Space Opera Xanadax

I love my toys. Feng shui be damned, I turned some of my kitchen shelves into an action figure display case, with themes. One shelf is various Batmen, from Dark Knight Frank Miller Batman to the Batman of Zur-En-Arhh to Mr. Potato Head Batman. Another shelf is for Jack Kirby characters, where for once Darkseid and Mister Miracle get along swimmingly, next to Captain America, MODOK, Ant-Man, and Thor. The third shelf is miscellaneous and includes Megatron, Hannibal Lecter, Bootsy Collins, Saul Goodman, Fisto, and Orange Cassidy. Yes, I’m a dork.

Maybe my affinity for toys is why Tom Scioli’s comics appeal so much to me. Scioli has made a career out of playing with various toys, sometimes literally, and making bold comics out of them, from corporate toys (Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, Gobots) to toys of his own devising (American Barbarian). His latest, Space Opera Xanadax: Across the Unknown Dimensions of the Galaxy, is an original work and a characteristically playful graphic novel that empties out the science fiction toy box, causing all kinds of fun.

Xanadax starts out with unknowable space gods overlooking some planets, before zeroing in on one of them, where Xanadax, our cyborg hero, is running from his evil brother. That pursuit, and all of its diversions, fill 178 pages, chock full of all the insectoid robots and lizard men you could want. By page 16, Scioli demonstrates his talent for putting familiar pop culture elements in a blender, as the protagonist’s claws answer the question, “What if Wolverine’s claws were like little lightsabers?” That’s the kind of question a little kid would ask, and Scioli keeps his inner kid alive and well, throughout this book (as well as his career).

Xanadax is the focus, but this is a multi-pronged story. Along the way, a space tyrant escapes his prison and is recaptured, sure to cause future havoc. He bellows: “HAS IT BEEN SO LONG THAT YOU’VE FORGOTTEN … THE MIGHTY VOKONOKOV?” Meanwhile, a forest colony is attacked by space pirates in a particularly impressive wordless series of pages.

I didn’t count, but there are definitely more pages without words than with, and it’s a bold choice. I assume Scioli, like many writer/artists, works Marvel-style with himself, laying out the visuals first, then filling in the balloons. I can imagine him going through his pages and realizing how few needed the intrusion of text. He made the best choice, strong as a cup of coffee, to go wordless on most pages, and it makes this book stand out from the pack. Scioli radiates visual confidence. It would be interesting to see him do a completely wordless comic someday. Based on the evidence, he would have a knack for it.

When Scioli does tell instead of show, he has an equally high-spirited way with words. For instance: “MEANWHILE … ONE ZILLION LIGHT-YEARS AWAY.” Opting for the slangy “zillion” rather than some technobabble betrays Scioli’s sense of play. He’s creating a fun, familiar ride, not a hyper-detailed, believable cosmos. Words as much as images are part of his toy box, and he infuses potentially cliched language (“A LIVING WEAPON,” “THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR”) with a zest that’s hard to resist.

Brother vs. brother stories have been done to death, but the familiar family dynamic is just another device Scioli pulled from the collective bin. There’s little backstory to the conflict, which ties together the various threads of the space opera, nor is any needed. The conflict just is, and for Scioli it’s not about the plot devices per se but about the pleasure of playing with them, like a puppy prancing around with a roll of toilet paper, joyfully stolen from the bathroom.

For fans of action comics, Xanadax is a buffet. There are fights galore, all gloriously choreographed. If you love the films of Jackie Chan, the wrestling matches of Will Ospreay, or the comics of Michel Fiffe, you’ll appreciate Scioli’s contribution to the genre. Scioli takes fake-fighting seriously, and his layouts are consistently inventive and clever.

Lest you think this comic is pure eye candy with no calories, well, you’re not far off. But there are moments of true horror, like the depiction of Xanadax’s unwilling transformation to a cyborg, which features the most preposterous drill ever devised aimed right at his head.

Scioli’s career arc, if there is a clear one, has been fascinating to watch unfold. He started as an unabashed Kirbyite in The Myth of 8-Opus and Godland, especially in his ability to portray space gods and cosmic fare. American Barbarian unveiled a love for He-Man and Thundarr-type properties, deepening his Kirbyism. The pinnacle of Scioli’s career might be Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, an expansive, colorful joy of a comic that transcends his largest influence and has no right to be so good.

Since then, his style has constricted in Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics and Fantastic Four: Grand Design, which follow a strict grid — and then expanded. Starting with I Am Stan and continuing with Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theater, which featured a showdown between Godzilla and such public domain characters as the Great Gatsby, Scioli has embraced a widescreen, manga-esque style.

For me, comics like Scioli’s demand the reading equivalent of interval training: my eyes move quickly down the pages until stopped by a particularly bold panel, at which point they slow to a crawl or just hit the brakes, taking time to drink in the powerful imagery. That boldness is the primary trace of Kirby that can still be seen in Scioli’s current work.

Speaking of Kirby, I suspect the closest antecedent to this story to be a one-shot Scioli did recently: Jack Kirby’s Starr Warriors: The Adventures of Adam Starr and the Solar Legion. In this comic, Scioli redrew and expanded some early Kirby sci-fi stories.That re-presentation of Kirby feels a lot like the appetizer for Xanadax.

This book also includes another Scioli sci-fi story: Princess: The Space Princess from Outer Space. Xanadax is full of the spirit of Star Wars, but Princess is even more overtly Star Wars-ian, from the space princess to the Millenium Falcon-esque spaceship to bounty hunters and a little pink Lucas-ian critter that only says, “MEEPO MEEPO.”

In some ways, Princess outshines Xanadax — literally. The colors are deployed in a far broader palette in Princess, making the eye candy even more sugary. Unfortunately, Princess is an incomplete story that ends abruptly, giving way to process pages from Xanadax. The process pages are a nice touch, but I’d rather have seen Princess come to a fitting conclusion, damn it.

That said, Scioli = fun.

If you’re looking for the latest Alan Moore comic, or any comics by the writerly crowd, you are so barking up the wrong tree. But if you love comics for the visuals, and you have any capacity for glee, buy this comic. Scioli’s playful work might not be the cure for depression, but it’s a promising treatment.

The post Space Opera Xanadax appeared first on The Comics Journal.