RASL, Vol. 4: The Lost Journals of Nikola Tesla

RASL #4

by Jeff Smith

Collects issues 12 to 15 of RASL!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Thriller, Comic Book

160 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.

Born and raised in the American mid-west, Jeff Smith learned about cartooning from comic strips, comic books, and watching animation on TV. In 1991, he launched a company called Cartoon Books to publish his comic book BONE, a comedy/adventure about three lost cousins from Boneville. Against all odds, the small company flourished, building a reputation for quality stories and artwork. Word of mouth, critical acclaim, and a string of major awards helped propel Cartoon Books and BONE to the forefront of the comic book industry.
In 1992, Jeff’s wife Vijaya Iyer joined the company as partner to handle publishing and distribution, licensing, and foreign language publications. In the Spring of 2005, Harry Potter’s U.S. publisher Scholastic Inc. entered the graphic novel market by launching a new imprint, Graphix with a full color version of BONE: Out from Boneville, bringing the underground comic to a new audience and a new generation.
In 2007, DC Comics released Smith’s first non-creator owned work, SHAZAM! Monster Society of Evil, a four-part mini-series recreating a classic serial from comic’s Golden Age. Between projects, Smith spends much of his time on the international guest circuit promoting comics and the art of graphic novels.

Reviews

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many unanswered question.

[Matt Sabonis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Smith can do no wrong. This is simply amazing.

[Ryan Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the sort of action and twisting I wanted from the book all along! I can't necessarily get down with some of these final confrontations for reasons of either closure of convenience, but this was the most interesting of all the trades. I'll take a slow burn over a hot start that fades.

Really, this felt like a solid second trade instead of a conclusive one. It may have been a bit much to introduce all the characters right away in a single trade before moving on to something like this, though I feel like it's totally possible, especially if the first arc had been four or five issues instead of three.

The question of which universe is reality and which one is alternate--who is beholden to whom--is an interesting one that is very briefly touched on here. I think it could have been explored more. It would have maybe worked against the noir aspects of the story, but it's solidly within the realm of the sci-fi genre.

Of course, in coming to conclusions about what I liked and didn't, I have to consider what's here and not what could have potentially been here. Until this trade it was fun but not exciting, interesting but not gripping. It ended making me want to read more RASL, for better or worse.

It's worth mentioning again how great the art is! If the story seemed a bit loose at times, the art is nothing but airtight. It's worth checking out just for that!

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeff Smith's love-letter to Nikolai Tesla and the multi-verse ends in true noir fashion. It's dark, it's violent, it's filled with betrayals and revelations and still-unanswered questions -- but there's a distant glimmer of hope at the end.

I cannot wait to see what Smith does next!

[Isaac Timm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seriously, what's with the hobo and the little girl? I like most of it, but the final conflict with Sal ended with a very disappointing deus ex machina (maybe even a literal one). Was I intrigued with what happened to Sal, or just annoyed?

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wrap up may not be as satisfying as one might hope, but it’s definitely exciting and interesting. This series is enormously entertaining and thought provoking.

[Gunderhaegg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, the fourth volume of RASL arrived. The artwork is still vivid, the story is a fantastic mixture of history, science, love and drama. The search for Nikola Teslas lost journals continues!

[RSC_Collecting · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good finale to a great series. It was very tense and wrapped up pretty much everything. I still have a couple of questions. But I'm satisfied with the outcomes. Though now I'm very curious as to if anything comes after or if a normal life is in the future. As a series RASL was really good. There's a ton of mysteries to figure out. Intertwining paths and characters that always have you on edge. A super interesting idea. With the multiple universes and figuring out the mystery between them. My biggest complaint is that it felt very "text book" at times. There's a ton of information about Nikola Tesla. I mean a ton! There's a full biography that spans the volumes. Often breaking entirely away from the story to talk about Tesla's life. I mean, he's a very important person in history and his works have a lot to do with the story and the main two scientists in this series. But it was very boring during those parts. Multiple pages of knowledge that I didn't actually need for the story. It just took me away from it. But when the story was happening, it was a blast. I enjoyed the series as a whole. I just wish it didn't talk about Tesla that much. Great stuff. Definitely worth the read!

[tony dillard jr · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Jeff Smith sci-fi noir caper comes to a close with more questions than answers. Okay- the biggie: 'What does RASL mean?' gets finally gets answered and it's a satisfying one. But there's quite a few that are still left untouched.

I would love to see a sequel come of this. But from what I heard, Smith is busy returning to the world of Bone first. So it could be some time before a RASL Volume 5 ever saw light of day. If ever at all.

Just as Smith is willing to return to Bone, so am I. He really did a fantastic job on this book even if the first chapter was a near recount of the first chapter of volume 2 and even if I wasn't quite 100% happy how this story ended.

Still, Jeff Smith is a comics master and RASL is proof of it.

I didn't want it to end and I didn't want it to end without every one of my questions answered.

[Merzbau · Rating 4 out of 5]

this series had so many things i like, Tesla, history, science, conspiracy theories, alternate dimensions, etc., and i really did enjoy like 90% of it. the resolution didn't really work for me and was pretty obvious, though i did like the last couple panels. there were also a few things that i wish were explained better/at all.
my biggest problem with this wasn't the story though, it was the art. i could not stand the look of the main character. his proportions just seemed really weird and off to me. i loved Bone and i know this was supposed to be more "realistic" but i just couldn't get into it.

