rasl

Rasl is a science fiction comic book series created by American cartoonist Jeff Smith and published by Cartoon Books. The series centers on Rasl, an art thief who is also a physicist. Using a secret device, he travels between parallel universes to commit art heists, while navigating the moral and personal consequences of his actions.

The stories blend noir sensibilities with romance and hard science fiction, exploring themes of identity, memory, reality, and the ethics of stealing art across realities. Across the multiverse, Rasl encounters alternate versions of people and situations, and a romantic subplot involves a fellow scientist from another Earth who becomes a key ally and love interest.

Art in Rasl is rendered in black and white with painterly shading, a style that emphasizes mood and atmosphere. The work was serialized as monthly comic issues and later collected into graphic novels. Rasl has been noted for its ambitious scope and for expanding Smith’s repertoire beyond his well-known Bone series, appealing to readers who enjoy mature, thought-provoking storytelling in comics. The series continues to be published in collected editions, with new arcs published over time.