Noir Storytelling And Art Thievery In Living Color In RASL
Tesla's fans may be inspired by his scientific genius, but his underdog status doesn't hurt either — especially in Smith's eyes. It seems that young Robert was no mere acolyte; he actually acquired secret journals of Tesla's. These were the basis for the up-and-coming physicist's discovery of inter-dimensional travel. Now the military wants to harness this power for dark ends, so Robert has abandoned his life's work, hiding out in other dimensions and giving himself that weird new name. As RASL, he's pursued by a hitman with a lizard-like face and a ghostly little girl whose gaping eyes and mouth resemble a modernist painting. But while Lizard Guy taunts RASL and tries to kill him, the girl seems to bear a cryptic message.
In between his encounters with these and other strange figures, RASL hooks up with a seemingly endless procession of gorgeous and troublesome femmes fatales. No matter what alternate reality he jumps to, what bruises and sores adorn his cubist mug, he somehow retains a mysterious appeal for women. And unfortunately, they're rather one-dimensional women. The procession of rudimentary lasses enraptured by RASL's dubious charms range from a prostitute with the prototypical heart of gold to a fellow scientist with a face like Tinkerbell, with others met randomly along the way.
Still, the main story is full of surprises. Smith sets most of it in the Southwest, with beautiful deserts and Native American iconography providing eye candy. The timeless setting is an appropriate backdrop for RASL's adventures, and the silent desertscapes make a perfect stage for the jittery lines of his comings and goings. However intricate the story, ultimately much of the series' appeal lies in the unpredictable juxtapositions in the drawings. Hard lines barrel into soft spaces, empty stretches give way to furious explosions of inkwork. Each episode is packed with challenging visuals — right down to RASL's nose.
Read an excerpt of RASL