BARBARELLA (VOL. 2) #9 – Review

BARBARELLA (VOL. 2) #9, from Dynamite Comics on April 27th, 2022, presents the penultimate issue of the arc as Barbarella finally comes face-to-(her)-face with the Lady. Can Barbarella and the Brotherhood survive the Lady’s trap or will the Lady finally rule the galaxy as Barbarella’s replacement?

The Details

• Written By: Sarah Hoyt
• Art By: Madibek Musabekov
• Colors By: Ivan Nunes
• Letters By: Carlos M. Mangual
• Cover Art By: Carla Cohen
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: April 27, 2022

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Was It Good?

BARBARELLA (VOL. 2) #9 is a serviceable entry in the series and does a fine job setting up all the chess pieces heading into the arc’s finale with issue #10. We learn more than all previous issues about the nature of the Lady, her intentions to rule the galaxy, and a small tease concerning her utter hate for Barbarella.

That said, this is a very exposition and dialog-heavy issue with not much plot movement to speak of. Most of the exposition is focused on learning about the Lady’s species and her habits for nesting, with the goal of figuring out how to locate the Lady once Barbarella and her friends arrive on Qruyx. It’s all very logical and Barbarella uses her deducing skills to successfully locate the Lady, although it’s clear the Lady wants to be found by Barbarella. In other words, the entire issue plays out as it’s supposed to because the Lady wants it that way, so there’s not much by way of surprises or twists.

Once the Lady is found, there is a genuine sense of threat to Barbarella and her team as they’re easily captured. The one question hanging in the air throughout this arc is “Why did the Lady go through so much trouble to have herself altered to look like Barbarella?” Unfortunately, readers will have to wait until the next issue to find out, but a brief tease suggests it has to do with matters of the heart.

In general, the writing in this issue is solid, but it is very much a setup issue with a lot of exposition and maneuvering but not much plot movement or surprises.

The art, as we’ve noted in the previous issues, is simply gorgeous. Musabekov is turning in career-defining work with the precision of the lines on display here. Nunes deserves a gold medal for the delicate coloring necessary to keep up with Misabekov’s inks. This truly is one of the best-looking comics on the market today.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

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

If it’s not clear why Barbarella and the brotherhood are flying through space with a dinosaur named George, first read our BARBARELLA (VOL. 2) #8 review.

We begin with Barbarella and friends (plus George the fire-breathing dinosaur) flying through space on their way to Qruyx. The Lady knows they’re coming. They know the Lady knows they’re coming, so they decide to keep their arrival as quiet as possible.

When they arrive on Qruyx and enter a small town, Barbarella relays gobs of information about the Lady’s native, lizard species – the Blibaicoans. Through the biology lesson, Barbarella explains the Lady will still act on instinct and have an underground nest to lay her eggs. The group finds an entrance to the tunnels under the town and begins to search for the Lady’s nest.

We conclude the issue with a risky search, a simple trap, surgical droids, and a revenge killing(?).

Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.

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