[Liam Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

imagine killing god

imagine god is a little girl

imagine shooting a little girl before she could ever tell you she was god

imagine shooting a little girl before she could tell you we were never angels

imagine god as a dead little girl

[Paul Guthrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite in the series, as I really enjoyed some of the historical background. The art seemed more consistent than book 3, too.

But it's no Bone or Tuki, which are significantly stronger books in my opinion.

[Vittorio Rainone · Rating 2 out of 5]

La storia finisce con un lungo spiegone su Tesla. Necessario? E forse si velocizza un po' troppo nello scontro finale. Non spiacevole, ma nemmeno un capolavoro.

[Jennifer Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy the artwork in the author's books. I have enjoyed this series, however I think Bone is more of a favorite than this story.

[zackxdig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The hunt for the list journals continue.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Endings are hard and I had a gap before I read the conclusion. It ended up just fine. But the adventure itself was the really enjoyable part. Still, a wonderful series.

[Robert Lukoshko · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best very insightful books I have ever read.

[miha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Čist zmešano in čist fajn, mi je všeč kok je blo prepletenega dejanske zgodovine iz živlenja znanstvenikov in potem na podlagi tega vsa vsporedna vesolja in fantastika.

[William Holm]

RASL is now finished and we can expect a one volume edition next year I guess. The final volume ties the story together in a nice way by picking up elements from the first chapter. This feels like a solid piece of work; a novel in the proper sense f the word. It is satisfying to read a comic that hols together both as a story and graphically over more than 400 pages and then actually ends.

It was interesting to note that there is a funding campaign going on to create a new museum to honor Nikola Tesla (see The Oatmeal blog). I have no idea if this campaign was in any way inspired by RASL but it shows how contemporary Smith is. It will be interesting to follow his work in the future.

[George Ilsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this volume, and my fascination with Tesla, was enough for me to pick this up. And then of course I realized it was friggin' volume #4 and I had to get the others and start there.

An interesting series. Those who already know about Tesla will find this an interesting survey of his work (and an imaginative extension of what is known). Those who don't know about Tesla should be astonished to realize that some of the most incredible things (like the disappearing battleship) are based on, well, if not quite fact, but on widely held beliefs about real experiments in the US which went horribly wrong.

I don't spend much time with graphic fiction, but I'm glad I read this series.

[Federica · Rating 5 out of 5]

RASL è un piccolo miracolo nel panorama delle graphic novel, e della narrativa in generale. Ma dato che quelle pagine profumano di scienza dalla prima all'ultima, forse non è corretto parlare di miracoli, quindi dirigerò il mio entusiasmo verso colui che ne è l'autore: Jeff Smith, sei un genio. Tesla era un genio, Einstein era un genio, tutti gli scienziati devono essere un po' pazzi, e così anche i grandi scrittori. La storia di Robert Joseph Johnson non è che il risultato di genio e follia insieme, un mix di scienza, intrigo, amicizia, amore e Tesla che non so come gli sia potuto venire in mente, ma il risultato è alla portata di tutti. Quindi leggetelo, perchè le storie davvero nuove ed originali ormai son rare, quando se ne trova una non bisogna farsela sfuggire!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a word: wow. In two words: wow, dizzying. If you made it this far in the series then you know what it's about, and I have something to confess: I love alternate universe/dimension-hopping/multiverse tales... and I found this one particularly satisfying. Maybe it's because I've been a fan of Jeff Smith for a very long time, or maybe it's because this story has multiple levels of appeal for me. It did tie up just a little too neatly, and I accidentally figured out some of the plot points that were supposed to be part of the "big ta-da," but otherwise I'll happily read this thing again. Good, good story... good, good brain food.

[Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

The scifi, already a major part of the series, kicks up into crazy high gear in this final installment. It's the longest trade in the series but it's so thrilling that it goes too quickly. The story is over, but the mysteries haven't all been resolved. I like that.

After RASL and Bone, I will read anything Jeff Smith puts out. I have complete faith.

[Jake Kilroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This definitely wasn't what I was expecting. it didn't quite have the pay-off I was hoping for. It was still damn good. I just thought there'd be more wrap-up in a way. But I might've mistook what the story what was setting up for bells and whistles, or at least just the helpful stuff. I don't know. Still, this was such a delightfully cool read.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. What a disappointing ending.

There were all these interesting threads and I was hoping that it would end up tying everything together, but it just had a big fight and then a plot twist that feels tacked on and then done.

And the false machismo of the drinking and motorcycling just feels so trite.

I felt the same way about Bone in that the ending didn't live up to the buildup.

[Steve Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

At some point this series really captured me, but it didn't sustain my interest through the fourth volume. The resolution was a little too pat and abrupt. Glad I stayed with it until the conclusion, though.

[Sonic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic and for him, surprisingly dark story. And as this was something of a homage to the brilliant and underrated Nikola Tesla, the science fictional aspects did not seem that outlandish to me, but rather, ... scary!

[Rodolfo Schmauk · Rating 3 out of 5]

La historia no es mala, pero me hubiese gustado más desarrollo, más profundidad y coherencia en los personajes. Lo que más me molestó, en todo caso, es que había demasiada exposición en vez de mostrar la historia.

[Zardoz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final volume has a satisfying ending, though I wanted to know more about the being that helped make it so. The noir element that has existed throughout the series was still present and the best part of the story.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read all four volumes of RASL in rapid succession so I'll write my review on this last one. I picked it up because I absolutely love Bone. Jeff Smith is a fantastic artist, and the story of RASL is engaging. I loved that Tesla was such a big part of the story. The main bad guy is super creepy!