This short sci-fi story first appeared in the French comics magazine Metal Hurlant, and follows a detective through a typical noir plot set in a sprawling and grungy future metropolis. In spite of its brevity, the comic was highly influential, particularly on Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and William Gibson’s Neuromancer, two works which are credited with establishing the cyberpunk genre.

John Difool, a low-class detective in a degenerate dystopian world, finds his life turned upside down when he discovers an ancient, mystical artifact called "The Incal." Difool s adventures will bring him into conflict with the galaxy s greatest warrior, the Metabaron, and will pit him against the awesome powers of the Technopope. These encounters and many more make up a tale of comic and cosmic proportions that has Difool fighting for not only his very survival, but also the survival of the entire universe.