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Joe the Barbarian
Joe is an imaginative eleven-year-old boy. He can't fit in at school. He's the victim of bullies. His dad died overseas in the Iraq war. He also suffers from Type 1 diabetes. One fateful day, his condition causes him to believe he has entered a vivid fantasy world in which he is the lost savior—a fantastic land based on the layout and contents of his home. His desperate attempts to make it out of his bedroom transform into an incredible, epic adventure through a bizarre landscape of submarine pirate dwarves, evil Hell Hounds, Lightning Lords and besieged castles. But is his quest really just an insulin deprived delirium—from which he can die if he doesn't take his meds—or something much bigger?
Collecting: Joe the Barbarian 1-8
Collecting: Joe the Barbarian 1-8
224 pages, Hardcover
First published November 8, 2011
About the author
Grant Morrison
1,792 books4,327 followersGrant Morrison has been working with DC Comics for twenty five years, after beginning their American comics career with acclaimed runs on ANIMAL MAN and DOOM PATROL. Since then they have written such best-selling series as JLA, BATMAN and New X-Men, as well as such creator-owned works as THE INVISIBLES, SEAGUY, THE FILTH, WE3 and JOE THE BARBARIAN. In addition to expanding the DC Universe through titles ranging from the Eisner Award-winning SEVEN SOLDIERS and ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to the reality-shattering epic of FINAL CRISIS, they have also reinvented the worlds of the Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN AND ROBIN and BATMAN, INCORPORATED and the Man of Steel in The New 52 ACTION COMICS.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 422 reviews
April 22, 2023
A startling good piece of mainstream fantasy by Morrison as he turns the plight of a fatherless, bullied, diabetic boy, Joe, whose about to see his home repossessed, into a great adventure… conceptually it has shades of King/Straub’s The Talisman. 8 out of 12, Four Stars.
#2013 read
#2013 read
August 11, 2015
Ow. My head hurts.
Reading this reminded me of listening to one of my kids while they make up a story. If you have kids, then you probably know what I mean. Most of it is rambling nonsense, but since it's my kid telling the story, I listen anyway...and usually clap at the end.
I didn't, however, give birth to Grant Morrison.
So, in my opinion, this just sucked. I will not be clapping anytime soon.
I didn't get it, but maybe if you're a huge fan of Morrison...?
Reading this reminded me of listening to one of my kids while they make up a story. If you have kids, then you probably know what I mean. Most of it is rambling nonsense, but since it's my kid telling the story, I listen anyway...and usually clap at the end.
I didn't, however, give birth to Grant Morrison.
So, in my opinion, this just sucked. I will not be clapping anytime soon.
I didn't get it, but maybe if you're a huge fan of Morrison...?
March 21, 2013
I almost certainly would have enjoyed Joe the Barbarian more had I not already read I Kill Giants . I still probably wouldn't have thought it magnificent, but I definitely would have believed it more original, inventive, and surprising. I would have thought it high-concept instead of regurgitated concept. And I'm pretty sure that it isn't super fair for me to be so governed by the feeling that I had already been there and done that—by having read Joe Kelley's superior story of the overlap between imagination and reality.
So let's question for a moment the value of originality. We often hear praise for a work nestled sweetly in terms like "Creative!" or "Original!" or "Imaginative!" In the end, this usually only tells the reader that the reviewer hadn't before run across the ideas, plot, themes, or storytelling method. Because a reviewer can't have read every book written or heard every story told, references to originality generally ring pretty hollow to those paying attention. After all, without complete knowledge, the review cannot possibly make any such definitive statement. Case in point:
When I was in eighth/ninth grade, I was a moron. Well, maybe not a moron, but I had that kind of hubris typical to young teens who have made some discoveries about the world around them and then have the temerity to believe themselves Knowledgeable. As an eighth/ninth grader, I loved a newish band called Winger (you may feel free here to reassign my young teen self to the category of Moron). Winger had a couple songs I liked at the time* so I picked up the album on cassette. At the end of side one, there was a song called "Purple Haze." It was okay. Despite that, I heard the song a lot since you couldn't reliably skip songs on cassette without a walkman more awesome than what an eighth/ninth grader could come up with. So when I got into a conversation with a friend in Drafting class and "Purple Haze" came up, I was adamant that it was a Winger song. I allowed that this guy Jimi Hendrix (whoever he was) might have covered Winger's song, but insisted that "Purple Haze" by Winger was definitely original because I had never heard Hendrix's version before. When I got home, I asked my dad if he had heard of some guy named Jimi Hendrix. And man did I feel deflated.
That right there was a hard and embarrassing story to tell—but it's apropos because every time someone revels in a work's originality, they're basically reenacting my conversation in Drafting 1. What they're really saying is that they haven't yet personally seen anything like the work being discussed. And that's fine. People deserve to have first experiences left and right if they're able. But we shouldn't ever presume originality because that would just be arrogant of us.
[See? Arrogance]
The flip side then is the question of whether something should be of greater value simply because we haven't yet experienced anything analogous. Put like that, we can probably pretty easily realize that No, of course a thing isn't inherently better simply because it feels fresh to us. Only, because we're people and people tend to enjoy new experiences, we also tend to veer toward over-enjoying things that feel new to us—things that we might be tempted to describe as original unless we know better. I do this and, I presume, you do this. It's natural.
But with the understanding of our natures comes a certain responsibility to rationally approach our experiences, ready to divorce ourselves from the brunt of that feeling of Holy cats I've never seen anything like this before! (I mean, insofar as we intend to be critically concerned with the works we consume; I don't think there's probably any such responsibility outside the realm of equitable criticism.) And then, this applies not just to works that feel fresh but also to those creative products that feel like they may retread worn ground. It's fine, according to your personal tastes, to choose to indulge works that move in directions you've yet to experience, but as critics of the texts we devour, we should at least attempt to raise ourselves above that kind of pettiness. Or at least alert our readers to the present bias.
So consider yourselves alerted. I will of course do my utmost to keep "originality" from infecting my reading of Joe the Barbarian, but I'll leave it to you to decide how well I succeed. Because, man, this felt like it shared a lot of common ground with I Kill Giants, an Image book from just a couple years back. I'll just leave that there.
Joe isn't much of a barbarian. He's not much of anything outside of a fatherless teen with a big geeky imagination and the kind of disposition that makes him the target of bullies. He's also got diabetes bad enough that an errant journey into the land of hypoglycemia has him seeing all sorts of hallucinated extrapolations of his everyday world. And not just crazy hallucinations but full-fledged, rounded-out scene shifts built of a robust cast of characters and playing according to a coherent-if-bizarre narrative thread. I'm not even sure that's a possible effect of deeply low blood-sugar. So maybe he's super enough to be a barbarian after all. Or at least a wizard-alchemist.
Because he gets picked on one rainy day, Joe neglects to eat his candy bars. He makes some poor decisions and ends up finding his mind straddling this world and one made up of his toys and fears—all while his body is collapsing from some sort of hypoglycemic shock. All he wants is a Pepsi. But no one will give it to him. So things continue apace and he tries to get downstairs to the fridge while all sorts of fantasy tropes stand in his way or try to befriend him.
It would probably be a harrowing tale if Joe was someone I could invest myself in more. It could be that we just don't ever get to see Joe at his most endearing. He begins the book mopey and glum—and angry at his dumb dad who had to go and die as a soldier in a pointless war. Within pages, he's no longer mopey but simple glazed by his diabetic condition. There's not a lot to work with. We do get to see a more loquacious version of Joe in his fantasy world, but for a fabricated self, Joe is pretty timid in that world too. He mostly gets swept along with the schemes of his allies, contributing occasionally as he comes to recognize that he sort of has to.
So a lot of things happen and something is at stake but we can never quite buy into the idea that anything is really at jeopardy in the more fantastic of the two realms. And then, if the imaginary realm in which these great battles take place is supposed to reflect Joe's real life problems (even if only psychological in nature), it's not very clear how any victories or losses there will effect Joe's life—if he can ever get his hands on that damned Pepsi.
Still, while I remained unattached to Joe's character and unengaged by his story, Sean Murphy's art is HOLY KRACKINAMOLEY!!!** Forgetting the always helpful hand that Dave Stewart's colouring lends any book, Murphy draws the heck out of this thing. I don't believe I've ever seen his work before, but I'll be keeping an eye out for his name on projects from this point forward. His staging is superb and he breathes life into even his most fantastic creatures. The expressiveness he portrays through even the roguish barbarian rat outdoes what many artists can accomplish with human faces. As mediocre as Morrison's script and story are (to my eye at any rate), without Murphy's interpretations of that story, Joe the Barbarian would have fallen disastrously flat.
