The prophet, the warrior, and the Guru in the Incal saga of Alejandro Jodorowsky

Abstract

ABSTRACT Frustrated by the film industry, Alejandro Jodorowsky (born to a Jewish-Chilean family in 1929; naturalised French) turned to graphic narrative as a medium through which to express his surrealistic esthetic and impart spiritualistic and arcane concepts. In this medium he created his most extensive body of imaginative narratives, most of which unfold in a science-fiction universe. In examining Jodorowsky’s Incal saga, I seek the most adequate way of characterising the protagonist John Difool and understanding the significance of the leadership that he exercises. In the original series, Difool exhibits recognisable traits of the prophet as defined by Abraham Joshua Heschel. Yet his role is not limited to the prophet; as he carries out his missions, he reveals features of the warrior leader and the guru, among others. In the sequels, he continues to function as a leader, but the nature of his role grows increasingly difficult to identify. The protagonist may possess messianic features, as Henri-Simon Blanc-Hoang asserts, although in the ending he more closely resembles a New Age spiritual guide. Finally, I evaluate the extent to which the recent trend in Jodorowsky studies of stressing the creator’s artistic Jewishness is useful in understanding the leadership exemplified in the Incal narratives.