What is Above

What is Above is the fourth issue of The Incal, and part of the first volume of The Incal saga. It's divided in five chapters. While the previous issue, What Lies Beneath, mainly took place in the depths of a planet, this issue develops in outer space, where we get to know more about the Berg civilization.

It was published in 1985 by Les Humanoïdes Associés. It was written by Alejandro Jodorowsky, illustrated by Moebius and colored by Isabelle Beaumenay-Joannet.

Vitavil H20
In Aquaend, Raimo and his crew are stranded at sea, when suddenly a giant Medusa arises from under the water. The crew soon learn that the Medusa is actually controled by a man, Edo, who welcomes them and takes them to the underwater capital Vitavil H2O, where they find the real Emperoress and his/her loyalists.

The Seven, now transported into outer space aboard the Incal Ship, try to fire at the Shadow Egg, but they quickly realize that it’s indestructible. The Incal senses they should go into subspace and travel to Aquaend instead.

Meanwhile in Technogea, Iman Horlog contacts the Technos to inform them of Greyfield double-crossing: Greyfield was actually a double-agent, and the deceased Emperoress was actually a decoy clone. However, Greyfield’s integrated conditioning prevents him from revealing the location of the Emperoress. Horlog and Stirlog use Grefield’s daughter, Crystal, to force him to implant an explosive on his body, which is programmed to detonate only when he is in the presence of the Emperoress. However, since the Technos are smarter, and know that Greyfield could easily defuse the bomb with his Mentrek abilities, they secretly inoculate him with a special virus that will spread the Darkness on the Emperoress.

The Medusa Strategy
Back in Terra, the sacred core explodes but the Arhat escape flying in crystals, causing the garbage from the Center to rise up to Shaft City. Panic ensues, as the citizens are afraid of both Gorgo and the mutants coming form beneath and the Bergs coming from the surface. In fact, the Bergs have destroyed the harvester robots near the City (mistaking them for weapons), and have started to select male humans for their Five Thousand Year Nuptial Games, leaving all the women and children behind, thus considering their invasion a great success. The Arhat decide to help the refugees, since they feel is their duty to teach them to cultivate the virtues of their earth mother. The Seven arrive at Aquaend and use the ship’s shuttlecrafts to go to the surface, they see a Medusa, sense it’s friendly and follow it underwater. On Vitavil H2O they meet the other rebels fighting to restore the Emperoress to the throne. The rebels are skeptical about the powers of the Incal, so Deepo performs a miracle, successfully convincing them about its power.

Together, they devise a plan that will need major coordination, which involves hunting wild Medusae using telepathic hooks. The plan to restore the Emperoress will also entail help from the Bergs. With that in mind, John DiFool will participate in the Five Thousand Year Nuptial Games which will begin soon. In order to prepare for the Games, he trains with a Robotrainer, and manages to reach level 6. Without notice, Greyfield reappears on the planet (he has been lead to believe that he has escaped from his captors and doesn’t know he has micro-cameras implanted in his eyes) and informs the Emperoress of what he thinks is going on. The Technos are spying through Greyfield’s eyes and see the unified Incal. At that moment, the Techno-centreur receives a telepathic order from the Great Darkness: It's time to launch 10.000 Shadow Eggs into space.

Approach!
The day of confrontation finally arrives, and more than 100.000 mutated Medusae are launched against the Shadow Eggs. The Prezident’s Necropod has been fixed, and since it’s still plugged to the Imperial broadcast, John uses it to inform the people of the Galaxy about the incoming battle, encouraging everyone to join them. Horlog, seeing how hundreds of worlds are joining the rebellion decides to pay a visit to Technogea.

In Terra, the Arhat have reclaimed and fertilized the grounds of the planet, even though the sun keeps getting darker. The children of Terra find a confused Diavaloo.

Meanwhile, in Orgargan, the Berg home world, the Five Thousand Year Nuptial Games are taking place at the Motherhill, where thousands of contestants selected during their invasion will try to climb the Motherhill to impregnate the Protoqueen at the top of it. The legend states that the bergs will enter the golden age after this impregnation, since it’s the twenty-four thousandth. John wins the competition with the help of the Incal, bypassing Gorgo.

The Royal Wedding
At the top of the Motherhill John finds the Protoqueen, who asks him to make love to her. Since the Protoqueen is a one-eyed formless substance DiFool is reluctant to have sex with her, so she takes the appearance of Animah, John’s “ideal image” to convince him. John impregnates her and the Protoqueen proclaims that now she can birth millions and that DiFool must now be disintegrated as a gift. However, John proposes another gift better than his life: the Incal. The Protoqueen agrees, but before giving it away DiFool wants the Bergs to help him destroy Technogea.

The war in space continues, the Medusae are using solid plasma to render the Shadow Egg harmless, and storing the remains in a comet cloud. Now that the Seven are aligned with the Protoquen, the Berg fleet trespass the psychic barrier of the Technogea and a huge space battle ensues.

Psycho Virus
The Bergs gain the upper hand and John is reunited with the rest of the group, and more importantly Animah, who he embraces enthusiastically, making the Protoqueen grow jealous. She angrily disintegrates John, claiming that they “can keep their Incal”. Although DiFool has been disintegrated, Metabaron and Tanatah manage to resuscitate John with the power of love, creating a male-female vortex.

The Seven’s plan has been a success: the Shadow Eggs have been neutralized, the Technos have been disbanded and the Magnates banished, although the enigma regarding the Darkness’ identity and motives remains. However, news arrive about a mysterious virus affecting the Emperoress… she/he has been infected by Greyfield with a tenebrae virus, the great Darkness has taken over.

Other Issues

 * 1) The Black Incal (1981)
 * 2) The Luminous Incal (1982)
 * 3) What Lies Beneath (1984)
 * 4) What is Above (1985)
 * 5) The Fifth Essence: The Dreaming Galaxy (1988)
 * 6) The Fifth Essence: Planet DiFool (1988)