SKY DOLL #2Written by Alessandro Barbucci & Barbara Canepa
Art by Alessandro Barbucci
It's truely difficult to discuss Sky Doll without offending someone. The book's main themes revolve around religion, sexuality and politics, three of the touchiest subjects in the world. Taking any stance, in favour, against or even neutral, will result in pissing off someone out there.
Personally, I love the book and wished more sites would delve into the deeper meanings behind the religious and spiritual story elements of the book. I could probably go on for hours about the topics covered in this book, their meanings and how I perceive them but lack any sounding board or contrasting opinion to debate it with in a public forum nor do I even consider myself an expert in the field of religion. I'm sure I've missed many of the references in this book and I've read it several times already with the old Heavy Metal British translation.
Even if you take this story at face value and ignore all the religious and sexuality explored within the book and how it parallels with our own beliefs, this is an amazing and imaginative story that is a unique experience everyone should experience at one point in their life. Barbucci's art is simply breath taking and the depth and range of imagination on display here goes beyond any other sci-fi or fantasy setting into uncharted worlds.
This issue (technically, it's Volume 2: Aqua, not an issue, but I digress) picks up where we left off in Sky Doll #1 as Noa, Roy and Jahu descend to the planet Aqua on a diplomatic journey. Unknown to Roy and Noa, Jahu is on a secret mission from Ludovica to kill the sacred fish of the people of Aqua. The fish's unique DNA allows the Aqua people to clone themselves for reproduction and it was Ludovica's plan to wipe out the competing religion's people under the guise of a peaceful diplomatic mission.
It was interesting seeing the contrasting opinions between Noa and Roy as they took the tour of the Aqua center and I'm sure everyone can sympathise with either character in regards to their views on the commercialized "cross between a beauty salon and a shrink's office", as Roy calls it, religion the Aqua people believe in.
I agreed more with Roy's point of view, seeing the religion and their views as a thinnly veiled attempt to cover up for the emptiness of their artificial methods of reproduction, but, at the same time, I can also see Noa's point of view and how she relates to the religion based on her artificial creation. I'm not sure if it's even meant to be viewed this way, but it struck me as a metaphor for artificial insemination along with the obvious human cloning debates and it made me really think about how I viewed both of those topics from the point of view of the characters in the story, something many of the different aspects of the book cause me to do.
Jahu managed to complete his mission to kill the sacred fish, which I took as a reference to the Catholic fish symbol and maybe even drawing connections between resurrection and cloning (again, maybe reading too much into it), as Noa, in another dreamlike "miracle" state, is hugging the glass of the fish tank and absorbing, for lack of a better description, the spirit of the planet. The story is building up towards something, in regards to Noa, and her connections to Agape, who was revealed to have connections with the Aqua people in this issue.
The team managed to make their escape from Aqua, but not before a large falling out between the now former friends, Jahu and Roy, over Jahu's actions and how Roy was kept in the dark. Even the usually cheerful Noa is left pondering the serious of unfortunate events in the wake of her joining up with them.
Interestingly enough, Jahu could not enter Aqua, at first, due to his inability to reach a meditative state, something both Roy and Noa managed with ease. In the end, Jahu had to resort to drugs to induce an "altered state of mind", which granted him access to complete his mission. It's another interesting parallel with religion, the perception of enlightened states and similar experiences from mind altering drugs. Just great stuff that requires second and third readings and lots of cannonfodder for interesting and thoughtful discussions.
Finally, during the course of events, the Agape faction's actions have been heating up and they even attacked Ludovica's "Pope Mobile" during one of her rare public appearances, which resulted in the killing of the Agape attacker and a civil war-like battle erupting between the two religious factions.
Verdict - Must Read. Few comics make you actually think about what you are reading well after you've finished reading or even warrant a second or third reading. Sky Doll does this and is an interesting and unique experience every time. The more effort you put into it, the more enjoyment you'll get from a book like this and it manages to tell a unique and engaging story with some of the most beautiful artwork I've seen that sparks the imagination and paints a vivid picture of these alien landscapes.
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