As it is, Murphy at least turns a mediocre book into something really pretty to look at. I'll let other people figure out how plausible Joe's descent into madness and the climactic wrap-up would be from a medical stand point. Though I scratched my head at all that, Morrison couldn't keep me interested enough in Joe's story to do the legwork myself. I like the idea of exploring the line between this world and the ones created in our minds while chemistry is at play, but I simply didn't find Joe a compelling version of the myriad possible tales that could plumb that concept's depths.
Notes
* As a fourteen-year-old, "Seventeen" was magical and fraught with all kinds of mystery that I wouldn't recognize as being ridiculously creepy until several years later.
** Imagine that KRACKINAMOLEY is in Walt Simonson-style effects lettering.
___________________________
[Review courtesy of Good Ok Bad]
January 29, 2016
3.5 Stars Rated Up
One of my best friends is an avid comic book reader and when she told me that Joe The Barbarian was one of her favourite graphic novels of all time and asked if I wanted to borrow it, of course I jumped at the chance! I trust her opinion quite a lot and as I have been diving into the world of comics, we’ve been able to start recommending them to one another. So far, we’ve done an amazing job of choosing things geared toward one another’s interests.
Joe The Barbarian tells the story of Joe, a young eleven year old boy who has to deal with diabetes. On top of suffering from this illness, Joe’s father has recently died overseas in the Iraq war and Joe is also constantly being bullied at school. Joe comes home from school one day and as he is playing with his pet rat Jack, Joe starts to feel slightly strange. He soon realizes that his illness is causing him to slip into an insulin deprived delirium in which his pet rat Jack has grown larger than Joe himself and can speak! Joe and Jack go on a fantasy-like adventure that mirrors what his happening in reality as Joe is trying to get from his bedroom to the kitchen where he will most likely be able to find the glucose that he needs.
Even just trying to type up a way to describe this story was difficult. It’s so creatively genius. I absolutely loved the idea of Joe’s hallucinations mirroring what was actually happening to him in reality. Not only is this such a unique way of telling this particular story, but the fact that a graphic novel is even dealing with the topic of diabetes to begin with is amazingly unique. I, personally, don’t think I have ever seen or heard of a work of fiction that deals with the everyday common illness that is diabetes.
Although I loved this story for it’s creativity, I definitely did feel a little lost at times. The fantasy aspect of the story lost me a couple of times and I found it pretty hard to keep track of what was going on. I really do wish there was a little more jumping between reality and fantasy and I think that might have helped me with following the story line.
I don’t know if it was just me, but Joe felt like he was older than eleven years old. I don’t know if it was the art style or the way he and the characters surrounding him, (especially his classmates) acted, but they felt more mature to me personally. I didn’t even realize these kids weren’t in high school until after reading the synopsis on the back of the book after I had already finished reading the entire story.
That being said, other than the slightly older looking kids, the artwork was done really beautifully, especially those within the fantasy elements of the story.
Overall, this story was well done and really creative. I enjoyed it quite a bit regardless of the minor hiccups. I recommend reading it, if anything, just for the unique way of telling a story about a young boy suffering from type 1 diabetes.
-
Initial Post Review Thoughts:
One of my best friends lent this to me and told me it was one of her favourites! I enjoyed it quite a bit, especially the fact that it deals with such an everyday illness that I don't think I have ever seen represented in fiction, let alone a graphic novel. It took something that many people have to deal with everyday and used it in a way that told an extremely important story. As much as I did love the representation of a realistic illness, I found myself feeling a little lost when the story took a more adventurous and fantasy-like twist. I found it a bit hard to follow and I wish that it did go back and forth between fantasy and reality a little more often.
Read
December 22, 2022Hypoglycemia mythologized.
I’m sorry, but I found this whole thing to be annoying and distressing. Give the kid some damn glucose.
I’m sorry, but I found this whole thing to be annoying and distressing. Give the kid some damn glucose.
February 10, 2017
I've always felt that there weren't enough stories written about troubled children entering magical worlds. Wizard of Oz -- classic. Alice in Wonderland -- also classic. Neverending Story -- great. I'm sure there are more out there that have just temporarily slipped my mind. But it seems that there are so many things that you could do with this type of story.
Luckily my sister turned me onto this colorful and refreshing book. It was just what I needed -- a magical escape from the problems of the real world. Isn't that what children's fantasy is all about anyway?
Or to summarize, square root of eye of newt, over function of the cosine where EEE equals magic times the speed of all likelihood squared resulted in an awesome comic book read.
Luckily my sister turned me onto this colorful and refreshing book. It was just what I needed -- a magical escape from the problems of the real world. Isn't that what children's fantasy is all about anyway?
Or to summarize, square root of eye of newt, over function of the cosine where EEE equals magic times the speed of all likelihood squared resulted in an awesome comic book read.
February 22, 2017
Grant Morrison re-re-invigorated my love of superhero comics in the late 80s/early 90s, building on the momentum forged by Alan Moore and others. The minute Buddy Baker looked out of an issue ANIMAL MAN at me, sitting in some shitty single room flat at Coventry Polytechnic in England, and really *saw* me, I knew I was going to be a fan for life (well that, and realizing that I was on Mr. Nobody's side in his bid for the American Presidency as it ran in DOOM PATROL).
So I got to watch with pride and joy as Morrison grew in popularity, bringing his own peculiar take on modern superhero comics to a wider variety of readers. Po-faced fans of dark and gritty hated it as being too fun and frivolous. Po-faced fans of continuity and soap-operatics hated it as being dismissive of their oh-so-precious emotional and statistical concerns. But Morrison was working off neither the Miller/Ellis/Ennis testosterone model, nor the Claremont/Wolfman serial weepy approach (nor the Waid too-reverent/solemn "sensawonda") - he was tapping the deep weirdness of Arnold Drake, Bob Haney, Jack Cole, Jack Kirby and Steve Gerber - you know, superheroes as *fun* and disposable pop-culture, a model that allowed you to do almost anything and then move on to the next thought in your head next month! A seedbed for children and teens to cultivate into a world of ideas and awe - a model that had almost died in world of Moore/Miller wannabes that confused "adult" with pessimism and sadism and thoroughly misunderstood WATCHMEN (probably because they didn't read "Pictopia" at the same time).
Now, Morrison isn't for everyone, especially the less adventurous comic book reader. Even as a dedicated fan, I know that you have to be willing to pay close attention and juggle a number of cosmic ideas in your head while keeping a weather eye out for obscure references that might be the hinge of the entire story - sometimes all at the same time, often while waiting (more than) a month between issues. But the ultra-cosmic hyper-epic is not the only tone Morrison writes in. Those disappointed with JOE THE BARBARIAN might do well to think back on things like SAINT SWITHIN'S DAY and We3, small-scale, "human" level comics about people and pets.
Which is a long way to get around to saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this. In short, this is Morrison writing a "fantasy epic", but approached from such a real-world direction that the resonances are extremely internal and not at all what you normally get out of a fantasy epic. The set-up is simplicity itself. Joe, an average young boy on the verge of adolescence, lives with his mom. His dad is an Iraq war casualty. Joe is diabetic. One day, alone in the house in his attic room, Joe does not remember to keep track of his blood sugar and begins to slide into hypoglycemic shock, hallucinating wildly while a storm rages outside, knocking out the house's power. Can Joe make it from the attic to the kitchen (and a can of soda), and from there to the basement to repair the blown fuse, before he passes out and likely perishes? Or, from the point of view of Joe, can he make it through an amazing fantasy world that has manifested around him, peopled with bizarre creatures, monsters and a ragtag army comprised of Joe's toys and action figures (including notable DC characters like Superman, Batman, Robin and maybe John Constantine - or is it Willoughby Kipling? - as well as Autobots and cowboys and toy soldiers, etc.) who are all fleeing the oncoming assaults of Lord Death and the likely destruction of their kingdom?
There are interesting resonances here with previous Morrison work. I was put in mind of Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery, and its focus on a child's view of the world and how imagination can create whole internal worlds which may be in danger of dying when we grow up and become adults. More directly, I was reminded of The Filth and the constant shifting between levels of scale and how that means completely different "worlds" existing at different rates of time. There are echoes of Morrison's love of animals, whether it's the death of his cat as eulogized in ANIMAL MAN or the loss of loved pets that underlays WE3. And also, further back, the world inside Crazy Jane's head from DOOM PATROL is revisited in the adventure presented here. Because, make no mistake, this is primarily a fantasy adventure in which the "land" being explored and journeyed through is actually the mind of a boy, fraught with Freudian and Jungian symbols made flesh and bone, and yet is also the memory and symbolic landscape of his childhood home grown vast and portentous.
Other resonances flew to mind as I read this. Xavier De Maistre's oddity Journey Around My Room and a Nocturnal Expedition Around My Room from 1794 seems like a possible touchstone. Also, perhaps more vaguely, the weird psychic topography mapped out by Daniel Spoerri, Robert Filliou, Emmett Williams, Dieter Roth and Roland Topor in their singular Fluxus classic An Anecdoted Topography of Chance could be an influence (a work in which the detritus of Spoerri's apartment is "mapped" in a number of ways, evoking all the symbolic and mnemonic chords that random possessions and clutter contain).
Then, there were personal memories struck. When I was a child, like most kids I had toys and I developed long involved sagas, plots torn from comic books and TV shows, for my Micronauts and rubber monsters to act out. In this head-space of play, the entire house becomes a world to explore - baths and pools are lakes and oceans, staircases are cliffs and couches are mountains. The lawn is a jungle and if it snowed outside, new vistas of ice caves and polar reaches were opened up. A trip to the beach meant deserts and a *real* ocean. And on and on. I could definitely dig where Morrison was coming from here, as I lived it (as I've said elsewhere, I sometimes feel like Morrison is writing just for me).
I should take a moment to mention Sean Murphy's excellent art. His scratchy, energetic linework does a great job of not only filling the book with action, but also anchoring the real-world scenes with a sense of the actual spatial geography of the house, which is no mean feat as a lot of "action" comic artists tend to suck at scene setting. Bravo!
I'm going to take the rest of this review into the spoiler zone, but if this sounds at all interesting I'd urge you to check it out. There are some interesting "little" mysteries to be teased out of the narrative. Those disappointed by the fact that it is all, in the end, just a story about a boy surviving and growing up might do well to lay off the genre books for a while and remember the human side of things.
This is a great book to give to a kid - he or she will only find more to discover in it as they grow older.
And now - spoiler zone, ahoy!:
So I got to watch with pride and joy as Morrison grew in popularity, bringing his own peculiar take on modern superhero comics to a wider variety of readers. Po-faced fans of dark and gritty hated it as being too fun and frivolous. Po-faced fans of continuity and soap-operatics hated it as being dismissive of their oh-so-precious emotional and statistical concerns. But Morrison was working off neither the Miller/Ellis/Ennis testosterone model, nor the Claremont/Wolfman serial weepy approach (nor the Waid too-reverent/solemn "sensawonda") - he was tapping the deep weirdness of Arnold Drake, Bob Haney, Jack Cole, Jack Kirby and Steve Gerber - you know, superheroes as *fun* and disposable pop-culture, a model that allowed you to do almost anything and then move on to the next thought in your head next month! A seedbed for children and teens to cultivate into a world of ideas and awe - a model that had almost died in world of Moore/Miller wannabes that confused "adult" with pessimism and sadism and thoroughly misunderstood WATCHMEN (probably because they didn't read "Pictopia" at the same time).
Now, Morrison isn't for everyone, especially the less adventurous comic book reader. Even as a dedicated fan, I know that you have to be willing to pay close attention and juggle a number of cosmic ideas in your head while keeping a weather eye out for obscure references that might be the hinge of the entire story - sometimes all at the same time, often while waiting (more than) a month between issues. But the ultra-cosmic hyper-epic is not the only tone Morrison writes in. Those disappointed with JOE THE BARBARIAN might do well to think back on things like SAINT SWITHIN'S DAY and We3, small-scale, "human" level comics about people and pets.
Which is a long way to get around to saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this. In short, this is Morrison writing a "fantasy epic", but approached from such a real-world direction that the resonances are extremely internal and not at all what you normally get out of a fantasy epic. The set-up is simplicity itself. Joe, an average young boy on the verge of adolescence, lives with his mom. His dad is an Iraq war casualty. Joe is diabetic. One day, alone in the house in his attic room, Joe does not remember to keep track of his blood sugar and begins to slide into hypoglycemic shock, hallucinating wildly while a storm rages outside, knocking out the house's power. Can Joe make it from the attic to the kitchen (and a can of soda), and from there to the basement to repair the blown fuse, before he passes out and likely perishes? Or, from the point of view of Joe, can he make it through an amazing fantasy world that has manifested around him, peopled with bizarre creatures, monsters and a ragtag army comprised of Joe's toys and action figures (including notable DC characters like Superman, Batman, Robin and maybe John Constantine - or is it Willoughby Kipling? - as well as Autobots and cowboys and toy soldiers, etc.) who are all fleeing the oncoming assaults of Lord Death and the likely destruction of their kingdom?
There are interesting resonances here with previous Morrison work. I was put in mind of Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery, and its focus on a child's view of the world and how imagination can create whole internal worlds which may be in danger of dying when we grow up and become adults. More directly, I was reminded of The Filth and the constant shifting between levels of scale and how that means completely different "worlds" existing at different rates of time. There are echoes of Morrison's love of animals, whether it's the death of his cat as eulogized in ANIMAL MAN or the loss of loved pets that underlays WE3. And also, further back, the world inside Crazy Jane's head from DOOM PATROL is revisited in the adventure presented here. Because, make no mistake, this is primarily a fantasy adventure in which the "land" being explored and journeyed through is actually the mind of a boy, fraught with Freudian and Jungian symbols made flesh and bone, and yet is also the memory and symbolic landscape of his childhood home grown vast and portentous.
Other resonances flew to mind as I read this. Xavier De Maistre's oddity Journey Around My Room and a Nocturnal Expedition Around My Room from 1794 seems like a possible touchstone. Also, perhaps more vaguely, the weird psychic topography mapped out by Daniel Spoerri, Robert Filliou, Emmett Williams, Dieter Roth and Roland Topor in their singular Fluxus classic An Anecdoted Topography of Chance could be an influence (a work in which the detritus of Spoerri's apartment is "mapped" in a number of ways, evoking all the symbolic and mnemonic chords that random possessions and clutter contain).
Then, there were personal memories struck. When I was a child, like most kids I had toys and I developed long involved sagas, plots torn from comic books and TV shows, for my Micronauts and rubber monsters to act out. In this head-space of play, the entire house becomes a world to explore - baths and pools are lakes and oceans, staircases are cliffs and couches are mountains. The lawn is a jungle and if it snowed outside, new vistas of ice caves and polar reaches were opened up. A trip to the beach meant deserts and a *real* ocean. And on and on. I could definitely dig where Morrison was coming from here, as I lived it (as I've said elsewhere, I sometimes feel like Morrison is writing just for me).
I should take a moment to mention Sean Murphy's excellent art. His scratchy, energetic linework does a great job of not only filling the book with action, but also anchoring the real-world scenes with a sense of the actual spatial geography of the house, which is no mean feat as a lot of "action" comic artists tend to suck at scene setting. Bravo!
I'm going to take the rest of this review into the spoiler zone, but if this sounds at all interesting I'd urge you to check it out. There are some interesting "little" mysteries to be teased out of the narrative. Those disappointed by the fact that it is all, in the end, just a story about a boy surviving and growing up might do well to lay off the genre books for a while and remember the human side of things.
This is a great book to give to a kid - he or she will only find more to discover in it as they grow older.
And now - spoiler zone, ahoy!:
April 17, 2017
Okay so maybe I got excited after reading We3. I thought MAYBE I just disliked Grant's DC titles but I'd love his independent work. Right? WRONG.
So joe here is having a issue. Is he dying? Kind of. Well he will if he doesn't take his medicine. Okay cool. OH NO WE HAVE TO GO TO ANOTHER WORLD WITH TALKING MICE and OTHER shit NO one cares about. This whole book is just a huge mess, loud and annoying, as if I was watching a fucked up, drugged up, transformers flick mixed with Mad Max. Just everything comes off cheesy as hell dialog wise, and then these "grand" moments are so over the top and hard to follow half the time.
Listen, this is just more screwy, weird looking, weirdly written, garbage. I hate it. Goddamn it. Two bad books in a row. WHY! STOP READING HIS SHIT JAMES! STOPPPPPP!!!!!
So joe here is having a issue. Is he dying? Kind of. Well he will if he doesn't take his medicine. Okay cool. OH NO WE HAVE TO GO TO ANOTHER WORLD WITH TALKING MICE and OTHER shit NO one cares about. This whole book is just a huge mess, loud and annoying, as if I was watching a fucked up, drugged up, transformers flick mixed with Mad Max. Just everything comes off cheesy as hell dialog wise, and then these "grand" moments are so over the top and hard to follow half the time.
Listen, this is just more screwy, weird looking, weirdly written, garbage. I hate it. Goddamn it. Two bad books in a row. WHY! STOP READING HIS SHIT JAMES! STOPPPPPP!!!!!
June 6, 2020
Sad, weird Narnia for the 21st century, as Joe fights the terrors of loss, fear, and sickness in our world while being shuffled to and from a half-hallucinatory fantasy land under the thrall of King Death.
March 25, 2012
This world: Joe Manson is a high school boy, likes drawing, is diabetic, has a pet rat called Jack and no friends, has a single mother working to save their house while his father is buried in a military grave having died fighting overseas.
The other world: Joe the Barbarian is a prophet called "The Dying Boy" who must traverse mountains, castles full of cowardly inventors, submarines full of toilet dwarves, with his companion, a fighting warrior rat called Jack, dodging flying demons, laser gun fights, epic battles, to flood the land with light and the Fountain of Life, and destroy evil King Death.
Grant Morrison writes a hugely inventive story of fantastic proportions, throwing in tropes from every fantasy story ever written of the band of heroes on a quest to destroy evil and save kingdoms of innocents. Joe is diabetic and it seems that his low blood sugar has triggered a vivid hallucination as he struggles to go from his bedroom attic to the kitchen downstairs to drink a soda and keep him from going into hypoglycaemic shock. But anyone who's read Morrison before or knows anything about him, knows that he is a true believer in parallel worlds and that there's more to life than we can see with our eyes. This book mirrors that philosophy as the smallest things in the "real world" are brought to life in the "other world", for example Joe makes himself a bath but forgets to turn off the tap causing the water to pour from the tub into the room and down the stairs, creating a new waterfall across the mountains in the other world.
While there's very little explanation for the who what where and why of the story, and Morrison just plunges the reader from the real world into this fantasy world, I felt that the pure energetic gusto of the storytelling coupled with Sean Murphy's superb artwork made this book an exceptional read for pure creativity alone. The story makes some sense once you read it and realise that it's this boy's way of understanding and coping with his father's death, though Morrison wants the reader to also believe in the fantastic, that it's out there and it's real and it's symbols in this world mean that it exists just beyond our reach - a near death experience can bring us into it, however briefly.
I think that if the reader allows the force of Morrison and Murphy's imaginations wash over themselves, this book will be enjoyable though at times frustratingly melodramatic and incongruous. "Joe the Barbarian" is nothing if not ambitious in its scope and incredibly creative throughout, though not without its flaws.
The other world: Joe the Barbarian is a prophet called "The Dying Boy" who must traverse mountains, castles full of cowardly inventors, submarines full of toilet dwarves, with his companion, a fighting warrior rat called Jack, dodging flying demons, laser gun fights, epic battles, to flood the land with light and the Fountain of Life, and destroy evil King Death.
Grant Morrison writes a hugely inventive story of fantastic proportions, throwing in tropes from every fantasy story ever written of the band of heroes on a quest to destroy evil and save kingdoms of innocents. Joe is diabetic and it seems that his low blood sugar has triggered a vivid hallucination as he struggles to go from his bedroom attic to the kitchen downstairs to drink a soda and keep him from going into hypoglycaemic shock. But anyone who's read Morrison before or knows anything about him, knows that he is a true believer in parallel worlds and that there's more to life than we can see with our eyes. This book mirrors that philosophy as the smallest things in the "real world" are brought to life in the "other world", for example Joe makes himself a bath but forgets to turn off the tap causing the water to pour from the tub into the room and down the stairs, creating a new waterfall across the mountains in the other world.
While there's very little explanation for the who what where and why of the story, and Morrison just plunges the reader from the real world into this fantasy world, I felt that the pure energetic gusto of the storytelling coupled with Sean Murphy's superb artwork made this book an exceptional read for pure creativity alone. The story makes some sense once you read it and realise that it's this boy's way of understanding and coping with his father's death, though Morrison wants the reader to also believe in the fantastic, that it's out there and it's real and it's symbols in this world mean that it exists just beyond our reach - a near death experience can bring us into it, however briefly.
I think that if the reader allows the force of Morrison and Murphy's imaginations wash over themselves, this book will be enjoyable though at times frustratingly melodramatic and incongruous. "Joe the Barbarian" is nothing if not ambitious in its scope and incredibly creative throughout, though not without its flaws.
August 19, 2019
4,5/5
A story about a kid, who in one stormy night, when circuit breaker went off and lights go down struggles a glycemic deficiency and his house and toys become one wast fantasy world. He goes for some sugar and to turn the circuit breaker on, but he must undergo this quest both in real-world and the fantasy one.
After a bit rough start, because I was thrown to already running story with no leading hand or better than a vague explanation of the setting, it settled down. I can't say I'm surprised, it's Grant Morrison style, giving reader minimal background and only pieces of information important at that moment. And maybe he will explain this and that later, or maybe he never won't. That's how he rolls. And with Joe the Barbarian he's still gentle on that. Otherwise, the story is great. I really love the "Little soldiers" theme, the parallels with items, places and events in the fantasy world and real world, toys becoming characters and all that rich imagination creating a fantasy world, which channels not only the house and the toys but even the real-life events in Joe's life as some kind of mythology. And even if the overall feeling of the story is a bit dark, the ending is very satisfactory and heartwarming. And Murphy's art? it complements every aspect of the story. I like more neat art, but Sean Murphy is just great. His drawing looks both realistic and artistic, he is master of the perspective, which he uses perfectly to create very plastic, deep scenes, huge overviews and fantastic "camera stills". Not talking about his work with panels and their composition, which is brilliant, clever but not experimental. He also has a sense for detail without overwhelming the picture with them and his art have the right amount of gloomy feeling. And all of that works well for Morrison's story.
A story about a kid, who in one stormy night, when circuit breaker went off and lights go down struggles a glycemic deficiency and his house and toys become one wast fantasy world. He goes for some sugar and to turn the circuit breaker on, but he must undergo this quest both in real-world and the fantasy one.
After a bit rough start, because I was thrown to already running story with no leading hand or better than a vague explanation of the setting, it settled down. I can't say I'm surprised, it's Grant Morrison style, giving reader minimal background and only pieces of information important at that moment. And maybe he will explain this and that later, or maybe he never won't. That's how he rolls. And with Joe the Barbarian he's still gentle on that. Otherwise, the story is great. I really love the "Little soldiers" theme, the parallels with items, places and events in the fantasy world and real world, toys becoming characters and all that rich imagination creating a fantasy world, which channels not only the house and the toys but even the real-life events in Joe's life as some kind of mythology. And even if the overall feeling of the story is a bit dark, the ending is very satisfactory and heartwarming. And Murphy's art? it complements every aspect of the story. I like more neat art, but Sean Murphy is just great. His drawing looks both realistic and artistic, he is master of the perspective, which he uses perfectly to create very plastic, deep scenes, huge overviews and fantastic "camera stills". Not talking about his work with panels and their composition, which is brilliant, clever but not experimental. He also has a sense for detail without overwhelming the picture with them and his art have the right amount of gloomy feeling. And all of that works well for Morrison's story.
June 17, 2012
I love Grant Morrison.
Or, more precisely, I should probably say that I love his work. I love his
This was a good book, but it didn't ring my bell the way his stuff normally does. I'm not saying there was anything wrong with it, but the story felt.... looser than I'm used to.
Part of the problem could also be an issue of expectation. If I walk into something expecting brilliance and get mere excellence instead, I'm going to be disappointed.
Unfortunate and unfair, but true.
Or, more precisely, I should probably say that I love his work. I love his
This was a good book, but it didn't ring my bell the way his stuff normally does. I'm not saying there was anything wrong with it, but the story felt.... looser than I'm used to.
Part of the problem could also be an issue of expectation. If I walk into something expecting brilliance and get mere excellence instead, I'm going to be disappointed.
Unfortunate and unfair, but true.
May 3, 2024
Я цілком переконаний, що дістав би більше задоволення від «Джо-Варвара» Ґранта Моррісона, якби до цього не прочитав «Я вбиваю велетнів» Джо Келлі та Кена Нііумури. Не знаю чи вважав би цей комікс шедевром, але точно оригінальнішим і винахідливішим. Але не до кінця чесно з мого боку керуватися такими відчуттями, та все ж, від них важко втекти. Так що давайте заглибимося більше в цю історію, між уявою та реальністю, яку намалював неймовірний Джон Ґордон Мерфі.
Джо — примхливий, зацькований і самотній юнак, чия уява часто є його єдиним притулком. Його батько загинув на війні в Іраку, і тепер, не маючи грошей, він та його мати ризикують втратити і свій дім. Джо також страждає на діабет і одного фатального дня рівень цукру в його крові падає небезпечно низько, і він потрапляє в яскраву фантастичну країну, де він є пророкованим рятівником королівства, що руйнується через атаку монстрів. Джо мусить мандрувати територіями, що дуже нагадують його власний дім. А напружені пригоди, які він вигадує, намагаючись вийти зі своєї спальні, щоб здобути чогось із наявністю цукру, є епічними та масштабними. Разом зі своїм домашнім щуром, який стає великим воїном, Джо повинен пережити ці пригоди, врятувати фантастичне королівство в його уяві та власне життя.
Говорячи про візуальну частину, то Шон Мерфі виправдав усі сподівання, які були в мене. Це не перший комікс, який я читав у його виконанні. Тому я знаю рівень цього художника. Шон згадував, що Ґрант Моррісон дав йому свободу створювати оточення так, як він хотів, і він зробив свою роботу якісно й ефектно. Переходи між двома світами, часто від панелі до панелі, виконані майстерно. І вражає те, що комікс робить це, не порушуючи темпу оповіді. Такий підхід тримає н��пругу, постійно нагадуючи читачеві про битву не на життя, а на смерть, яка відбувається одразу на двох рівнях. Саме робота Шона Мерфі вирізняє цей комікс досить сильно, а його вміння втілити бачення Моррісона на папері є вправним і атмосферним.
Повертаючись до сюжету, то зрозуміло, що в контексті історії, фантазія слугує для Джо механізмом подолання перспективи власної смерті. Через свою уяву він стикається з реальністю смерті і знаходить мотивацію діяти, щоб врятувати себе. Багато сюжетів для дітей мають схожий підхід — вони тонко визнають існування темряви у світі й допомагають підготувати юні уми до неї. Але на мою думку, Моррісон не симпатизує тим, хто надмірно прихищає чи няньчиться з дітьми, захищаючи їх від темних сторін життя під виглядом захисту. Моррісон стверджує, що такий підхід, зрештою, є контрпродуктивним, оскільки діти неминуче стикаються з реаліями світу, коли дорослішають. Схожу думку бажав донести і Джо Келлі й у своєму коміксі, кажучи, що колись людині прийдеться зустрітися віч-на-віч із реальністю, якби далеко ти не тікав.
Але саме емоційної напруги мені не вистачило під час читання коміксу «Джо-Варвар». На жаль, у голові крутяться постійно отримані емоції під час читання «Я вбиваю велетнів». І важко із цим щось зробити. Та це не означає, що «Джо-варвар» поганий. Він хороший, як візуально, так й ідейно. Просто інколи історія не сильно виходить за межі фантастичної історії про хлопчика-підлітка, який стикається зі своїми проблемами. У цьому немає нічого поганого, але хотілося, щоб ця історія залишила якийсь емоційний відбиток під час читання. А цього, на жаль, не сталося. Та я переконаний, що для багатьох люде��, цей комікс зможе збурити багато емоцій, як мінімум із візуальної сторони. Так само, як і для мене.
Джо — примхливий, зацькований і самотній юнак, чия уява часто є його єдиним притулком. Його батько загинув на війні в Іраку, і тепер, не маючи грошей, він та його мати ризикують втратити і свій дім. Джо також страждає на діабет і одного фатального дня рівень цукру в його крові падає небезпечно низько, і він потрапляє в яскраву фантастичну країну, де він є пророкованим рятівником королівства, що руйнується через атаку монстрів. Джо мусить мандрувати територіями, що дуже нагадують його власний дім. А напружені пригоди, які він вигадує, намагаючись вийти зі своєї спальні, щоб здобути чогось із наявністю цукру, є епічними та масштабними. Разом зі своїм домашнім щуром, який стає великим воїном, Джо повинен пережити ці пригоди, врятувати фантастичне королівство в його уяві та власне життя.
Говорячи про візуальну частину, то Шон Мерфі виправдав усі сподівання, які були в мене. Це не перший комікс, який я читав у його виконанні. Тому я знаю рівень цього художника. Шон згадував, що Ґрант Моррісон дав йому свободу створювати оточення так, як він хотів, і він зробив свою роботу якісно й ефектно. Переходи між двома світами, часто від панелі до панелі, виконані майстерно. І вражає те, що комікс робить це, не порушуючи темпу оповіді. Такий підхід тримає н��пругу, постійно нагадуючи читачеві про битву не на життя, а на смерть, яка відбувається одразу на двох рівнях. Саме робота Шона Мерфі вирізняє цей комікс досить сильно, а його вміння втілити бачення Моррісона на папері є вправним і атмосферним.
Повертаючись до сюжету, то зрозуміло, що в контексті історії, фантазія слугує для Джо механізмом подолання перспективи власної смерті. Через свою уяву він стикається з реальністю смерті і знаходить мотивацію діяти, щоб врятувати себе. Багато сюжетів для дітей мають схожий підхід — вони тонко визнають існування темряви у світі й допомагають підготувати юні уми до неї. Але на мою думку, Моррісон не симпатизує тим, хто надмірно прихищає чи няньчиться з дітьми, захищаючи їх від темних сторін життя під виглядом захисту. Моррісон стверджує, що такий підхід, зрештою, є контрпродуктивним, оскільки діти неминуче стикаються з реаліями світу, коли дорослішають. Схожу думку бажав донести і Джо Келлі й у своєму коміксі, кажучи, що колись людині прийдеться зустрітися віч-на-віч із реальністю, якби далеко ти не тікав.
Але саме емоційної напруги мені не вистачило під час читання коміксу «Джо-Варвар». На жаль, у голові крутяться постійно отримані емоції під час читання «Я вбиваю велетнів». І важко із цим щось зробити. Та це не означає, що «Джо-варвар» поганий. Він хороший, як візуально, так й ідейно. Просто інколи історія не сильно виходить за межі фантастичної історії про хлопчика-підлітка, який стикається зі своїми проблемами. У цьому немає нічого поганого, але хотілося, щоб ця історія залишила якийсь емоційний відбиток під час читання. А цього, на жаль, не сталося. Та я переконаний, що для багатьох люде��, цей комікс зможе збурити багато емоцій, як мінімум із візуальної сторони. Так само, як і для мене.
October 10, 2018
This book just... what the hell was that?
What’s it about?
There’s this kid named Joe who has type 1 diabetes, he gets super low blood sugar and ends up hallucinating a fantasy story in his head, one that involves a human-sized rat, his toys being real people and all kinds of things like that.
Pros:
The artwork is really well done throughout.
There’s a lot of great action. Once you get past the fact that it’s not as graphic as you’d expect Vertigo to be (as in don’t expect another Preacher or American Vampire, if you like that sort of gory action) there are a lot of fun action scenes that the art accompanies very well.
This book is suspenseful, no idea what could happen next.
Cons:
The story, while an interesting idea, is so poorly written and confusing. For those of you who like Parks and Recreation (I’ve been watching that show lately), it’s like that time when they’re trying to make art to replace a politically incorrect painting and April’s idea is a bunch of random, strange things slapped together and everybody seems confused by it... this kind of felt like that except not as twisted or entertaining. “Oh, look there’s superheroes and laser guns in a fantasy kingdom where Joe is trying to talk to a giant rat...” this would maybe be fun if it made sense, it just barely did.
The characters are boring. Joe is pretty much just a kid protagonist. The rat thing is basically a rat thing (and because most of you reading this know I have to... “Them rats!”). This is pretty much how every single character is too, nobody is interesting.
The dialogue while not too awful I didn’t care for it.
As a type one diabetic, this book doesn’t do a good job representing type one. It is not too awful or as stupid and offensive as usual (seriously, fuck everyone who made their diabetic character(s) a helpless weakling that can’t do a goddamn thing) but still not accurate. I’ve had low blood sugar I needed to treat, even alone, and don’t remember any of this sort of shit going on in my brain.
This book in general, despite the cool action gets boring after awhile. It just seems like it went on for too long. It’s 8-issues when it really could have been 4-5.
Overall:
This book isn’t awful or anything. It is an unpredictable one with great art and action but the poorly executed story, lack of interesting characters, inaccuracies, going on too long, etc. ruin it. I think that maybe kids would think it’s fun (yeah, I feel weird saying this about a Vertigo title but like I said, it’s milder than most of them) but teens and adults will probably not like it. I didn’t find it awful though still disliked.
2/5
What’s it about?
There’s this kid named Joe who has type 1 diabetes, he gets super low blood sugar and ends up hallucinating a fantasy story in his head, one that involves a human-sized rat, his toys being real people and all kinds of things like that.
Pros:
The artwork is really well done throughout.
There’s a lot of great action. Once you get past the fact that it’s not as graphic as you’d expect Vertigo to be (as in don’t expect another Preacher or American Vampire, if you like that sort of gory action) there are a lot of fun action scenes that the art accompanies very well.
This book is suspenseful, no idea what could happen next.
Cons:
The story, while an interesting idea, is so poorly written and confusing. For those of you who like Parks and Recreation (I’ve been watching that show lately), it’s like that time when they’re trying to make art to replace a politically incorrect painting and April’s idea is a bunch of random, strange things slapped together and everybody seems confused by it... this kind of felt like that except not as twisted or entertaining. “Oh, look there’s superheroes and laser guns in a fantasy kingdom where Joe is trying to talk to a giant rat...” this would maybe be fun if it made sense, it just barely did.
The characters are boring. Joe is pretty much just a kid protagonist. The rat thing is basically a rat thing (and because most of you reading this know I have to... “Them rats!”). This is pretty much how every single character is too, nobody is interesting.
The dialogue while not too awful I didn’t care for it.
As a type one diabetic, this book doesn’t do a good job representing type one. It is not too awful or as stupid and offensive as usual (seriously, fuck everyone who made their diabetic character(s) a helpless weakling that can’t do a goddamn thing) but still not accurate. I’ve had low blood sugar I needed to treat, even alone, and don’t remember any of this sort of shit going on in my brain.
This book in general, despite the cool action gets boring after awhile. It just seems like it went on for too long. It’s 8-issues when it really could have been 4-5.
Overall:
This book isn’t awful or anything. It is an unpredictable one with great art and action but the poorly executed story, lack of interesting characters, inaccuracies, going on too long, etc. ruin it. I think that maybe kids would think it’s fun (yeah, I feel weird saying this about a Vertigo title but like I said, it’s milder than most of them) but teens and adults will probably not like it. I didn’t find it awful though still disliked.
2/5
February 19, 2019
It reminded me times when I got fever, was staring at carpet and fantasia kicked in. Story is full of imagination, sometimes little chaotic and full of strange characters, but it's hallucination trip so it's kind of expected.
January 19, 2023
This was interesting. A diabetic kid with a vivid imagination, who gets bullied at school and whose dad died, gets left for an evening alone, falls asleep, forgets to take insulin, and begins to vividly hallucinate a world of his own as an allegory for his straining to not sleep and go into a diabetic coma, I guess. As a result, the fantasy world is quite the pastiche, which makes sense, since it’s all of his toys put together in a fugue type state.
It does strain credulity, but it���s more inventive than most stories. I always like Murphy’s art too. It’s got a positive message. Overall I liked it; I probably would have liked it more as a teenager.
It does strain credulity, but it���s more inventive than most stories. I always like Murphy’s art too. It’s got a positive message. Overall I liked it; I probably would have liked it more as a teenager.
June 23, 2013
Great artwork and concept, but the actual writing of the story was a bit disjointed - started off great in the early issues, became a little harder to follow in the latter ones. I liked Joe's character well enough, but wish I could've gotten to know the other characters a little better. The story revolves around Joe, a victim of bullying and has Type I diabetes. He's at home one rainy evening when he starts going into shock. This toggles him between the real world and a fantastical realm. He has to get a soda at the end of the journey to save himself and get back to the real world.
I think what helped this story stand out to me was the amazing artwork and just being invested in Joe's journey back and forth through the realms, even if it was a bit difficult to believe at times with respect to what was actually going on in the real world. I liked it though, particularly as an evening read in one sitting.
I think what helped this story stand out to me was the amazing artwork and just being invested in Joe's journey back and forth through the realms, even if it was a bit difficult to believe at times with respect to what was actually going on in the real world. I liked it though, particularly as an evening read in one sitting.
March 26, 2015
Joe the Barbarian is one of those stories that make you want to hate on Grant Morrison a little less than you do. That is until you pick up one of his Batman stories than you can pretty much hate on Grant all you want.
Joe is a misunderstood, bullied loner whose imagination is often his only place of refuge. His father has died in the Iraq war and now, with no money, Joe and his mom face losing their home as well. Joe also suffers from Type 1 diabetes and one fateful day, Joe's blood sugar drops dangerously low and he falls into a vivid fantasy land where he is the prophesied savior or a crumbling kingdom. Joe must travel a landscape that is much like his own house, and the intense adventures his mind conjures up as he struggles to escape just from his bedroom are epic and vast. Joined by his pet rat who becomes a great warrior, Joe must make it through the adventure that is his home and the fantasy kingdom in mind that is under siege.
Joe the Barbarian is a wonderfully written tale but in itself, is not wholly original. I have read this one before in various forms. The little boy whose father is dead and is an outsider to all those around him. Whose fantasies become more real than the depressing reality he lives in. The ending itself is formulatic and predictable. But the details in between the beginning and ending are imaginative and interesting enough to keep the reader engaged.
It is Sean Murphy's artwork that separates this graphic novel from others and his ability to bring Morrison's vision to life is spot on. In lesser hands Joe the Barbarian could have become trite and boring. But Murphy brings power and dimension to the tale.
Altogether a good read.
Joe is a misunderstood, bullied loner whose imagination is often his only place of refuge. His father has died in the Iraq war and now, with no money, Joe and his mom face losing their home as well. Joe also suffers from Type 1 diabetes and one fateful day, Joe's blood sugar drops dangerously low and he falls into a vivid fantasy land where he is the prophesied savior or a crumbling kingdom. Joe must travel a landscape that is much like his own house, and the intense adventures his mind conjures up as he struggles to escape just from his bedroom are epic and vast. Joined by his pet rat who becomes a great warrior, Joe must make it through the adventure that is his home and the fantasy kingdom in mind that is under siege.
Joe the Barbarian is a wonderfully written tale but in itself, is not wholly original. I have read this one before in various forms. The little boy whose father is dead and is an outsider to all those around him. Whose fantasies become more real than the depressing reality he lives in. The ending itself is formulatic and predictable. But the details in between the beginning and ending are imaginative and interesting enough to keep the reader engaged.
It is Sean Murphy's artwork that separates this graphic novel from others and his ability to bring Morrison's vision to life is spot on. In lesser hands Joe the Barbarian could have become trite and boring. But Murphy brings power and dimension to the tale.
Altogether a good read.
January 10, 2022
A more emotional, feel-good kind of Morrison story, closer to something like WE3 than his other work. Joe is a kid with Type 1 Diabetes who is experiencing an extreme bout of low blood sugar. As he, in real life, tries to make his way to some candy or soda to give him a sugar spike, he hallucinates wildly, envisioning his home and all of his toys as a fantasy world he must navigate if he's going to survive.
This premise is very solid, and I was interested to see where it would take the story. Unfortunately, though, the metaphor here is pretty thin. Once we understand what's at stake (which is pretty much right away), it makes it very hard to actually care about any of the stuff in the fantasy world. We know the real stakes are in real life, and that we're, on some level, watching a child's brain die. This makes it pretty hard to care about anything except Real Life Joe finding some Real Life Sugar, and creates a pretty weird contradiction in tones between the whimsical fantasy and the dire stakes in real life.
Overall, I enjoyed this for what it was. There are some fairly opaque, but earned, emotional payoffs that really worked for me, if you can dig them out of Morrison's many layers of detachment. And it's a little unfair to compare this to Morrison's other work, which is so frequently stellar, since this is intentionally a smaller story. But, I still felt like it was just missing something to really hammer home the emotional arc. Still pretty decent though! I don't know!
This premise is very solid, and I was interested to see where it would take the story. Unfortunately, though, the metaphor here is pretty thin. Once we understand what's at stake (which is pretty much right away), it makes it very hard to actually care about any of the stuff in the fantasy world. We know the real stakes are in real life, and that we're, on some level, watching a child's brain die. This makes it pretty hard to care about anything except Real Life Joe finding some Real Life Sugar, and creates a pretty weird contradiction in tones between the whimsical fantasy and the dire stakes in real life.
Overall, I enjoyed this for what it was. There are some fairly opaque, but earned, emotional payoffs that really worked for me, if you can dig them out of Morrison's many layers of detachment. And it's a little unfair to compare this to Morrison's other work, which is so frequently stellar, since this is intentionally a smaller story. But, I still felt like it was just missing something to really hammer home the emotional arc. Still pretty decent though! I don't know!
April 28, 2016
I'm not always a big fan of Grant Morrison's stories (tends towards too many threads that he expects readers to weave together for him) but I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Joe the Barbarian is about a troubled teen who after a particularly bad day starts experiencing hallucinations due to low blood sugar. As a Type 1 diabetic, Joe can get in serious trouble if he doesn't maintain blood sugar levels but after dealing with bullies, he just wants to get lost in his own imagination where things can be as epic and adventurous as he wants. But balancing reality with the strangely intense hallucinations pits Joe in a race to deal with a magical world in which he is the savior that everyone's depending on and the reality in which if he doesn't find a way to eat, he might slip into a diabetic coma. Joe's a very sympathetic character and I loved the adventure of the fantasy world. Catching details as they related to the real world made for a fun read and one I'd recommend if you don't mind not knowing exactly what's going on.
Full series review here
Joe the Barbarian is about a troubled teen who after a particularly bad day starts experiencing hallucinations due to low blood sugar. As a Type 1 diabetic, Joe can get in serious trouble if he doesn't maintain blood sugar levels but after dealing with bullies, he just wants to get lost in his own imagination where things can be as epic and adventurous as he wants. But balancing reality with the strangely intense hallucinations pits Joe in a race to deal with a magical world in which he is the savior that everyone's depending on and the reality in which if he doesn't find a way to eat, he might slip into a diabetic coma. Joe's a very sympathetic character and I loved the adventure of the fantasy world. Catching details as they related to the real world made for a fun read and one I'd recommend if you don't mind not knowing exactly what's going on.
Full series review here
June 10, 2012
Ugh. This would've been a 1-star if Sean Murphy's artwork wasn't so great. I've loved Morrison's work since I was a teenager but this was a rambling, incoherent mess. Pretty much skimmed through the 2nd half of it. Extremely disappointing.
March 26, 2024
🌟3,5/5 «Джо-варвар» Ґранта Моррісона та Шона Мерфі
Джо Менсон - це юнак із гіпоглікемією, який з провини шкільних булерів та власної неуважности починає ловити передкоматозні видіння, й шляхом до холодильника із цукровою газованокою переноситься до уявного королівства власних галюцинацій, що наповнюється його іграшками, домашнім щуром Джеком, образами загиблого батька й скорботної матері, штормової пітьми й близької смерти.
Я можу охарактеризувати цю історію як "швидку й насичену метафору". А втім, місцями аж перенасичену.
Для мене «Джо-варвар» - це нагромадження образів поверх дуже "плаского" протагоніста. Моя проблема із Джо полягає в тому, що він є не характером, а характеристикою, а для такого формату героя понад 200 сторінок сюжету виглядають надміром. Аналогічною особистістю-характеристикою до Моррісонівського "хлопчика, що помирає" є "хлопчик, що спить" у оповідках Маккея про Немо.
Сказати, що Джо Менсон - не варвар, й таємниця титулу коміксу відкриється тільки наприкінці книги, буде не спойлером, а проте дисклеймером. Мандрівка "таємним садом" Менсона є (що характерно для "таємних садів") терапевтичним, метафоричним etc, та сам він більшою мірою є спостерігачем, аніж дійовою особою історії, що розгортається його розбурханою передкоматозною уявою. Порівняти «Джо-варвара» можна із все тим же «Таємним садом», «Країною припливів», «Дзеркальною маскою» (мені останнє видається найвлучнішим порівнянням), й всі вони поділяють один єдиний троп прихистку від реальности.
Моррісон вміє створювати цікаві й почасти шизонуті концепції, однак «Джо-варвар», як і, наприклад, «WE3» (давно писав про нього), особисто мені чимось сильно не дотягає. Якщо із «WE3» з динамікою все було гаразд, тут я можу сказати, що вона є надто нерівною, й іноді оповідь уповільнюється у місцях, які сильно ламають ритм екшону в юяві Менсона, а подекуди - навспак є надто швидкою та не дає навіть роззнайомитись із колоритними персонажами.
Малюнок Мерфі чудовий, ідея гарна, дуже добре витриманий стиль світу й кольорова гама похмурої дощової днини, що перекидається у "задзеркалля Джо Менсона", тішать і численні камео, виправдані екшн фігурками з кімнати хлопчика, і все ж... я пам'ятав цей комікс як 4/5, та вже зараз, коли я читав значно більшу кількість ліміток, цей бал "скидає вагу".
Джо Менсон - це юнак із гіпоглікемією, який з провини шкільних булерів та власної неуважности починає ловити передкоматозні видіння, й шляхом до холодильника із цукровою газованокою переноситься до уявного королівства власних галюцинацій, що наповнюється його іграшками, домашнім щуром Джеком, образами загиблого батька й скорботної матері, штормової пітьми й близької смерти.
Я можу охарактеризувати цю історію як "швидку й насичену метафору". А втім, місцями аж перенасичену.
Для мене «Джо-варвар» - це нагромадження образів поверх дуже "плаского" протагоніста. Моя проблема із Джо полягає в тому, що він є не характером, а характеристикою, а для такого формату героя понад 200 сторінок сюжету виглядають надміром. Аналогічною особистістю-характеристикою до Моррісонівського "хлопчика, що помирає" є "хлопчик, що спить" у оповідках Маккея про Немо.
Сказати, що Джо Менсон - не варвар, й таємниця титулу коміксу відкриється тільки наприкінці книги, буде не спойлером, а проте дисклеймером. Мандрівка "таємним садом" Менсона є (що характерно для "таємних садів") терапевтичним, метафоричним etc, та сам він більшою мірою є спостерігачем, аніж дійовою особою історії, що розгортається його розбурханою передкоматозною уявою. Порівняти «Джо-варвара» можна із все тим же «Таємним садом», «Країною припливів», «Дзеркальною маскою» (мені останнє видається найвлучнішим порівнянням), й всі вони поділяють один єдиний троп прихистку від реальности.
Моррісон вміє створювати цікаві й почасти шизонуті концепції, однак «Джо-варвар», як і, наприклад, «WE3» (давно писав про нього), особисто мені чимось сильно не дотягає. Якщо із «WE3» з динамікою все було гаразд, тут я можу сказати, що вона є надто нерівною, й іноді оповідь уповільнюється у місцях, які сильно ламають ритм екшону в юяві Менсона, а подекуди - навспак є надто швидкою та не дає навіть роззнайомитись із колоритними персонажами.
Малюнок Мерфі чудовий, ідея гарна, дуже добре витриманий стиль світу й кольорова гама похмурої дощової днини, що перекидається у "задзеркалля Джо Менсона", тішать і численні камео, виправдані екшн фігурками з кімнати хлопчика, і все ж... я пам'ятав цей комікс як 4/5, та вже зараз, коли я читав значно більшу кількість ліміток, цей бал "скидає вагу".
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November 28, 2017Ugh, kepala saya migraine separuh jalan cerita ini. Sirinya panjang, tetapi editor tak ambil pusing untuk betulkan cerita yang terputus-putus (saya tak tahu penulisnya pun menulis dalam keadaan migraine macam saya agaknya). Lukisannya sahaja tak dapat menyelamatkan idea yang menarik ini.
Sayangnya.
Sayangnya.
April 7, 2023
Robetta tranquilla, un po' di solita follia morrisoniana in cui deve buttare di tutto dentro ad una cosa e renderla complicata per il gusto di renderla complicata e basta, non tanto gli avvenimenti, visto che si tratta di una storia piuttosto lineare, quanto i vari setting e i pensieri dei personaggi. Disegni rendono bene, anche se ancora non capisco se apprezzo Sean Murphy o no. Senza infamia e senza lode, magari un po' più di 3 stelle, direi 3,35
April 1, 2023
Очередная история ребенка - попаданца в сказочный мир, где он оказывается тем самым Избранным, который должен победить Страшное Зло, порабощающее волшебные земли. Но есть нюанс.
Попаданец - школьник-диабетик Джо, которого которого накрыло приступом гипогликемии, он один-одинешек (не считая ручной крысы Джека) беспомощный в пустом доме, где из-за грозы выбило пробки, и все приключения в другом мире - галлюцинации, вызванные болезнью. Или нет? И он действительно живет в двух мирах, и если не спасет сказочный мир, то Страшное Зло проникнет и в его родной мир? Одни из остающихся после прочтения вопросов, как и "почему никто за эти годы не перевернул фотографию"?
Сначала, прочитав синопсис, недовольно скривился - очередная экзотизация и фетишизация болезни, обычно так любят делать с ментальными заболеваниями. Но в процессе прочтения недовольство незаметно ушло, история очень неплоха, а арт Шона Мерфи делает ее еще лучше, ему отлично удалось передать эти порожденные детским воображением безумные пейзажи и панорамы. Повествование сумбурно перескакивает из одного мира в другой, очень уместно передавая горячечное состояние главного героя, персонажи попадают из одной передряги в другую, обрастая своим Братством Кольца по пути к завершению квеста. А мальчик-попаданец вынужден решать, что важнее - спасти себя в реальном мире или спасти всех в мире своих галлюцинаций.
Прочитал, что права на экранизацию были проданы. Интересно, что с ними сейчас.
ЗЫ. 3,5 плюс дополнительные полбалла за крысу в числе главных героев.
Попаданец - школьник-диабетик Джо, которого которого накрыло приступом гипогликемии, он один-одинешек (не считая ручной крысы Джека) беспомощный в пустом доме, где из-за грозы выбило пробки, и все приключения в другом мире - галлюцинации, вызванные болезнью. Или нет? И он действительно живет в двух мирах, и если не спасет сказочный мир, то Страшное Зло проникнет и в его родной мир? Одни из остающихся после прочтения вопросов, как и "почему никто за эти годы не перевернул фотографию"?
Сначала, прочитав синопсис, недовольно скривился - очередная экзотизация и фетишизация болезни, обычно так любят делать с ментальными заболеваниями. Но в процессе прочтения недовольство незаметно ушло, история очень неплоха, а арт Шона Мерфи делает ее еще лучше, ему отлично удалось передать эти порожденные детским воображением безумные пейзажи и панорамы. Повествование сумбурно перескакивает из одного мира в другой, очень уместно передавая горячечное состояние главного героя, персонажи попадают из одной передряги в другую, обрастая своим Братством Кольца по пути к завершению квеста. А мальчик-попаданец вынужден решать, что важнее - спасти себя в реальном мире или спасти всех в мире своих галлюцинаций.
Прочитал, что права на экранизацию были проданы. Интересно, что с ними сейчас.
ЗЫ. 3,5 плюс дополнительные полбалла за крысу в числе главных героев.
April 2, 2017
Me gustó bastante
April 16, 2016
This is an enchanting if strange story. The basic premise is as follows. Joe is a diabetic boy who is going through a traumatic time after the death of his father. He is also being bullied at school. He gets home and forgets to take his insulin. What eschews can only be be described “a voyage to trip out city”(to quote Red Dwarf). He must get from his attic bedroom to the basement to turn on the lights,that have tripped during a storm, stopping at the kitchen on the way to get a soda to replenish his sugar levels. The problem being, Joe’s hypoglycaemic episode has turned his house into a fantasy Kingdom recently ravaged by a war with the evil Lord Dark and his followers. Its occupants know him as the prophesied “The Dying Boy”, their last hope of light returning to their Kingdom. Joe must battle through various lands and obstacles along with a handful of friends, including his pet rat Jack, now a mighty warrior, to save the people of this land and defeat Lord Dark.
So does that not sound pretty awesome? Well it is. It's a hugely enjoyable and endearing story. The moments where Joe slips between fantasy and reality never failed to make me smile. In a book were being sick in a toilet suddenly transforms into visiting a village of dwarf pirates who live in the pipes. Or walking down the stairs in the dark becomes descending down the side of a mountain, how can you not be entertained. It reminded me of the games we all played as kids when it was raining outside and your house suddenly becomes a fantasy world of your choosing. Given Joes immediate need for sugar raises the story above a simple childhood fantasy and makes the danger very real, making you invest in his journey emotionally.
Now to that artwork. I had never heard of Sean Murphy, but the illustrations in this book are easily some of the best I have ever seen. The detail is amazing. The splash pages, stunning. I have always considered Jim Lee to have my favourite comic book artist but he has a real rival here.
I have huge admiration of Grant Morrison. Never scared to do something different. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes not so much. Here he has delivered a wonderful story unlike anything I have ever read. Who would I recommend this to? Just everyone. 5 Stars
So does that not sound pretty awesome? Well it is. It's a hugely enjoyable and endearing story. The moments where Joe slips between fantasy and reality never failed to make me smile. In a book were being sick in a toilet suddenly transforms into visiting a village of dwarf pirates who live in the pipes. Or walking down the stairs in the dark becomes descending down the side of a mountain, how can you not be entertained. It reminded me of the games we all played as kids when it was raining outside and your house suddenly becomes a fantasy world of your choosing. Given Joes immediate need for sugar raises the story above a simple childhood fantasy and makes the danger very real, making you invest in his journey emotionally.
Now to that artwork. I had never heard of Sean Murphy, but the illustrations in this book are easily some of the best I have ever seen. The detail is amazing. The splash pages, stunning. I have always considered Jim Lee to have my favourite comic book artist but he has a real rival here.
I have huge admiration of Grant Morrison. Never scared to do something different. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes not so much. Here he has delivered a wonderful story unlike anything I have ever read. Who would I recommend this to? Just everyone. 5 Stars
November 21, 2012
Hmm. I'm a big rat guy. I have four pet rats currently and I spent a few years fostering for a rat rescue. So I was seriously predisposed to like Joe the Barbarian, with his awesome pet/warrior rat Jack. To my delight Morrison gave a shout-out to rats in at least two issues, extolling their intelligence, sociability, and cleanliness (all of which I can vouch for). Sadly, that was not enough to save Joe the Barbarian from extreme mediocrity.
It's a neat idea. Nerdy, artistic diabetic teenager's candy bar is stolen by bullies; as he sinks slowly into a hypoglycemic coma, he hallucinates his attempt to get through his house to a can of soda as a perilous quest in a magical land where he is known to the inhabitants as the Dying Boy, the hero whose coming was foretold blah blah blah. It's fun seeing Joe's Marvel heros, Transformers, and Star Trek figures appear randomly in the background of his fantasy quest.
But the plot kind of stutters forward. And not this-is-what-the-sick-confused-child-feels-like stuttering. It was just we're-not-taking-enough-time-to-generate-any-tension stuttering. Just poor pacing.
I had another problem with the book that was in no way the fault of the writer: Joe looks a LOT like the creepy, demented Sam Lesser character of Locke & Key; this made it hard for me to see him as innocent, or heroic, or non-despicable. Totally distracting but I couldn't get the likeness out of my head.
Sean Murphy's fantastically detailed art almost saved Joe the Barbarian from 2-star ignominy. Almost.
It's a neat idea. Nerdy, artistic diabetic teenager's candy bar is stolen by bullies; as he sinks slowly into a hypoglycemic coma, he hallucinates his attempt to get through his house to a can of soda as a perilous quest in a magical land where he is known to the inhabitants as the Dying Boy, the hero whose coming was foretold blah blah blah. It's fun seeing Joe's Marvel heros, Transformers, and Star Trek figures appear randomly in the background of his fantasy quest.
But the plot kind of stutters forward. And not this-is-what-the-sick-confused-child-feels-like stuttering. It was just we're-not-taking-enough-time-to-generate-any-tension stuttering. Just poor pacing.
I had another problem with the book that was in no way the fault of the writer: Joe looks a LOT like the creepy, demented Sam Lesser character of Locke & Key; this made it hard for me to see him as innocent, or heroic, or non-despicable. Totally distracting but I couldn't get the likeness out of my head.
Sean Murphy's fantastically detailed art almost saved Joe the Barbarian from 2-star ignominy. Almost.
December 31, 2011
Joe is a hypoglycemic 13 year-old whose military father was killed in battle and whose mother is fighting to keep their house. When the class bullies steal his candy, he finds himself hallucinating a world where his pet rat is a warrior and he is some kind of savior. The fun lies in the reader connecting the dots between things in the real world and the fantasy, so I won't say anything more about the plot. Take your time reading it, and appreciate all the little details Sean Murphy has worked into the art.
I'm not sure why this was released under the Vertigo imprint, unless it was just because it was a creator-owned property. It's an affecting, intelligent, and cleverly-constructed tale, but there is no "mature" or "adult" content, as the terms tend to be used today. It would be fine for anyone around the age of the protagonist and up. I hope the "mature readers" warning doesn't keep it out of the hands of younger teens.
I couldn't help but think of a thematically-similar graphic novel I read recently, I Kill Giants, which concerns a girl who also lives part of her life in a fantasy. They would make good companion volumes.
I'm not sure why this was released under the Vertigo imprint, unless it was just because it was a creator-owned property. It's an affecting, intelligent, and cleverly-constructed tale, but there is no "mature" or "adult" content, as the terms tend to be used today. It would be fine for anyone around the age of the protagonist and up. I hope the "mature readers" warning doesn't keep it out of the hands of younger teens.
I couldn't help but think of a thematically-similar graphic novel I read recently, I Kill Giants, which concerns a girl who also lives part of her life in a fantasy. They would make good companion volumes.
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