Alexandro Jodorowsky is a genius, I have no doubt. He’s also absolutely bat sh*t insane. Which leads to some truly intense writing, and even more so vision.
Screaming Planet is a set of stories (but for one) created for Metal Hurlant, a French anthology series along the lines of Heavy Metal. The screaming planet of the title is an asteroid from a long ruined planet that streaks through the universe, passing its sorrow to those sentient creatures it feels a kinship with.
As such, the stories are sad. Some are bleak. All are dark. Each one is crafted by a different artist, and none are longer than 10 pages long. Some of the art is gorgeous (the dragons of Ciruelo), and all of it is tailored to its story by Jodorowsky, who knows how to play to his artists’ strengths.
Still, it’s a hard pill to swallow all at once. I highly recommend taking palate cleansers between every few stories, lest you find yourself mired in the same sorrow that is screamed from every page.
