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Joe The Barbarian (2011)

by Grant Morrison(Favorite Author)

3.82 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1401229719 (ISBN13: 9781401229719)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Vertigo

review 1: A boy with diabetes trying to survive a serious hypoglycaemic attack has visions of a fantasy world where his toys are alive and in great danger. This was pretty good, but I found it hard going. I love Dave Stewart's colouring on the Hellboy books, but coupled with Sean Murphy's art style it created panels that were really tough to figure out. We return to reality too often for the fantasy to take hold. Still, the cameos from toys looking a lot like Master Chief, the Transformers, GI Joe, etc were good fun, as were the authorised appearances from Batman, Superman, Robin and John Constantine. And how long has it been since Grant Morrison last wrote for the Zoids?
review 2: NON-SPOILER REVIEWThere's not much I can tell you! The book is amazing, but it does have t... moreeen-level violence and graphics.ReviewWarning: SPOILERSThis is an amazing book. My cautions are teen violence, gore, and monsters. The heroes' adversary can resurrect the dead into his own soldiers, but this is only shown in one climax scene. Characters say "Oh my God," and there is one "a**"; otherwise there is no disturbing language or cursing. There is no sexual content either. I loved the book: it was heroic and mind-blowing, and I think the characters, storyline, and illustrations were very well done. I don't recommend this for younger readers, but it's great for older teens. The back cover of the book says 'suggested for mature readers', and while I agree, please don't judge a book by its cover and think it's bad because of this.The book is about a boy named Joe Manson. Joe is a hypoglycemic, and he and his mother have been struggling to keep their house since his father died in action overseas. One day Joe misses his regular sugar intake, and begins having hallucinations that take him to the world called Playtown. Every place in Playtown is a reflection of some place in Joe's house, and some of the people are also reflections of people in his life. Also, things that happen in the "real" world have an effect on Playtown: when Joe left his front door open and let his blood sugar get low, Hypogea, the realm of King Death, invaded Playtown. Now in his own world, Joe is recognized as "the dying boy," a hero whose coming Playtown's prophets foresaw. Joe travels with a warrior named Chakk, an inventor named Zyxy, and a giant-dwarf prince named Smoot to Hearth City where Queen Bree and the Silver Legion, Playtown's last hope, will help them make a stand against King Death.I love the symbolism between the "real" world and the world "of Joe's own," and, as said above, the book is very well made. I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers, but it's awesome for older teens.-Deborah Kimberlite less

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