RASL: Pocket Book One

by Jeff Smith, 228 pages

RASL is an art thief. Only he doesn't go about stealing paintings in the normal fashion. He travels to parallel universes and snatches theirs. The physically taxing drift technology he uses to do this, he also stole. But then he helped to create it, back when he was still known as Robert and still trusted his friend and fellow electromagnetism scientist Miles to do the right thing and cancel the St. George Array program when Robert discovered Tesla's secret journals fearing its dangers. But that's all in the past. Now somebody in a suit has killed RASL's hooker girlfriend in his own world, followed him through the drift and across parallel universes, and threatened to kill off everyone he knows in every universe if he doesn't hand over the journals soon. But if RASL gives them what they want, they'll misuse the knowledge and everyone will suffer.

Quantum physics and gritty modern noir come together in this graphic novel series from the creator of BONE. It isn't pretty, but it has my attention. And, hey, bonus history lesson on the war between Tesla and Edison!