the Drift. There he steals valuable artwork from another reality, cheekily spray paints his initials on the wall, before returning home with it. Back home, there is another original that no one misses.
Of course, it’s not that simple. The process of travelling between realities is incredibly physically painful and also appears linked to RASL’s state of mind. It also seems that a mysterious reality hopping organization referred to as “The Compound” is chasing RASL, when a stranger with a peculiar face shows up, without warning and the clear intention of sending RASL to the mortuary.
In the two issues so far, there’s plenty of questions raised (which I’ll leave out here for the sake of not including too many spoilers), so already there’s a lot to look forward too. Bone took some directions that I didn’t expect when I started it, and hopefully RASL will do the same.
Jeff Smith’s black and white art is crisp and clean, with nice use of shadow and silhouette. Issue 1 is interspersed with a nice wordless sequence of RASL idly throwing pebbles into a lake, the ripples spreading out, hinting at portentous events ahead.
I’m very much enjoying find out about a totally new character, and it's tightly paced so far. With issue 2 just out, and issue 1 going back to the printers, this is an ideal time to don your immersion suit and enter the Drift. I have high hopes that the ride will be worth it.
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Review kindly submited by Jonathan Miller:
