The name Garth Ennis is associated with over-the-top action and sarcastic satire. His work on The Boys is widely regarded as the most vicious dissection of the superhero genre ever written. Yet action and satire are largely absent from Babs, a new fantasy comedy published by Ahoy Comics.
Babs #1 opens promisingly enough with purple prose that would shame Roy Thomas himself. Babs is introduced as a bawdy badass, raven-tressed, and foul of mouth. She is a mighty warrior and a woman. This last fact is made abundantly clear by her armor, which is rubbing her scant tender bits raw.
This sets the tone for most of the first issue, with Babs eventually hunting small beasts in the hopes of putting some fur between her and her scale mail bra. This is a clear commentary on Red Sonja and the impracticality of her infamous armor. Unfortunately, this humor is as old as the sword-and-sorcery genre itself. It has been done before and done far better. Indeed, Dave Sim was making jokes about scabrous nipples back in the 1970s in the early days of Cerebus.
The closest Ennis gets to actual satire is when Babs is accosted by a gang of thugs. They mistake her for a different warrior princess, who killed her father and declared herself the new Grizzlok the Barbarian. This leads to a rant about women replacing real men that is heavy on incel code words. This shows some of Ennis’ usual spark, but most of the comic is devoted to tired jokes about skimpy armor and talking magic weapons.
Babs’ art is its sole redeeming factor
The artwork of Babs is as detailed and imaginative as Ennis’ script is static and played out. Jacen Barrows presents a spectacular fantasy world full of distinctive creatures and stunning visuals. There is also explicitly detailed ultra-violence as visceral as anything one might hope to see in an average issue of Savage Sword of Conan.
The irony is that for as many pages are devoted to jokes about metal bikinis, Barrows makes them work for Babs and fellow Amazon Izzy. They appear functional as a support garment, if not actual armor. This is a minor point, but notable as the majority of fantasy comic artists don’t seem to understand how breasts work.
Undoubtedly Babs will attract the attention of fantasy genre enthusiasts and fans of Ennis’ shocking humor. Both will be deeply disappointed. It’s possible the sizzle is saved for later in this six-issue series. Unfortunately, there is little in this first issue beyond excellent art to keep readers invested or interested.
Score: 2/5
Babs #1 arrives in comic shops everywhere on August 14, 2024.
