What is the price of freedom?  And can Barbarella afford to pay it?  Your Major Spoilers review of Barbarella #2 from Dynamite Entertainment awaits!

BARBARELLA #2

Writer: Sarah Hoyt
Artist: Madibek Musabekov
Colorist: Ivan Nunes
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Editor: Matt Idelson
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 18, 2021

Previously in Barbarella: Mystery abounds on the planet Camelot, and it’s up to Barbarella to unravel it all in order to save a secretly enslaved populace in what’s supposed to be a literal paradise.  Answers will be forthcoming, but getting there will be half the fun-at least for you, gentle reader!  And those answers may just bring down paradise… and lead to an even greater galactic evil!

TO SAVE A WORLD

With the revelation that everyone on Camelot is under external control, Barbarella and her A.I. angel, Taln set out to find the source of the signals.  They track the signal to an island complex, but find all entry points blocked.  With a little help from sneaky Vix, her pet/companion/freaky little alien fox thingy, Barbarella sneaks inside, only to be waylaid by guards.  She distracts them with her breasts, allowing Taln to take them all hostage and wrecks the devices sending the mind-control signal.  Of course, an entire planet suddenly realizing that they’ve been mind-controlled leads to chaos, and they’re nearly shot down on their return, and worse still, the signal is actually coming from off-planet!  Before they can get away, though, Vix and Barbarella are overrun by rioting humans, forcing Taln to sacrifice himself to save their lives.

THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE

The last page of Barbarella #2 is truly touching, as a battered and bruised Barbarella makes her escape, only to break into tears at the loss of her friend/A.I./guardian angel.  It’s probably the most successful page in the issue, but even it has a little bit of the stiffness that bothers me throughout this issue.  The sequence of Barbarella and Taln heading out on the skimmer feels very posed, and her facial expressions are all nearly blank.  There are some moments that work for me, but much of the issue has the same problem, with an added wrinkle of a VERY orange color palette that makes everything feel like late afternoon and gives the characters a spray-tan.  Even with those problems, though, the story is engaging enough and the art successful often enough to get us to the unequivocally solid last three pages.  I’m very uncomfortable with Barbarella using her powers by baring her chest, though, and that sequence kind of colors my enjoyment of the whole issue with awkwardness.

BOTTOM LINE: BLAH

All in all, Barbarella #2 thickens the plot effectively, tugs at the heartstrings and hits several successful action/adventure notes, with art that works slightly more often than not and a very successful climax, ending with 3 out of 5 stars overall.  If you’re already a fan of the property (or similar spacefaring stuff), this issue will work well for you.  If you’re not, just be aware that it doesn’t look anything like Jane Fonda.

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BARBARELLA #2

57%

57%

Has Its Moments

Aside from a "flashing her breasts" moment that feels very awkward, this issue works pretty well, and the closing moments are quite touching.

• Writing

  5
• Art

  7
• Coloring

  5
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0