Dynamite Entertainment 2017
Written by Mike Carey
Illustrated by Kenan Yarar
Coloured by Mohan
Lettered by Crank!
Our spacefaring heroine may have been enlisted by Earth's underground, but that doesn’t mean she trusts her new allies. On the run in an alien city, hunting for a doomsday device that might end a war, Barbarella has to choose a side and stick to it. But it might not be the one you expect...
Well I am such a fan of Mikes writing so this is a real treat! Still admitting I miss some of those cinema looks but hey. Well since they took her womanhood from her, still not quite sure how that works and if it can be reversed, we’ll see, but without a doubt there’s never a dull moment in her life is there? Mike’s structure of the book how he creates that ebb & flow between action, plot development, story advancement and throwing characterisation into all those parts is why I get excited to read his work.
Picking up where we left off I absolutely adore how we see the girls get of the mess they created for themselves. Also the narration from Jury as she continues to assess Barbarella has some of those wonderful insights that give a reader unfamiliar with her a chance to get to know her better and leave some okay a lot of room for further exploration. This is the best example of what I was talking about with characterisation being able to be inside the story advancement. That assessment is something Jury will apparently need since the two don’t know much about each other, outside of being intimately familiar with the other’s body.
The more we learn about this world, how the religion took over the more I want our own, the Earth’s, Church establishment ended. If you really want to know why ask me in private. It is crystal clear at the two travel through environments, see sections of the city, that cause Barbarella to question so much about this world and how they would end up with a Doomsday weapon at all. I really like the dialogue and interaction between the two women and it really is an excellent chance for us to get to know them better and get a better understanding of them.
I will say Kenan has a startling good eye for storytelling as we see through the use of page layouts and the angles and perspective we see in the panels. He’s got this interesting style and I think that comes through with the linework we see. It has this unique quality to it that feels more like those illustrations the used to be in seen by European woodblock printing as full page inserts then to those little ones atop the page of a new chapter. That is the feeling I get from his work and ya know what it somehow gives this warm feeling that you can’t help but like. Then there is the opportunity to showcase backgrounds and his imagination and creativity with lifeforms on this planet. This really is a beautiful experience.
I like that Barbarella was sent by the Earth Underground and while knowing no one on this dustball of a backward planet she manages to meet up with Jury and then her contact she was supposed to meet up with. The way all this manages to happen, while for the story it needs to, doesn’t feel like it’s a purposeful set-up rather it feels like this is the way Barbarella’s life just happens to be. Like luck follows her around and makes sure the path is provided though she doesn’t realise it. Mike creates such a natural flow to the sequence of events that it just feels right.
This is a great story so far and it’s a wonderful opportunity for people to reconnect with Barbarella or meet her for the first time. Impeccably written and beautifully illustrated this is a pleasure to read.