'Barbarella Vol. 1' by Mike Carey with art by Kenan Yarar and Jorge Fornes is a graphic novel collecting the first 4 issues of the comic book.

Barbarella is minding her own business when she is captured by the Parosians, a theocratic race. She is genetically modified and imprisoned. She meets a fellow prisoner who clues her in to what the rulers are doing and enlists her in the fight.

I have never seen the original comics or the movie, but I know a little of the character. Just not enough to know if this is a faithful version of the character, but I did like these stories, the first more than the second. And I liked the art as well. The first artist more than the second. Not too bad for Sci-fi comics.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Diamond Book Distributors, Dynamite Entertainment, and Netgalley. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

BARBARELLA, Volume 1: An interesting story that will challenge you. The writing and illustrations combine to increase the impact of the story. It will definitely leave you thinking about the world and how different each part of it can be...no matter how shocking that may be. Good story, good art!
#BarbarellaVol1 #NetGalley

For every fan of the classic heroine. I gave never read any comics of this woman so was a bit lost as to her origins. This can be read as a standalone in my opinion. Art was good. A warning for minors, there is some nudity and content of an adult nature in it. Thank you for the oppertunity to read this.

This book wasn't what I was expecting. It had some really weird illustrations of naked women who looked scary at best.

First, some caveats about this review of the new Barbarella comic written by Mike Carey: I’ve never seen the Jane Fonda movie, so I watched the trailer to get a feel for it because it felt like a necessary entry point.

I also read the first volume of the classic comics by Jean-Claude Forest so that I’d have a baseline to compare against the rebooted series. From a writing standpoint, I’d say that the two versions of Barbarella are on close to equal footing, but the art in the modern version just does not do the character justice.

Forest draws the classic 60s version in black and white with an almost sketch-like quality to the art. The suggestive lines are still evocative even if the style is a little dated. It might be interesting to read a remastered version with full-color art as long as it didn’t lose the style of the original. I think I would have preferred that over the rebooted version, or at least a new comic that more closely follows the classic style.

The first volume of the Mike Carey version consists of a three-issue arc drawn by the series artist, Kenan Yar, and a stand-alone drawn by Jorge Fornés. Both stories start with Barbarella’s ship breaking down, which I’m guessing is a running joke from the movie.

In the longer story, Barbarella crash-lands in the middle of a rebellion on a repressive religious planet where the church removes everyone’s genitalia to prevent them from enjoying sex (because pleasure is a temptation.) Naturally, Barbarella considers this a horrifying injustice and does everything she can to fight the church, stopping only at murder. The story is a bit forgettable. It doesn’t help that Barbarella isn’t driving the plot for most of the arc.

I’m also not a fan of Kenyan Yar’s art, which doesn’t capture the look of the character. The perspectives are oftentimes awkward, and Barbarella herself doesn’t have the cool elegance of the original. It’s a shame, because the cover art is uniformly great. The covers made me wish for an arc drawn by one of those artists.

The art for the standalone story was a much better fit for Barbarella’s style and personality. That story follows her as she books passage on a ship towing three bespoke planets to their destinations. When someone sabotages one of the planets, the story turns into a spin on an old-fashioned mystery. I liked it more than the longer arc, but it felt comparatively slight and a bit rushed.

I’m not sure if I’ll read more Barbarella. This volume was a bit shallow, and I don’t think I’ll come around on Yar’s art. I still might watch the movie, though, even if it is super-cheesy and somehow rated PG despite its reputation for innuendo.

Sexy and fun space adventures bring this iconic character back! Mike Carey pays homage and yet takes thrilling risks with new and revamped Barbarella. Sure to please fans of the cult classic and bring new ones into the fold!

It is what you’d expect. Not crazy about the art, but the story is interesting. Your mileage may vary!

I received this advanced ebook free from Netgally for an honest review.

I've never read the french comics, but I know Barbarella because of her 60's movie and I was curious to see it being developed in a book or comic book nowadays.

