An Ultimate Alchemist

An Ultimate Alchemist

(The Vagabond in Limbo)

Christian Godard (writer) and Julio Ribera (art)

Dargaud Canada, 1983

'The Vagabond of Limbo' (Le Vagabond des Limbes) was a French sci-fi comic that began in 1975 as albums de bandes dessinees, 31 of which were issued until 2003. Early strips also were published in a variety of comic magazines such as Circus, Tintin, and Pilote. 

Only two of the albums ever were translated into English; these were published by Dargaud's Canadian imprint. 

'What Is Reality, Papa ?' (Quelle réalité papa ?, first issued in 1980) was published by Dargaud Canada in 1981, while 'An Ultimate Alchemist' (L'Alchimiste suprême, first issued in 1979) was published in 1983. 

Each graphic novel is 48 pages in length and, being long out of print, existing copies are difficult to find.........and rather expensive.

The English version of 'An Ultimate Alchemist' was serialized in 1980 in Heavy Metal magazine, as ''The Alchemist Supreme', which is where I first saw it. Heavy Metal also serialized 'What is Reality, Papa ?' in 1981.

The protagonist of 'The Vagabond in Limbo' is Axle Munshine, who, accompanied by the gender-fluid boy / girl Musky, searches the galaxy for a way to bring a dream to life....... the dream being Munshine's ultimate fantasy woman, a nubile blonde named Chimeer.

In 'An Alchemist Supreme', Munshine and Musky land their starship The Silver Dolphin on a deserted asteroid which turns out to be the home of an old friend named Robson. Sympathetic to Munshine's plight, Robson directs him to the pleasure planet of Bousbbhyr, and a green-skinned courtesan named Frankchik.

With the aid of Frankchik, Munshine and Musky make their way to 'The Forbidden Perimeter', where, it is rumored, God himself - known as the Ultimate Alchemist - makes his home. And if anyone can bring Chimeer to life, it will be the Ultimate Alchemist........

'An Ultimate Alchemist' is first and foremost a more 'adult' comic than its contemporary bande dessinee, 'Valerian'. It's a much more humorous, even absurdist, treatment of the sci-fi theme, relying on a peculiarly Gallic strain of comedy to make its points. 

This means that for those used to Anglophone sci-fi, 'Alchemist' suffers from wordiness, and dialogue that (even allowing for the quirks of translation) comes across as awkward and contrived.

Where 'An Ultimate Alchemist' retains its appeal even after the passage of more than 40 years is the artwork by Ribero, who shows skill in rendering faces and expressions, lubricious aliens, outer space landscapes, and brothels and laboratories. 

If you are a fan of Heavy Metal and have familiarity with the French sci-fi comics of the 70s and 80s, then if you come across an affordable copy of 'An Ultimate Alchemist' it is worth picking up. 

Is the comic worth reviving for a modern audience, much as Cinebook has done with 'Valerian' ? In my opinion, no..........the ideal audience (of Anglophone fans of 70s and 80s sci-fi) for any reprinted series is rapidly graying, and 'Alchemist' is too idiosyncratic to hold the attention of younger sci-fi comic fans reared on the plodding humanism of titles like Saga and Descender.

( For an alternate review of 'An Ultimate Alchemist', readers are directed to this blog post. )