Reviews»Comic Books»Barb Wire #5
Barb Wire #5
Kareem Ali 3.5

Barb Wire #5

 

  • The good

    Barb's backstory was interesting. Intriguing new characters

  • The bad

    Fight at beginning felt like rehashing fight with Stormblud. Issue ends abruptly without explaining situation better

  • The ugly

    • Barb Wire #5 has Barb unwillingly working with a government agency to track down a former associate. Things have been somewhat easier for her since she took down Stormblud but it’s all relative since she still has a dangerous job as a bounty hunter. This issue opens up with her and her crew arriving in a slum area but she reassures the crew that there’s nothing to worry about because their bounty, Galina Urbanovich, usually comes along quietly. However, when they knock on the door they’re greeted by another woman who states Galina  isn’t there, and before they know it a muscle-bound man crashes through the front door and attacks them. He’s angry that they’re looking for Galina, and even though he possesses remarkable strength, they’re able to take him down. But that’s not their biggest issue when the Feds arrive on the scene wanting to question Barb about the weapon she used on Stormblud since it’s stolen government property. She cooperates with them because they threaten to take her brother into custody instead but it’s not really the weapon they’re interested in. What is it they want with Barb and does she have any choice but to cooperate with them?

    Barb Wire #5
    I’m glad this series is back because it’s been a fun ride, and I felt the first story arc set up an interesting situation for Barb going forward with its story threads. I do admit I felt that Stormblud had outlived his usefulness and entertainment as a character before the story arc concluded so I was glad it was finally done with him. So I felt it was a wasted opportunity to make the bounty at the start of this issue interesting by making him a near clone of Stormblud. Thankfully Patrick Olliffe’s artwork made this sequence entertaining because it was enjoyable to see at least.

     

    This issue became better when the next story started to emerge with the Feds taking and questioning Barb. One of the agents, Holden, stood out more than the others, and the way he and Barb went back and forth made for an enjoyable read. It wasn’t just a standard hard-nosed interrogation, and I can see him remaining interesting throughout his use in this story arc. And what was revealed about Barb’s backstory was definitely worth it, and I appreciated how this was being built up.

    Barb Wire #5
    The problem I had with this issue was that it took a long time to get to mentioning what the Feds really wanted with her, and even when that was revealed it still wasn’t enlightening. Barb’s connection to her former associate wasn’t elaborated on nor was anything shown about this associate that could even hint at what the Feds would want with him. I know it’s the start of a new story arc and it has to be built up but the conclusion of this issue just felt like an extreme cliffhanger before it was built up enough to be intriguing like it should have been. However, it’s certain that more answers will come next issue and I’m looking forward to that.

     

    SUMMARY

     

    Barb Wire #5  is a slow start to the story arc but introduces intriguing new characters while touching on some of Barb’s backstory. The opening sequence feels like a continuation of the fight with Stormblud so it’s forgettable when it could’ve been more entertaining. Not much is revealed about Barb’s former associate, Roman, but the Fed’s interest in him has me curious about the answers that will be revealed as this story arc unfolds.

     

    Release Date: 11/4/15

    Writer: Chris Warner

    Artist: Patrick Olliffe

  • Rating ( 6.5 )
  • Total score 6.5

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