I was pleased with the development of this volume. The first three stories are interesting and is a complete arc that develops Barbarella, but also presents a universe within it's fictional world. What struck me most was to accompany Barbarella to leave her motives aside, to focus on the general good and for me that is a heroine's value. She is more than a woman exploring her sexuality; she is a woman in search of her role in this universe and that works extremelly well on this comic book.

I liked it a lot the issue # 4. It is the beginning of a new narrative and for me, it sounded like an episode filler of a series, nice to watch, but that in the long run will not affect the plot of the character, which does not diminish it's importance in this volume.

The art is different from what I am accustomed to, I was at times somewhat annoyed by some traits, but then I got used to it. I love the colours tho. I really enjoyed the development of the plot and I'm curious to see where Barbarella will take us in the next editions.

I thought this would be garbage but instead was pleasantly surprised. Based on an old French comic book and a Jane Fonda movie from the 1960's, it's the story of a sexually liberated woman in a repressive future. Barbarella crash lands on a planet where her very sexuality makes her a threat just by existing. Now she must escape and overthrow a society that is devolving towards the dark ages. This was surprisingly interesting.

This book is both a return to form but also something brand new, capturing the spirit through vibrant, life filled imagery.

I am a fan of the weird, fun, campy movie that starred Jane Fonda and was the inspiration for the name of one of my favorite bands. I'd never read any of the original comics so I went into this with an idea of a weird, fun, campy time..
Instead there was really weird, sort of overdone art and a strange tone that wasn't quite fun and wasn't quite serious. I couldn't get a handle on what I was supposed to be reading.
I ended up not finishing the book because both art and story were very off-putting.

I’m sure this has an audience for someone, I’m just not it. I loved the movie. This misses the mark. The art in the first half of the book was also not a style I care for.

I guess i was expecting a different story than this but this was an okay for me too. It was sci fi graphic novel. I learned there was a movie so i will check it that movie too.

Barbarella is back baby! This collection of Barbrella comics shows us some of the countless adventures she finds herself caught up in as she journeys through the universe in less clothing than an Abercrombie male model circa 1999.

We find Barbarella the unlucky visitor to Parosia, a planet teaming with religious zeal and war. Local law is composed of sermons and commandments in the name of Mother Church. Jowly men cast down judgments and prayers feverishly, pleasure and desire are a sin. In this world they removed the "organs that embody desire" to bring purity to the masses. Rebellion is brewing. Barbarella's crime upon arrival is her functional vagina. "Bio-contraband." Clearly our heroine has a challenge ahead, considering her *ahem* skill set.

This series has a little something for everyone; a scene in an all woman's prison, nudity, politics, a unicorn robot functioning as an Uber, adorable monosyllabic pet, mind control, bad guys, good guys, those in the grey area... and more.

It's not a spoiler to say there's gonna be sex in this, so it may be a awkward read if you're in the common space at work. However if you're a 14 year old with active hormones, this'll be added to your stack of bedtime reads quicker than Barbarella tears the front of her blouse.

This isn't the Barbarella you used to know, in fact it first feels like any other bosomy space babe tho her naivety rings true to character. Right off the bat she seems smarter or more tech savvy since we last saw her in the namesake film. Perhaps there are volumes of adventures between the film and this book where she becomes 90% less airhead and I just haven't read them. The story moves at a quick clip and the illustrations are pretty spot on, bright colors that really help the characters pop off the page - if their measurements don't already do that. If this is the new Barbarella, she's gonna grow on me. 

"Desire and pleasure aren't things that can be defined for you by others." - Barbarella

What: Barbarella Vol. 1
Author: Mike Carey 
Illustrator:  Kenan Yarar
Publisher:  Dynamite Entertainment 
Pages: 130
Format: ePub (Will be sold in paperback)
Publication Date: 23 Oct 2018 (expected)
Rating: Mature (some violence, nudity and sexual themes)

Author Online: Twitter
If you can't wait for the TPB single issues available on Dynamite's Site

***Full Disclosure: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really did not enjoy this title. What I had hoped for was some campy fun with a bit of fan service thrown in. The original comics and movie were deliciously counter-culture at the time - making them shocking in their lasciviousness. But that doesn't translate well into 2018, when we either need a full on nostalgia sci fi or a modern and witty new way of being counter-culture. What we got was an insipid plot with a boring heroine and about as sexy as watching paint dry.

Story: Barbarella is captured by an conservative empire bent on removing pleasure through systemic religious doctrine. Barbarella's uterus is promptly removed but fortunately they left her other pleasure organs intact. In jail, she hooks up with another female prisoner and the two work and play together to overthrow the evil priest-state.

Let's face it, Catholicism is already its own meme and using it as a basis for a story about dehumanization and intolerance isn't breaking any new ground. It's an easy target. So already I was rolling my eyes - even the artwork was thinly veiled Catholic iconography. We have the usual stupid blowhards running the game and they aren't even comedic in there narrow mindedness.

The illustration work was bland. Barbarella looks like she is having a bad hair day (ah, the frizz), and the artwork serves to give us yet another bland and uninspired sci fi look that is neither retro nor imaginative. I would have loved a 1960s treatment to this piece in homage of its origins. Alas, no such luck.

Without the wit, and relying on not so subtle and over-the-top 'religion is bad' messages, I was bored. Barbarella isn't the naive Alice of the movie and she doesn't have the sexiness of the comics. She's just a bimbo, to be honest. And not even an fun one at that. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Not really my cup of tea, this one, it just didn't speqk to me.

I received a copy through Netgalley.

Years ago, I sat down and watched Jane Fonda in Barbarella. It was wacky, strange and a perfect example of a B-rated sci-fi adventure with a strong sexually liberated woman at its heart. This graphic novel does not disappoint and finds Barbarella in the midst of another crazy space adventure. Barbarella is traveling through Parosia when she is accused of bio-smuggling and harlotry. As a result of religious fanaticism, individuals' bodies are amended using a painless genetic weave to rid the sin of desire. Barbarella is modified and thrown into prison, where she must escape and help Parosia move beyond this reasoning. Along the way, Barbarella scandalizes the locals, helps to liberate women and becomes aware of a plan to commit genocide.

It's a fun space adventure that sometimes veers off into silly but at the same time takes on some heavy topics, such as the effect of overzealous religion on the female body. For me, the root of Barbarella's character is sexual freedom and her space travels are meant to lead the way and show oppressed women how to also be free. I think the first story in this graphic novel is an excellent example of this and I loved how Barbarella called a romance novel a manual. Anyways, this graphic novel is a little bit of silliness, seriousness, and sensualness. It's a story where a woman wanders, sleeps with whoever she wants and always finds a way to win against the oppressors she encounters.

Definitely a comic for the guys. Art style was crude, but women were beautiful and the one male lead was of course good looking as well. It reminded me a lot of the space operas of the 80s. Not really something I enjoyed, but I do know there's a following of readers that like this style of artwork and storyline.

I have to admit to liking this more than expected – especially on the basis of the pathetically over-rated movie. In this book we get four issues – a decent three-parter, and (annoyingly) the opener of what could be a really decent and meaty arc. The first story is really good – Barbarella is captured by a planet in the middle of a religious frenzy, where to fit in with all the other subjects the powers that be try and remove her very sexuality. Cue not a fnar-fnar ribaldry, but a #metoo-compliant revenge story. Earthly parallels and action combine – and check out some of the sound FX, for they're quite fun. The fourth part, before we get a huge wodge of padding in the form of cover art, sees Barbs forced to act as very clued-in detective on a space ship bizarrely towing five planets, built a la H2G2. The artwork is too variant from the other issues – ie she's lost about five cup sizes, but all in all this is a book that's well worth trying on for size. I'm sure she'd like that, at least – chances are she wouldn't stick around for more, after all.

Barbarella Vol. 1 is just not for me. I hated this book from the first page, it almost seemed to mock religion to me. The story drags and then turns perverted. I am sure there is supposed to be some plot about women's rights in there somewhere but I really could care less. The art is not bad but the story does not appeal to me in anyway. I would not recommend this to anyone and will not be reading any more of the volumes in the series. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.