There’s a new sequel out this week that may fly under your radar, but if you’re a kid or just a kid at heart, Barb and the Ghost Blade might be up your alley. A sequel to Barb the Last Berzerker, the story features the fearless Barb who has found her family in a comedic fantasy setting. This series is a touch of humor, action, and has plenty of heart. In the second volume out now, Barb and her yeti buddy Porkchop are on a quest to rescue a fellow warrior as they attempt to thwart the evil Witch Head.
The first thing you’ll notice with Barb and the Ghost Blade is the beautiful cover treatment Simon and Schuster went with. The cover has elements popped up like the title and Barb’s hair, giving it a super fun feel. The quality of the cover is also quite nice and will hold up to multiple reads.
Created by Dan and Jason, this story features 13 chapters all listed in the opening table of contents. New readers to the series will want to pickup the first volume, but speaking as someone who didn’t read the first volume it’s not hard to be enchanted by the fun story. This is decidedly more for younger readers–I mean one character has booger weapons–but the colorful and fun art mixed with a hero’s journey isn’t hard to like.
Check out his GROSS gun.
Credit: Marvel
The basic elements of Barb are pretty straightforward and made even more obvious thanks to a key flashback that shows her journey to becoming a badass hero. She’s got a magic sword, but along the way she discovers it’s not the sword that empowers her, but what’s inside. Pages generally consist of three to six panels, making the art pop, but also making it easier to read for kiddos too. The plot moves forward at a good clip with different trials to be conquered and enemies to be vanquished.
That is to say, Barb and the Ghost Blade is never boring. Be it the hand-drawn panel borders or the attention to fashion details like killer boots, this book is super fun. I wouldn’t say it’s must-read for everyone; adults in particular will find it a bit simple at times, but it’d be a heck of a lot of fun to read this to kiddos. Dan and Jason have fun with full page splashes as well as double-page splashes that are read top down. Just imagining adults reading to kids and flipping the book in this way is an exciting idea.
Something else that pops in this collection is the lettering. The hand drawn letters look adds a little oomph to the dialogue. It also goes hard on named items like the Foe Squasher which has cool texture on it. Sound effects are also super fun.
Barb and the Ghost Blade is a great sequel series that ends in a way that’ll make you want more. Its art is super fun and you’ll find yourself lingering on pages while the story is pretty darn entertaining too.
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