History ComicBook / TheIncal

* TookALevelInBadass: '''Before the Incal''' shows how John went from being a helpless orphan to a not-quite-as-helpless Class-R detective. He does this sporadically when he possesses the Incal, but even without it he takes a few on his own by the time '''Final Incal''' ends.
* TraumaCongaLine: Unlike the one he undergoes in '''The Incal''', the horrors that befall Difool in '''Before the Incal''' aren't nearly as funny.

%%* UsedToBeASweetKid: Difool.

A film adaption by Creator/NicolasWindingRefn is in the works.

''The Incal'' (''L'Incal'') is a sci-fi [[ComicBook comic series]] by writer Creator/AlejandroJodorowsky and artist Creator/{{Moebius}} and is the center-piece of the former's ComicBook/MetabaronsUniverse. The project was born out of, and recycled many concepts from, the two's failed attempt to make a film adaption of Film/{{Dune}}. Despite Jodorowsky having every major event of the comic planned out beforehand, and the series only being 6 volumes long, it took 8 years to complete.

* BigBad: The Great Darkness.

* DarkerAndEdgier: '''Before the Incal''' as it explores the kind of circumstances that would produce a NominalHero like Difool and how he wound up miserable and alone apart from Deepo.

* DrivenToSuicide: Difool lives and grew up near a suicide spot so popular it has just been named Suicide Alley. ''Before'' the reveal that [[spoiler: his mother was one of its victims and a young Difool tried doing the same.]]

* FreudianExcuse: '''Before the Incal''' reveals the many horrific and complex roots of Difool's cynicism and selfishness.

--> "You first look at the central picture (the present / The Incal). Then you look at the picture to the left (the past / Before the Incal). Then to the right (the future / After the Incal)."

* UsedToBeASweetKid: Difool.

* DrivenToSuicide: Difool lives and grew up near a suicide spot so popular it has just been named Suicide Ally. ''Before'' the reveal that [[spoiler: his mother was one of its victims and a young Difool tried doing the same.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:'''Top:'''Difool, Animah; '''Middle:''' Deepo, Metabaron, Tanatah; '''Bottom:''' Kill]]

* UsedFuture: On of the earlier examples of this. Used to contrast the gritty conditions of the lower classes and the ancient coldness of the Technos with the aristocratic upper classes and the [[CrystalSpiresAndTogas vibrant new age aesthetics]] of everything related to the Incal itself. Especially noticeable in ''Final Incal'' due to Ladrönn's more realistic style.

'''The Incal''' (''L'Incal'') is a sci-fi [[ComicBook comic series]] by writer Creator/AlejandroJodorowsky and artist Creator/{{Moebius}} and is the center-piece of the former's ComicBook/MetabaronsUniverse. The project was born out of, and recycled many concepts from, the two's failed attempt to make a film adaption of Film/{{Dune}}. Despite Jodorowsky having every major event of the comic planned out beforehand, and the series only being 6 volumes long, it took 8 years to complete.

* DrivenToSuicide: Difool lives and grew up near a suicide spot so popular it has just been named Suicide Ally. ''Before'' the reveal that [[spoiler: his mother was one of it's victims and a young Difool tried doing the same.]]

* DrivenToSuicide: Difool lives and grew up near a suicide spot so popular it has just been named Suicide Ally. ''Before'' reveal that [[spoiler: his mother was one of it's victims and a young Difool tried doing the same.]]

* MeaningfulName: John DiFool. Yes, his name alludes to the fact that he's kind of a dumbass, but in [[TarotMotifs the Tarot]], [[UsefulNotes/TarotCards the Fool]] is the first of the Major Arcana, and symbolizes chaos, infinite possibility and the beginning of a journey, which are all motifs that apply to John.

* MindScrew: gradually becomes this toward the end of the original series, and pops up from time to time in the prequel and sequels.
* NonHumanSidekick: Deepo; Difool's (eventually) talking "concrete seagull".
* PettingZooPeople: Kill Wolfhead, who resemble a dog despite his name in the English translation, and a few others. The sequel and prequel reveal that they are actually genetically modified humans.

* SpiritualPredecessor: Like [[Film/{{Dune}} its inspiration]], a lot of this series' ideas ended up being reused in other works, most notably ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' and ''Film/TheFifthElement''.

'''The Incal''' (''L'Incal'') is a sci-fi [[ComicBook comic series]] by writer Creator/AlejandroJodorowsky and artist Creator/{{Moebius}} and is the center-piece of the former's MetabaronsUniverse. The project was born out of, and recycled many concepts from, the two's failed attempt to make a film adaption of Film/{{Dune}}. Despite Jodorowsky having every major event of the comic planned out beforehand, and the series only being 6 volumes long, it took 8 years to complete.

''For other spin-offs and related media see: the MetabaronsUniverse.''

