First published in Argentina in the 1950s, The Eternaut (by writer Héctor Germán Oesterheld and artist Francisco Solano López) does something in its opening pages that is too rare in comic books: It incorporates the medium into the narrative. In other words, there’s a reason this comic book is a comic book.

That’s a common thing in regular books, where an epistolary novel like Dracula explicitly establishes that you’re reading a thing that was written by a character who exists in the book, but comics mostly just use that conceit for the occasional Deadpool gag (also Grant Morrison kind of exists in the DC Universe?). The Eternaut actually opens with an appearance from Oesterheld himself, sitting at his desk, when a man appears from nowhere and explains that he’s known as The Eternaut and that he has an unbelievably twisted sci-fi tale to tell.

His story involves deadly, glowing snowflakes that fall all over the world one night, killing everything they touch, and what begins as a more-or-less familiar survivor story (the characters repeatedly reference Robinson Crusoe, a book that is also ostensibly written by its main character) eventually becomes an extremely bleak sci-fi war drama.

At the end, it’s implied that the comic book you’re reading is Oesterheld’s retelling of The Eternaut’s story — published in hopes of preventing all the terrible things he saw from happening. The writer even doubled-down on the meta-narrative later by writing a remake of sorts (retitled The Eternaut 1969) that tied in with a time loop established in the original story.

Eternaut 1969 is also notable for how it literalized some of the original story’s political undertones, so at this point it makes sense to note that the real Oesterheld was (likely) killed by Argentina’s military dictatorship in the ‘70s for his work with a leftist guerrilla organization. Almost his whole family was “disappeared,” lending his work a tragic and poignant texture that is… particularly relevant these days. The original Eternaut isn’t overtly political, but it’s hard not to read into the idea of your once peaceful homeland being overwhelmed by a silent, unstoppable killer — call it deadly snow, call it radioactive fallout, call it fascism.

As for actually reading The Eternaut, it seems as current as any other comic out there, save for the fact that you can tell it was originally published as a series of strips. The pacing sometimes feels off, with storylines that drag a little and important exposition that gets underlined more often than necessary, but Oesterheld’s writing is engaging throughout and López’s realistic art really emphasizes the physical toll that all the horror is taking on the characters.

As a story, it’s harrowing and compelling. As a comic, it’s a genuine triumph.

Another more or less random pick. I like Fraction, I like Bá, seems like a fun spy romp. See ya next week.