Dean Poling
By Dean Poling
The Valdosta Daily Times
JOE THE BARBARIAN
Hard to judge a comic book series by its first issue. “Joe the Barbarian” is one such book. Joe is a young, imaginative teen whose military father died in Iraq.
Joe’s diabetic and bullied at school.
Then, one day, seated in his room, his sketch pad nearby, his collection of action figures and toys come to life as if his room is a portal to another dimension.
Is the portal for real, or a figment of Joe’s imagination? An intriguing premise, but that summation is pretty much the first issue in a nutshell.
Where will it go? Will it use this clever device as a springboard to become a truly inspired series? Again, one issue, too soon to tell. With the prolific Grant Morrison as “Joe the Barbarian’s” creator and writer, coupled with the sharp art by Sean Murphy, this series has promise as well as potential.
For a buck (cheap for 21st century comics), “Joe the Barbarian” is an imaginative land worth visiting for a few issues ... and maybe more.
