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| Review by Benn Robbins |
Written and Drawn by Jean-Claude Forest
Adapted to English by Kelly Sue DeConnick
Published by Humanoids Press
12” x 16”, Bicolor
Deluxe oversized Hardcover Coffee Table Book
Limited to 1200 copies only
SRP $79.95
I was first introduced to the titillating world of Barbarella via the 1968 Roger Vadim directed b-movie starring the curvy and intoxicating Jane Fonda.
From the opening title sequence to the end battle this film mesmerized me like no other. The costumes, the set design the ships and the weapons. They all fascinated my young impressionable mind and started me on a course to the wonders of cheesecake.
I was 7 years old.
Little did I know, at the time, that Barbarella was based on something even more enchanting and equally, if not even more tantalizing.
In college, I discovered the original comic series by auteur, Jean-Claude Forest. This soft cover edition, with photo of Ms. Fonda in her green “tiled” dress, was published by Grove Press in the late 1960’s.
I must have read through it over a hundred times and I still own it and love it each time I pick it up.
When I read that Humanoids Press, one of my favorite comic publishing companies, was publishing a new oversized hardcover edition of the original, first “erotic comic book”, I was excited beyond belief. When I heard that one of my all time favorite American comic book writers, Kelly Sue DeConnick (Marvel’s Captain Marvel, Avengers Assemble, Dark Horse’s Ghost, and Image’s Pretty Deadly) was doing the adaptation, well, I was sold before I even could say the word Matmos.
The story follows as Barbarella’s spaceship breaks down, she finds herself trapped on the planet Lythion. There, she has a series of adventurous, and bawdy encounters with a variety of strange beings, from robots to angels.
Then, Barbarella’s traveling Circus Delirium enters another dimension, led by the mysterious and alluring aquaman, Narval, whose machinations catapult Barbarella and her compatriots into a complex battle for the planet Spectra.
The second story being the one which Roger Vadim adapted for his screenplay for the 60’s film staring Fonda.
When I got the book home I was in love with the large-size format. Forest’s artwork is loose and yet so refined. The over-sized printing really lets you appreciate the stroke of his brush and his wonderful design. His pages can be kinetic in style. In one sweep of his brush, almost like inhaling, the panel is calm and peaceful and then like a forceful exhale or shout the panels explode with energy.
Barbarella, for me, is a ground breaking comic book idea. A completely independent, capable and adventurous female that pre-dates the “sexual revolution” of the 60’s. She is smart and a leader and still retains ALL of her sensuality. It also is not as dirty as you might think it is. The comic, though brimming with nudity and sexuality, is very tame now-a-days in comparison to what we are exposed to on a daily basis.
It however does not diminish the power of the drawings or the lustiness of the main character.
Also, just because she is naked doesn’t mean she gives up any of her power. In fact she CAN be naked and doesn’t give a flying you-know-what because she never relinquishes control of the situation or herself. She uses her sexuality to disarm her foes (usually men, but also the occasional woman as well) both mentally and physically. Jean-Claude captures this with his masterful rendering of Barbarella’s semi lithe, somewhat voluptuous body. His pen and brush seem to just gracefully create her every curve and those come hither, intelligent eyes with ease.
The story is wonderfully cheesy and fun. These aspects, I find, are missing in most of todays comics. The settings are fanciful and exotic. The creatures are bizarre and “people” inhabiting the various worlds, are very much an extension of that era’s stereotypes.
Kelly Sue DeConnick does a phenomenal job of keeping with the very “European” sensibilities and thinking of the time while making it very accessible to, at least this, modern day American. The one thing that I found, with that early printing soft cover I mentioned earlier, is that it was really wordy and yet simple, if you know what I mean. DeConnick is sparse in her descriptions but not treating her audience as obtuse. She gets right to the point of the dialogue and doesn’t seem to waste words. Much like her American comics, she gets right to the point in a very creative way.
When asked if she found any challenges in adapting the book for modern audiences, DeConnick said, “Oh, certainly. It’s always intimidating – you want to do justice to the author’s intent and with something like Barbarella that is such a cultural touchstone, it’s hard to balance giving yourself the freedom to do your work with the necessary reverence. You don’t want to change things just to change things. But I spent an inordinate amount of time contemplating whether or not the men should continue to call Barbarella “girl” constantly. Ultimately, I decided to leave it in, and I could write an academic thesis on my thinking!”
I know this is pricey and not in everyones budget but if you get a chance, pick it up. It is totally worth it. There is also a digital version available to purchase on the Humanoids Press website.
If you are looking for a really fun read that is exciting, funny, dramatic and just a little bit naughty then I implore you to let Jean-Claude Forest via Kelly Sue DeConnick, take you on an exotic and brilliant adventure that you will love from start to finish.
