Comics Review: BARBARELLA Volume 2 #4

BARBARELLA VOLUME 2 #4
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Sarah Hoyt
ART: Madibek Musabekov
COLORS: Ivan Nunes
LETTERS: Carlos M. Mangual
EDITOR: Matt Idelson
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Derrick Chew; Carla Cohen; Celina Kirchner; Mike Krome; Derrick Chew, Edu Menna; Madibek Musabekov; Lucio Parrillo; Rachel Hollon (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2021)

Rated Teen+

Barbarella is based on the creator created by Jean-Claude Forest

“Men of Steel”

Barbarella is a female, French, science fiction comic book hero.  Created by the late French comic book writer-artist, Jean-Claude Forest (1930-98), Barbarella first appeared in a comics serial for the French publication, V Magazine, in the spring of 1962.

In 2017, Dynamite Entertainment began publishing original English language Barbarella comic books.  The latest series is Barbarella Volume 2.  It is written by Sarah Hoyt; drawn by Madibek Musabekov; colored by Ivan Nunes; and lettered by Carlos M. Mangual.  In this new series, Barbarella and her pals, Vix, and Taln (the blind “angel” and A.I. friend.), travel through space in service of the Brotherhood, combating tyranny.

Barbarella Volume 2 #4 (“Men of Steel”) opens as Barbarella, Vix, and the revived Taln arrive on “Automata,” the 144 planet of the Qruyk Benevolence.  There, they hope to confront “The Lady,” but what they meet instead is a would-be assassin.  The trio finds the world populated solely by cyborgs, worker drones with human brains, but with no humanity left.  Barbarella hopes to turn that to her advantage, but is she really as successful at it as she thinks.

THE LOWDOWN:  Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Barbarella Volume 2 #4, which is the third issue of the title that I have read.  In fact, this is only the third Barbarella comic book that I have ever read.

Barbarella Volume 2 #4 has a nice use of familiar science fiction themes, especially concerning artificial people as slaves; what it means to be human; and the importance of human emotions and feelings.  However, this issue also feels like a holding pattern, because the important stuff is coming in another issue.

Madibek Musabekov art is as beautiful as its ever been in this series, made even prettier by Ivan Nunes' coloring.  As nice as this issue is, this series can and has offered better.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Barbarella will want to try Barbarella Volume 2.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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