Paranoia for two, three … – review of the comic book “The Seventh Journey”

Ijon Tichy foreva!

The seventh voyage is, of course, an adaptation of the history of troubles in which Ijon Tichy fell into during one of his space expeditions, probably the most (after Pirx) beloved hero of Lem. Adored by me from the very beginning – my dad, trying to deceitfully convert the child to fantasy, lured me with Star Diaries . On the occasion of the release of the Mutha adaptation, I also reached for the prototype again, which I still enjoy. Tichy’s Adventures is a collection of idiosyncrasies and pathologies of progress. They are funny, they can be scary. A great traveler usually maintains a healthy distance, thanks to which, like Indiana Jones, he can extricate himself from any oppression.

The adventure of the Seventh Journey is specific because the famous space explorer does not face the “tambylami” of some distant planet with an atmosphere that resembles government deliberations, but with himself. Intimacy does not mean that there will be no physical trauma and serious reflection on human nature. The protagonist falls into space-time vortices, thanks to which he has the opportunity to meet himself a few hours ago. This is the best that can happen to him, because he is in urgent need, and alone, he will not fix the fault that has driven him to a strange neighborhood. As you can imagine, it is not so simple that the earlier one will take the later one by the arm and go for the tools together. Anyway, two Ijonów is just the beginning. After all, the boy has a long life ahead of him …

Between word and image

As you well know, Lem and his heroes liked to talk a lot, Describe in detail their journeys, scientific discoveries, adventures and inventions. They did it with gusto, the worse for pictorial interpretation – how to get rid of a text that makes such a good impression? Maybe it is better to cover the picture with letters, let the narrators tell you? And yet the creators manage – Rafał Mikołajczyk in Invincible kept a lot of words, but they will never be able to cover his amazing red desert covered with soaring shadows of a spaceship and the ruins of an extinct civilization. Animations based on Lem’s novels or short stories can do without words – after all, the writer had a talent for descriptions on the basis of which you can paint a landscape, but also an allegory.

Muth did something cute and clever – like the Star Diariesbegan his comic book with an introduction, the history of the publication of such a version of the work of a well-known traveler. It is a pastiche from the spirit of Lem, the story of an exceptionally gifted and affected electronic brain written by the tichologist prof. Arthur Fraude (not to be confused with Dent). After such a prelude, you will finally find pictures – some pages are almost silent, the frames show the emptiness of the Universe and the delightful interior of Tichy’s rocket. This cosmic apartment has a cozy armchair, a small kitchen (Ijon even has beautiful protective kitchen gloves), a white bedroom with a wooden bed. Do I only have the impression of being in an evening party or on the planet of the Little Prince? By the way, Muth got into the mood that Lem smuggled a little between the lines – after all, this globetrotter cooks pancakes, scrambled eggs in butter, and in an atomic pile, he makes delicious beef for Sunday. A typical resourceful homebody, albeit interstellar.

How is it that the story of one (even multiplied) boy in a spaceship is not boring? Muth plays with colors, above all the contrast of Tichy’s yellow jumpsuit to the cool blues of the rocket’s interior. Sometimes we also see it as a bright spot in the darkness of cosmic void. The colors are really masterful here. The protagonist moves a lot, which gives the staff the necessary dynamics. As the atmosphere slowly thickens, each new Ijon tries to show its individuality as much as possible. It is also a visual representation of Lem’s idea – after all, yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s Tichy was always right and the wisest, which generated a kociokwik of conflicts that fueled the action.

From the author

At the end of the comic you will also find an afterword from Muth – the story of the making of The Seventh Journey , which was born as a vague desire to paint something Lemowski. Although the cartoonist managed to contact the writer and get a blessing, a long time passed before he chose a specific text and wrote it. Muth explains briefly what intrigued him about Lem’s “simple idea” and how he interprets it.

We have an introduction, afterword (both in a great translation by Maciej Płazy) and an eye-catching comic that reflects the mood of the story – I am completely satisfied. The book by Wydawnictwo Literackie is a decent job. Perhaps it could manage in a smaller format, but the current one is probably to encourage parents and younger readers who will also like the comic. Just like the original.