BARBARELLA (VOL. 2) #5 – Review

In BARBARELLA (VOL. 2) #5, available from Dynamite Comics on November 24th, 2021, Barbarella tracks the Lady to the party planet of Rio where a mysterious agent informs her higher powers are in her corner, and the traitor hindering her hunt is about to be exposed.

The Details

• Written By: Sarah Hoyt
• Art By: Madibek Musabekov
• Colors By: Ivan Nunes
• Letters By: Carlos M. Mangual
• Cover Art By: Lucio Parrillo
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: November 24, 2021

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Was It Good?

We’re back with the galaxy’s greatest agent for peace and love with the next step in her adventure to find (and subdue) the mysterious Lady. This issue has some action, a few twists and turns as we discover the identity of a Resistance traitor, and Barbarella wrestles with her feelings for TALN. All the piece parts for a banger of a Barbarella issue are there, but somehow, the issue was a bit of a down point in the series for one specific reason. Barbarella was not acting like herself.

One of the highlights of the series we noted from issue #1 is how well Hoyt created a fresh take on Barbarella by giving her an almost magical ability to resolve conflict and solve problems by holding steadfastly to the power of love as a guiding principle. This version of the titular character has an infectious nature about her that almost mesmerizes even the hardest of hearts of those who meet her. It’s as close as you can get to a superpower without actually having superpowers.

Here, Barbarella’s confidence and her ability to overcome the challenges in front of her seem mostly absent. The small snippets of intimate interactions we do get in this issue feel somewhat cold and lacking in any spark. When trouble does come, it’s dealt with using gunfire and boilerplate action. Not much else. In short, the one thing that made Barbarella such a special character from the onset has faded from sight.

The plot moves away from the “challenge of the month” model by acknowledging and exposing the traitor responsible for feeding Barbarella’s whereabouts to the Lady, leading to ambush after ambush. Again, it’s another letdown because the traitor turns out to be an unimportant character. Recognizing and exposing the traitor was more important than who the traitor turned out to be, and it wasn’t surprising or satisfying.

Still, you can’t fault the art in this issue for any disappointment. It’s gorgeous from front to back. The line work is pristine and the colors are glorious. You have to search long and hard to find a comic that looks this pretty.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

First, catch up on Barbarella’s last fight in our BARBARELLA (VOL. 2) #4 review.

We begin with Barbarella, TALN, and Vix arriving on the planet Rio to follow up on their latest lead about the whereabouts of the Lady, a vicious criminal despot who looks exactly like Barbarella. Rio is much like Earth’s city of the same name, and the entire planet is devoted to parties and pleasure. While Barbarella searches the festivities for clues, she meets up with (and almost hooks up with) a mysterious man named Brindon Zaxary. Although they’re attracted to each other, Barbarella is too distracted by her thoughts and feelings for TALN.

Brindon isn’t put off by the rejection, and he makes it clear he’s on Rio for business as well as pleasure. In fact, he’s come to warn Barbarella about the Lady on behalf of his benefactors. Toward the end of their conversation, Vix barges in to report TALN has been kidnapped. After a brief search, fight, and rescue, Barbarella seeks out Brindon again for more information about the Lady and his benefactors.

Meanwhile, Alexis confides in Gabrielle (remember them from way back in the first issue?) that he knows there’s a mole feeding information to the Lady about Barberella and that they need to get to her right away.

We conclude the issue with the traitor flushed out into the open, the explanation that the Lady’s obsession with Barbarella is more than skin deep, and Brindon revealing there are powerful forces in the universe that are on Barbarella’s side.

Final Thoughts

BARBARELLA (VOL. 2) #5 wraps up the mystery about a potential traitor, opens the door for much bigger players to enter the fight, and perhaps adds a new ally to Barbarella’s team. While all the components are there for a great issue, Barbarella’s characterization feels off and lacks the spark which made the first issues so intriguing. However, this is still the most gorgeous comic you’ll find on the market today.

Score: 7.5/10

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