While I don’t know if Jeff Smith will ever create something more loved and adored (and rightly so) than Bone, I can’t help but be mesmerized by Rasl, a dimension-hopping thief who’s story is still only just beginning. While Smith’s Shazam! story shared many of the same sensibilities as his Bone, Rasl is something completely different. It doesn’t rely on cute and child-like characters. It doesn’t have an innocense at its very heart and it isn’t really a book about wonder yet. Rasl is more dangerous, hard and even sexier than Smith’s previous work.
Three issues in and Smith’s work on this title is still reminding me greatly of Osamu Tezuka’s manga work (and yes, I’ve had Tezuka’s stuff on my mind for most of this year.) While some of it is the storytelling, more of it is about the range of storytelling and narrative Smith is showing that he’s capable of. I’m sure it would have been easy for him to do Bone II or take on another child-like character, he’s demonstrating his great range by going in the opposite direction of the work that’s made him famous and known world wide. Tezuka did that all the time and even often in the same work– changing up his plots and tones to fit the wide variety of stories he was trying to tell.
As well as in storytelling, Smith is also showing a great sense of design, particularly in Rasl’s Indian-inspired mask and twin jet engine device for dimension hopping. It’s a distinct and individual look for this book that’s not a repeat of anything we’ve seen from Smith in the past.
After just three issues, I’m intrigued and fascinated by this book even if I’m not too sure what’s going on thanks to the delay between issues (did the back cover really say that it’s going to be 4-5 months before #4?)
Similar Posts:
- Art Appreciation– Rasl #7
- Some of that ole RASL dazzle– a review of RASL #1
- Weekly Comic Shopping List
- Wednesday’s Haul 3/5/08– Confessions of a Geek Father
- Weekly Comic Shopping List 3/31/10
Tags: Bone, Jeff Smith, RASL
I have to agree with your assessment of Jeff Smith’s story so far. I keep scratching my head thinking to myself, “How is this all going to turn out?” So I keep picking it up. I hope that after the last issue I see all the pieces of this puzzle and just sit back and smile. Let’s see what happens.