Jeff Smith's RASL From Cartoon Books
Bone Creator's New Comics Series Blends Noir and Science Fiction
Jul 24, 2009
Jeff Smith's first claim to fame was Bone, the award-winning comic-epic fantasy which Smith wrote and illustrated from 1991 to 2004. Smith's latest continuing comics series is RASL, a blend of science fiction and noir thriller, which began in March 2008.
The Story of Jeff Smith's RASL So Far
"RASL" is introduced in the first issue as a mysterious art thief with a unique tool – a teleportation device which allows him to jump between dimensions. But while on one job, he is assaulted by a "Lizard-faced" man, who seems able to follow him between realities. After RASL confides in Annie, his prostitute friend, the "Lizard-faced" man murders her, and RASL resolves to track him down.
In RASL #3, Jeff Smith begins revealing, through flashbacks, some of RASL's backstory. Two years earlier, RASL – whose real name is Robert Joseph Johnson – was a quantum physicist, working on a top secret defense project at "the Compound" with his best friend, Miles. But RASL was having an affair with Miles's wife, Maya, while working on his own teleporter.
Jeff Smith has yet to reveal why RASL left "the Compound," but it has something to do with the secret journals of scientist Nikola Tesla, and a disastrous Naval test of Tesla's theories during World War II. It turns out that the "Lizard-faced" man, who calls himself Sal, has been sent to recover the journals from RASL. Sal has given RASL two days to turn them over, or else he will start killing RASL's loved ones in every dimension – such as an alternate-reality Annie, and Uma, who looks exactly like RASL's lover Maya.
Jeff Smith's Comics Style in RASL
Jeff Smith's graphic style is essentially unchanged from his Bone series. Smith says in the letters page of RASL #4 that, after Bone, "I was afraid I wouldn't know how to draw anything other than trees," but such concern has proven unfounded. His black and white artwork is outstanding, and Smith is able to conjure the American southwest while maintaining RASL's seedy noir atmosphere.
RASL also shares Bone's masterful pacing – Smith isn't afraid to follow his characters through a series of wordless panels, or to keep from explaining everything up front. While Bone's comic relief and linear storytelling may be more accessible to neophytes, Jeff Smith is able in RASL to maintain the suspense between each plot revelation. This gives his readers a more rewarding experience more in line with an old-fashioned thriller, a rarity in comics.
RASL's Upcoming Issues in Demand
Smith expressed doubts that RASL's offbeat narrative would be accepted by his fans, but he has become a victim of his own success. Thanks to popular demand, beginning with RASL #5, Jeff Smith has shortened the number of story pages from 32 to 22 per issue, and plans to release issues bi-monthly, starting with RASL #6 in October 2009.
Even if RASL doesn't yet rival Bone in scope, Jeff Smith's new series is poised to share its predecessor's staying power. RASL's government conspiracies, dimension-hopping hitmen, and hard-drinking scientist hero combine with brilliant art and pacing to create a unique story which, once given a chance, leaves readers waiting impatiently for the next twist.
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