Barb the Brave

As the monster war rages on in Bailiwick, only the warrior Berserkers stand between monsters and humans. But when the Beserkers are captured by the cunning Witchhead in a plot to get his hands on the all-powerful Shadow Blade, only Barb manages to escape – with the Shadow Blade itself. Now Barb must traverse the country to seek the help of the Northern Zerks to take on Witchhead and save her comrades.

It’s a dangerous and daring journey, featuring and increasingly gross array of monsters and disasters, from flying Trappers, to the Grub of Death, Vampire Goat Fiends, Mergoblins, Razor Beaks, and, oh yes, a sausage-loving Yeti called Porkchop. Fortunately Porkchop isn’t as evil as Barb first thought and the two team up to overcome the challenges on their path, with a little help from the Shadow Blade too. But there is more to the Blade than meets the eye; it has a dark story, one which will be especially difficult for Barb to face…

This action-packed, full-colour graphic novel is bright and lots of fun. It balances humour and some really quite ridiculous monsters with adventure, a good bit of peril, and a slightly darker storyline about Barb’s background, with the ultimate moral that ‘monsters’ aren’t always actually that monstrous.