Sirk TV Graphic Novel Review: BARBARELLA - VOL. 2 - HARD LABOR [Dynamite/Diamond]

The essence of Barbarella lies in the 60s in certain elements where fashion structure and the balance of a certain kind of pertinence gave the story a bit of levity. The story here with its interesting visuals keys into more the idea of Heavy Metal with its oblong aliens, talking rodents and even Barbarella herself in thigh high red boots taking on aliens. There is a lot of fun in her adventures simply because they are so out there. In "Barbarella - Vol 2 - Hard Labor" [Mike Carey/Dynamite/120pgs], she hijacks a ship after being told about a gold rush in a pocket of time on a specific planet where she can stake claim only to find a gunslinger and his kids with a gun called Mary Anne that talks. Said idea becomes even weirder when she finds an archaeologist and makes her way through a bubble in time to both a primordial place with killer bugs, a barren wasteland with gas creatures and then finally an area of what looks like New York during Prohibition. Like "Heavy Metal", the resolution has a simple but effective reasoning. The second story talks of Barbarella's prowess when she tries to get away from a lover who wants to end her ascent. She relays stories of helping to change the path of a flower that is a means of her gaining access to a ship while simultaneously using a force of psychology. "Barbarella" is an interesting heroine in current times but balanced in a sense of satire versus the flamboyant bubble gum textures of the world she exists in.B

By Tim Wassberg