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Meta 4 #Complete
META 4 Complete Series TP
An astronaut awakens on Coney Island, lost and without memory, and is befriended by a wall of a woman dressed as Santa Claus. Their quest to find the amnesiac''s identity turns into a journey of the most bizarre as the pair travel across America on a road littered with redemption and nightmares.
152 pages, Paperback
First published August 9, 2011
1 person is currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Ted McKeever
203 books31 followersTheodore Paul McKeever is an American artist known for his work in several comic book companies. McKeever has written and also fully painted many comics. He is known for his distinct graphic style.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 9, 2018
The master of unflinching weirdness, Ted McKeever is back again with a brand new bag! Now featuring an amnesiac Bruce Willis look-alike, this one is actually kinda normal? That is until you delve into the distortedly illustrated whirlpool that is Meta4!
Just imagine if you had a dream that involved astronauts, a fake moon-landing, selective memory, and a sprinkle of Eastern mysticism and then woke up and did a ton of hard drugs. If you subtracted the colorful psychedelia that would indubitably entail, added a Mad Max environment, and wrote a comic book about it, this would be the result. As meta-tastic* as the title wound entail, a great many internal narratives are all swirling and squirming along a story as bizarre as the man who made it.
Just like the twin snakes of a caduceus, apparently two streams of consciousness are enwrapped around a single rod of duochromatic illustration that (is the only thing that) ties it together . While the snakes of Mercury’s staff seem to be allied cohorts, these serpentine stories seem to be at odds, constantly biting and snapping at each other. Imagine an ouroboros not firmly connecting with it’s own finality, but rather gnashing and wailing against itself.
True: this doesn’t exactly make for a cohesive wok but the art is decisively potent. Featuring serrated pencils that seems to scratch and claw at our eyes, its magnetism borders on the hypnotic. Yet, for all the positives that may connect us, the negatives involving shoddy philosophy and an unclear plot put this at the intellectual level of Gundam Wing. Just like the anime: Stunning visuals, not so stunning underlying ideas.
For all its faults I would still give it a read.
One thumb up.
Just imagine if you had a dream that involved astronauts, a fake moon-landing, selective memory, and a sprinkle of Eastern mysticism and then woke up and did a ton of hard drugs. If you subtracted the colorful psychedelia that would indubitably entail, added a Mad Max environment, and wrote a comic book about it, this would be the result. As meta-tastic* as the title wound entail, a great many internal narratives are all swirling and squirming along a story as bizarre as the man who made it.
Just like the twin snakes of a caduceus, apparently two streams of consciousness are enwrapped around a single rod of duochromatic illustration that (is the only thing that) ties it together . While the snakes of Mercury’s staff seem to be allied cohorts, these serpentine stories seem to be at odds, constantly biting and snapping at each other. Imagine an ouroboros not firmly connecting with it’s own finality, but rather gnashing and wailing against itself.
True: this doesn’t exactly make for a cohesive wok but the art is decisively potent. Featuring serrated pencils that seems to scratch and claw at our eyes, its magnetism borders on the hypnotic. Yet, for all the positives that may connect us, the negatives involving shoddy philosophy and an unclear plot put this at the intellectual level of Gundam Wing. Just like the anime: Stunning visuals, not so stunning underlying ideas.
For all its faults I would still give it a read.
One thumb up.
February 19, 2014
The book tries to push the medium of sequential art when most creators are content with superhero narratives. It has its flaws, some of which prevent a uniform statement, but flaws are what happen when you try to do something no one else has.
November 29, 2018
Only read the first issue. Nothing made sense and what did happen was really weird. I didn't read any further. Just wasn't interested.
September 27, 2011
I suppose I shouldn't review a book I don't completely understand, but here it is anyway. Heck, I'm not sure I understand ANY of it! Here's the description from the back cover:
"An astronaut awakens on Coney Island. Lost and without memory, the man is befriended by a wall of a woman dressed as Santa Claus. Their quest to find the amnesiac's identity turns into a journey of the most bizarre as the incidental pair travel across America on a road littered with redemption and nightmares."
I certainly can't improve upon that description.
I love the art and the flow of the story, even if I'm not sure what's going on. It has a certain David Lynch-like charm that's undeniable. The book's goofy title surely holds the key to understanding it. I hope to re-read it again in a month or so.
"An astronaut awakens on Coney Island. Lost and without memory, the man is befriended by a wall of a woman dressed as Santa Claus. Their quest to find the amnesiac's identity turns into a journey of the most bizarre as the incidental pair travel across America on a road littered with redemption and nightmares."
I certainly can't improve upon that description.
I love the art and the flow of the story, even if I'm not sure what's going on. It has a certain David Lynch-like charm that's undeniable. The book's goofy title surely holds the key to understanding it. I hope to re-read it again in a month or so.
November 15, 2021
Ted McKeever was one of those writer/artists that was on the far outskirts of comics when I got into the medium. I always liked weird things--yet his comics seemed like they were completely of their time, like this kind of 80s/90s comics that were intimate and of their age, but came across as dated.
McKeever drew like how Transmetropolitan felt.
Meta4 feels like kits tapping into the potential of what comics can do--but you find out its really just huffing paint and sputtering low-grade hallucinogens. This is his return (followed by about four other series).
McKeever drew like how Transmetropolitan felt.
Meta4 feels like kits tapping into the potential of what comics can do--but you find out its really just huffing paint and sputtering low-grade hallucinogens. This is his return (followed by about four other series).
May 2, 2012
The art in this was (of course) awesome. It was obviously very surreal. I kinda got it, kinda didn't. There's some deep stuff there. I don't understand at all why the "police communication" was included. It also seems like it ended rather abruptly. Not the kind of thing I would want to read often but cool and interesting.
April 19, 2013
Easily one of my favorites. Amazing art and thought provoking. First read I thought "This is f***ing weird - what is going on". Every time I re-read it I get a different meaning and take away more depth. Now I think it's genius and aptly named. Don't expect to "get it" on your first read. I'm still not 100% sure I do.
February 17, 2015
Since I read the reviews before I read the book, I didn't expect to understand anything that was happening. So I just reveled in the art and the characters, and it was good. I would like to read more about Gasolina.
August 5, 2011
I've been a fan of McKeever's for years. This is his best, so far! It may be too dark and thought-provoking for some, but I absolutely loved it!
August 27, 2011
Overwritten with another grammar error on the back cover. The art has advanced in interesting ways, but there are a few too many styles going on here.
August 19, 2015
I thought it was weird, but only because I felt like I didn't understand a lot of it. The art is amazing though. Very distinct
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews