Son of the Gun by Alexandro Jodorowsky

Juan Solo / Son of the Gun #1-4

by Alejandro Jodorowsky

Tra i vicoli di Huatulco City, la sopravvivenza ha un prezzo... il sangue che copioso si riversa sulle strade. Dopo una feroce iniziazione, la carriera criminale di Juan Solo comincia finalmente a decollare. Juan Solo è una perfetta macchina per uccidere: basta avere abbastanza soldi per comprare i suoi servigi. Juan Solo è la storia di un'odissea tra le perversioni, un viaggio tra i vizi e le miserie dell'umanità dagli stessi autori di Lama Bianco, Bess & Jodorowsky.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Westerns, Bande Dessinée

Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Also credited as Alexandro Jodorowsky

Better known for his surreal films El Topo and The Holy Mountain filmed in the early 1970s, Alejandro Jodorowsky is also an accomplished writer of graphic novels and a psychotherapist. He developed Psychomagic, a combination of psychotherapy and shamanic magic. His fans have included John Lennon and Marilyn Manson.

Reviews

[Gonzalo Milano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cuando tú hermano te regala un comic del escritor que más odias, pero los dibujos son tan buenos que no lo devolves.
Creo que este es el 3er comic que leo del autor chileno y ahora estoy convencido de sus perversidades.
No sé porque cada obra que sale tiene tanto renombre o porque a la gente le gusta tanto, pero les juro que estas obras no tiene más que sandeces enmascaradas con pensamientos espirituales y filosóficos baratos.
Se lleva 2 estrellas porque el chango este siempre trabaja con buenos dibujantes.

[Dávid Novotný · Rating 3 out of 5]

Juan Solo is self centered a**hole, who is doing everything for his personal gain and profit, not caring for anybody else. And that's my main problem with the story. Following path of the antihero on whom you can't find anything good it's quite hard for me. I don't have problem with bad guys being main protagonists, but they have to have at least some tiny glimpse of moral code or something that will drive them. Pure greed and pleasure is not enough for me. It cannot be excused by the poor and harsh background he is coming from.

On the other hand Jodorowsky is offering interesting mix of gangster genre, criticism of social politics environment in archetypal state of Latin America, religion and magic realism. All in quite rough combination of violence and sex. He throws some unnecessary wtf moments and ending where he offers kind of redemption for main character, that doesn't really worked for me. That being sad, the whole story it's still pretty easy to follow and digest comparing to his other works.

Art wise, it's clearly visible that book was created over the period of four years and nice to see how style of Georges Bess evolved over that time. Starting with some pretty rough, dark, squeezed panels, where is hard to distinguish among characters to later later ones, where scenes are more polished and panels are 'breathing' more. It's still quite far from thin lines and beautiful compositions like ones in Dracula and Frankenstein adaptations, but definitely more pleasing.

[Vilim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rather sick but good read nonetheless.

[Dario Malic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Još jedna klasična priča Alejandra Jodorowskog. Kao i kod svih njegovih radova nema dvojbe da će i ovdje mišljenja biti podijeljena. Juan Solo je ipak jedan jednostavniji i malo (ali samo malo) manje kontroverzan Jodorowsky. Naslovni junak je u potpunosti beskrupolozni kriminalac koji kreće stopama jednog antičkog junaka (da baš ne spojlam) i proživljava put od šljama do boga. Kritike svih društvenih sustava (i svjetovnih i religijskih) i ovdje su prisutne, kao i velika pažnja koju otkačeni čileanac pridaje vjeri. Sve skupa je prikazano vrlo dobrim Bessovim crtežom koji na momente oduševljava, iako mi kolor dobrim dijelom i nije baš po guštu. Iako je u pitanju već viđena priča, Bessove majstorije i na momente odličan Jodorowsky (pogotovo u zadnjem albumu) garantiraju dobru zabavu i za mene ipak izdižu ovaj strip iznad prosjeka.

[Manny Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best stories Jodo has written with elements from many of his books and movies. There’s the parental abandonment, body mutations, anger and violence and the search for sainthood. With elements from El Topo and The Holy Mountain and Oedipus Rex.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es la historia de México, después es el asesinato al egoísmo

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a story -- sort of a Scarface meets Greek mythology with some Jodorowsky twists. I'd not yet read a comic by this illustrator, but the imagery complements the tale being told extremely well.

[Greg · Rating 1 out of 5]

The colors are really great, but the story is trash.

