The Metabaron

“All this violence and pain fills me with such joy, Tetanus!” If you can get on board with that sentiment, you may be the audience for the Metabarons series, a long-running European comics saga conceived by art-film legend Jodorowsky. The chronicle of a dynasty of super-warriors in the far future, it tosses Greek mythology, Frank Herbert’s Dune, and a bit of the old ultraviolence into a blender and presses frappé. The creators announced the end of the series in 2003 but have returned with a new volume, which, like its predecessors, is both stunningly illustrated and utterly bananas. The Metabaron and his faithful robot, Tonto, take on the cartoonishly evil Techno-Admiral, who has cybernetic arms bigger than his body and dreams of cloning a perfect foe for his nemesis. Dazzling views of spaceships, artificial planets, and impossibly massive edifices provide a lush backdrop for grimy battles between space jerks. The macho politics and treatment of women are medieval, but everything becomes futuristic if you put meta in front of it. (Oct.)