REVIEW: 'Barbaric: Hell to Pay' #1 by Michael Moreci, Nathan Gooden, and Addison Duke

 

 

BARBARIC: HELL TO PAY #1

Writer: Michael Moreci

Artist: Nathan Gooden, Addison Duke

Letters: Jim Campbell

Publisher: Vault Comics

Release Date: January 18, 2023

Cover Price: $4.99

Barbaric is back and headed straight to hell in an all-new arc so big and bloody, it's getting an extra issue!

While Owen tames a dragon with an old friend, Soren and Steel cross paths with someone else from our cursed barbarian's past...who isn't looking nearly as friendly. Hell hath no fury like a woman stabbed through the heart by an ugly f***ing orc.

Oh, wait! Who's carrying Axe?

SCORE:

★★★★1/2 (4.5/5)

QUICK REVIEW: The 'Barbaric' franchise is one of Vault's biggest hits and they've been smart enough to keep building on each success with more adventures. Since its release, 'Barbaric' by Michael Moreci, Nathan Gooden, and Addison Duke has been a reliable source of entertainment. Issue one quickly set up this universe where a barbarian named Owen is cursed to do the right thing with some help from a sassy talking axe. Exciting, funny, and engaging, readers can depend on being transported to a fantasy world full of action and charm. This latest chapter, 'Barbaric: Hell to Pay' finds Owen in hell so the story focuses on Soren, Axe, and Steel as they try to free him from the underworld. It's a great way to spend time with these characters and get to know them better. The powerful and determined Soren, the sarcastic literally blood-thirsty Axe, and the empathetic even more powerful Steel make their way facing one threat after another. It's all gloriously illustrated by Gooden and Duke. The fantastic designs from Orcs and other creatures to the battle scenes drenched in blood to the perfect timing of joke set-ups that dryly hit the page. The creative team is a well-oiled machine. 

Recommending 'Barbaric' is a no-brainer because it's one of the most entertaining titles on the market. Readers will love it and demand more at the end of every issue. 'Hell to Pay' is off to a great start with characters that are irresistible on a precarious descent into hell with the surprising return of a certain character.