The third arc concludes with some delightfully fun changes.
Creative Staff:
Story: Michael Moreci
Art: Nathan Gooden
Colors: Addison Duke
Letterer: Jim Campbell
What They Say:
It’s all gone to Hell! Will Owen stay trapped in his fiery prison forever, or will he learn why he’s been cursed and how to escape? Can Serra trust Soren, or is history doomed to repeat itself? Find out in the shocking finale to the third volume of Barbaric!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The recent storyline that wrapped up a couple of months ago with Axe to Grind and it was a great way of getting back into this property and just being in the thick of it. With this run getting underway at the start of 2023 and wrapping up here, Michael Moreci got things working well in advancing the storyline, filling in more of the blanks, and just having a wild time in drawing it to a close and setting up what’s next. His work over the last few years and working the original story around just three issues really made everything work well and leave you wanting more. Nathan Gooden and Addison Duke are on board for the artwork once again for it and through them, we get some fantastic character designs and a great sense of power to it overall that really delivers. There is a ton of material here and it works incredibly well to deliver a cohesive, coherent, and engaging world to sink our teeth into.
Being the final issue of the storyline, it’s all about closure to a degree and what’s next, so it’s pretty action-based. Both storylines collide as expected, but let’s tackle them a bit separately first. In Hell, we get Owen and Deadheart close to escaping through traditional means but Ga’bar is there and calls Kemp on them, only to screw himself over as a lickspittle. It’s comical but it’s balanced by the other two being dead serious and going toe-to-toe with Kemp as much as they can. It doesn’t get too far because of the nature of things but that’s to be expected. You also know that with Soren’s storyline being about getting into Hell to save Owen, it’ll come at the right time. So watching her and the group she’s pulled together – with some people she’s still obviously going to have a hard time trusting – they’re getting closer to being able to get through.
It has its own challenges, notably in Serra’s hope being someone who has grown old and can’t open portals anymore, but they have options that require trust of the worst kind. It’s a delight in seeing Soren doing what she can in order to get Owne back (and to get Axe away from her) and it has a little bit of a mess along the way as we see how not only Owen gets brought back but Deadheart as well. She’s able to thanks to “a” death for Steel as his human side crossovers over to save the woman he loves, but that means the dead Steel still exists and is part of that group that’s now focused even more on their end goal. What becomes amusing is that we see Deadheart setting out to get the orb that they need to help Owne but she has Serra idolizing her and joining up along with ka. And even more of a delight – leaving me hopeful for their own series for a bit – Ga’bar is now in her sword and she finds it absolutely hilarious and the best way to come back to this world with a new mission.
In Summary:
Barbaric continues to be a hell of a blast to read with what it does. The story is fun, the artwork is fantastic, and it continues to progress and change with each iteration with what it’s trying to do. I like breaking it into smaller parts since longer ongoing books are harder to sustain and this makes it work in a clear and strong fashion. The finale for this arc provides for a lot of changes, a lot of humor, and some pretty exciting violence to unfold. I’m looking forward to seeing more of everyone’s stories going forward and am glad to see where Owen is going to be at this point and what’s in store for him. This property is an absolute delight that I cannot get enough of.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 17+
Released By: Vault Comics
Release Date: May 31st, 2023
MSRP: $3.99