[Romano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alejandro Jorodowsky lleva años contando la misma historia: un individuo miserable que a partir de muchas pruebas alcanza la redención al entregarse a los demás, esa es la historia de El Topo, Los hijos del topo, Los Technopadres, El incal, etc. ¿de alguna forma está tratando de contar su historia? ¿está narrando la que le gustaría que fuera su historia?

Alejandro Jorodowsky es un individuo al que se le pueden cuestionar muchos aspectos personales y artísticos. Jorodowsky como abusador, nihilista, charlatán, creyente de sus propias mentiras, y quizás Juan Solo sea una de las historias más transparentes para entender el arco narrativo (sic) que ha tenido Jorodowsky o al menos el que le gustaría tener él mismo.

Considero que Juan Solo es el mejor relato de Jodorwsky.

[Boz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the Portuguese version, but this Italian version seems to be the only one available.

Jodorowsky has a unique style of a continuously flowing forward story - never resting too long in one place, something always building on the last thing. It's amazing how he takes the concept of a gunslinger and makes it a harrowing experience of a true and unrepentant sinner turned saint. Someone who never errs in his intentions until you feel he is invincible, which makes downfall all the more repugnant.

[Octavio Aragao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Juan Solo é daquelas histórias que a gente jamais esquece.
Relutei em começar a leitura, mas Jodo é Jodo e sempre acaba se destacando diante da concorrência. Foi uma tarde de insanidade e violência (nem sempre) gratuita, questões freudianas e rompantes assassinos.
Meu único receio é que, uma vez lido e mal digerido, o velho mestre acabe cancelado (sim, este é um medo recorrente, mas que posso fazer?).

[Emil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Locking Jodorowski in a room, Saw-style, where to leave he has to write even a single woman who at least approximates a human being (he will never leave).
If you look past that issue, and it's a huge issue to look past, this is a pretty good book.

[Federico Kereki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sort of weird story - but that's usual with Jodorowsky!

[Cristian Ahumada · Rating 4 out of 5]

No lo mejor de Jodorowsky en comics, pero aún así tiene momentos que atrapan.

[Daniel Mossop · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very allegorical violently philosophical so like a lot of Jodorwoskys work. Sexual undertones all over the show. If you like his stuff it’s worth a read.

[Mercedes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ilustraciones buenisimas, la historia fuerte, sin compasión.

[Tomás Hernán · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buen libro, pero es mucho mejor Metabatones.

[Nico Merino]

Scarface, mad max y sobre todo: JODOROWSKY

[Kyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story about a dog and shared struggle of the world.

[Andres Pasten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una locura esta historia, que reune lo peor de la idiosincracia latinoamericana...

[Adam Šilhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ty Jodorowského civilnější kousky mně prostě sedí víc.

[Dony Grayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edición española integral. Recopila los cuatro tomos en un tomo de tapas duras en formato un poco reducido comparado con el álbum europeo original.

[Alejandro Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una ficción sangrienta y onírica. Tiene un estilo muy macho para mi gusto, pero con la rareza de Jodorowsky que se disfruta al sorprendernos sin entender muy bien sus motivos.

[Rory · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was incredibly disappointing to me. I've heard great things about, but not read yet, Jodorowsky's other works like The Incal, and Humanoids as a publisher have always impressed me when I've picked up something like Millenium or Cale Horn from them. So, to read this, which felt like a chore, was pretty rough.

The artwork is great, so I'll spare Bess from my criticism but the writing felt like it was trying too hard at every turn to shock the reader, and it comes off heavy handed and was a slog to get through. The ending was actually surprisingly interesting and saves it from 1* which would be unfair to such a visually appealing package and story.

[Kyle Burley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jodorowsky attempts to invest the story of a cartel assassin with Shakespear-level tragedy and almost succeeds. The transcendent climax is effective but, ultimately follows too many scenes of sleaze and bad taste.
George Bess' art is absolutely stunning.

[pierlapo quimby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Le prime sei tavole e le ultime venti sono davvero una bella idea.
Troppo poco, però, per giustificare le orribili duecento che stanno in mezzo.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

zz

[Ivana Hajdinić · Rating 2 out of 5]

Neznam kaj da kažem o ovom stripu,
nekako već prožvakana tema izgubljenog-bad-djete-čovjek....

[Vicent Castells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una faceta, la de la novela negra, que desconocía de Jodorowsky y un descubrimiento el del ilustrador. Recomendable lectura.

[Dudley Starks · Rating 3 out of 5]

***1/2=7.5