'''The Incal''' (''L'Incal'') is a sci-fi [[ComicBook comic series]] by writer Creator/AlejandroJodorowsky and artist Creator/{{Moebius}} and is the center-piece of the former's MetabaronsUniverse. The project was born out of, and recycled many concepts from, the two's failed attempt to make a film adaption of Literature/{{Dune}}. Despite Jodorowsky having every major event of the comic planned out beforehand, and the series only being 6 volumes long, it took 8 years to complete.

* SpiritualPredecessor: Like [[Litterature/{{Dune}} its inpiration]], a lot of this series' ideas ended up being reused in other works, most notably ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' and ''Film/TheFifthElement''.

* TarotMotifs: [[WordOfGod According to Jodorowsky]] Difool (and Deepo) is the Fool trump, Sulune is a combination of the Sun and the Moon trumps, the Emperoress is a combination of the Emperor and Empress trumps. [[MeaningfulName The names said it all really.]] The Techno-Pope is also meant to correspond with the Hierophant trump and the Technos' tower with the Tower trump. Strangely the ThemedTarotDeck based on the original series was a French-style one and thus didn't utilize the symbolism Jodorowsky based the characters on. There was however an Italian-style one based on Final Incal, but it was only available as a promotional item at Comic-con 2014.

John Difool is a low-ranking private investigator in the slums of the dystopian planet Terra 2014. After escaping the aftermath of a butchered job, he encounters a Borg, a member of an once imperial alien race that has now passed into myth. The Borg reveal that it had been looking for him and entrusts him with the a mystical object, the Light Incal. This naturally makes Difool the target of multiple interplanetary factions that seek to use the artifact's powers for their own goals, not the least of which include the Incal itself.

'''The Incal''' (''L'Incal'') is a sci-fi [[ComicBook comic series]] by writer Creator/AlejandroJodorowsky and artist Creator/{{Moebius}} and is the center-piece of the former's MetabaronsUniverse. The project was born out of, and recycled many concepts from, the two's failed attempt to make a film adaption of Literature/{{Dune}}. Despite Jodorowsky having every major event of the comic planed out beforehand, and the series only being 6 volumes long, it took 8 years to complete.

[[caption-width-right:350:'''Top:'''Difool, Animah; '''Middle:''' Deepo, Metabaro, Tanatah; '''Bottom:''' Kill]]

* AntiHero: Difool is both a ClassicalAntihero and KnightInSourArmour. Kill Wolfhead walks the line between PragmaticHero and UnscrupulousHero depending on his mood. Both he and Tanatah started out as [[NominalHero Nominal Heroes]] before CharacterDevelopment and HeelRealization hit in.

--> "You first look at the centeral picture (the present / The Incal). Then you look at the picture to the left (the past / Before the Incal). Then to the right (the future / After the Incal)."
* UsedFuture: On of the earlier examples of this. Used to contrast the gritty conditions of the lower classes and the ancient coldness of the Technos with aristocratic the upper classes and the [[CrystalSpiresAndTogas vibrant new age aesthetics]] of everything related to the Incal itself. Especially noticeable in ''Final Incal'' due to Ladrönn's more realistic style.

* TheMultiverse: Final Incal reveal that there are at-least four [[spoiler: [[AlternateUniverse Alternate Universes]].]] One of them being the one seen in the original ''Incal'', another the one seen in ''Final'' (it is a bit unclear which one of these is featured in ''Before''), and two more remaining unseen.

--> "You first look at the centeral picture (the present / The Incal). Then you look at the picture to the left (the past / Before the Incal). Then to the right (the future / After the Incal)."

* ReligionOfEvil: The Techno-Technos (formally the Church of Industrial Saints) after they start worshiping the Darkness. They are a more neutral CorruptChurch otherwise.
* TarotMotifs: [[WordOfGod According to Jodorowsky]] Difool (and Deepo) is the Fool trump, Sulune is a combination of the Sun and the Moon trumps, the Emperoress is a combination of the Emperor and Empress trumps. [[MeaningfulName The names said it all really.]] Strangely the ThemedTarotDeck based on the original series was a French-style one and thus didn't utilize the symbolism Jodorowsky based the characters on. There was however an Italian-style one based on Final Incal, but it was only available as a promotional item at Comic-con 2014.

* [[spoiler: TheMultiverse]]: Final Incal reveal that there are at-least four [[spoiler: [[AlternateUniverse Alternate Universes]].]] One of them being the one seen in the original ''Incal'', another the one seen in ''Final'' (it is a bit unclear which one of these is featured in ''Before''), and two more remaining unseen.

A 6-part prequel '''Before the Incal''' (''Avant l'Incal''), detailing episodes from Difool's life prior to the events of The Incal, was published between 1988 and 1995. It was illustrated by Zoran Janjetov in a style very similar to Moebius'. (Although the recoloring of the first, censored English release gave it a more distinct look). A sequel to both the original Incal and Before, entitled '''After the Incal''' (''Après l'Incal''), began in 2000 with Moebius back as artist, but the series only lasted one volume before it was discontinued. The project was rebooted with Mexican artist José Ladrönn in 2008 as '''Final Incal''' and finished with 3 volumes in 2014.