Barb the Brave
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
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.