Barbarella #5: Retro ’til the end

Burdened by the need to wrap up the series, Barbarella #5 lacks some of the previous issues’ commentary on current entertainment trends. Fortunately the issue knows where it came from and swings back to the conflict with the Director. It’s a fun wrap-up, and almost commentary in and of itself. Oftentimes in “big budget” stories, early plot points are tied up hurriedly and even sloppily, as though the writers realized they had to tie-up a loose end but don’t have the time to do it well.

Here, the final confrontation with the Director is not only the perfect way to end the series but the best way to tie-up Barbarella’s theme. Indeed, it sets up the gags on the final pages perfectly. Armanno-K may have been the biggest threat in a conventional sense, but the Director is the more meaningful character to the series.

The tongue-in-cheek, retro T&A is a little more restrained in Barbarella #5. Barbarella’s costume aside, it is confined mostly to a single page mid-issue and the ending. Seeing this classic element maintained in the current series has been a treat. It’s a fun wink-and-a-nod playfulness to the era. It neither pushes limits to the extreme nor becomes irreverent or even scornful. Indeed, despite what readers may picture when they think about Barbarella, the way Northcott incorporates the stereotype into the current series is no more extreme than can be found in many superhero comics from the Big Two. The difference here is that Northcott isn’t pretending this isn’t a major part of her main character or the world that character inhabits.

Despite the art frequently being credited to Anna Morozova in advertising, Barbarella #5 is actually handled by Eric Blake. Blake’s Barbarella is softer with a rounder mouth and eyes. The character doesn’t have the same sultry strength, but at the same time, she has more range of emotion thanks to a wider variety of facial expressions. Any comparison when it comes to Barbarella is meaningless, though. Blake understands the character, and if there is any question about that, one need only look at the fun final pages.

Generally speaking, Blake’s style creates more complex facial expressions. More liberal linework and shading adds depth to most of the characters. Armanno-K is imposing on Barbarella #5’s opening page. The shading and lines under his eyes and around his mouth successfully convey the character’s rage. It is a gripping opening page, a quality made even more impressive because the ensuing fight is somewhat anticlimactic.

Northcott and Blake make an interesting choice during the escape action sequence featuring Jury Quire and Drecius. The actual escape takes place over two pages and is told via a series of unevenly drawn and placed panels set against an otherwise white page. It’s the only time in Barbarella #5 where white space dominates such a large part of the page. Interestingly, rather than take away from what’s going on by giving the reader a relatively emptier page, it instead emphasizes the action in each panel.

Sanchez’s coloring is toned down in Barbarella #5. The spectrum of reds is considerably softer. Paradoxically, the softer colors lead to greater contrast relative to the previous issues. Characters don’t get lost in surroundings that are just as vivid as they are–especially Barbarella in her red jumpsuit.

Fitting with the overall visual experience, sound effects in Barbarella #5 are suitably bombastic (visually speaking). Mangual delivers large text in a variety of fonts and colors. His work nicely fits in with the art, successfully contributing to and further enhancing the visual experience.