REVIEW: 'Babs' #5 by Garth Ennis, Jacen Burrows, and Andy Troy

 

Babs #5

Writer: Garth Ennis

Artist: Jacen Burrows, Andy Troy

Letters: Rob Steen

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Release Date: January 29, 2025

Cover Price: $3.99

More sword-and-social-satire action from the acclaimed Ennis/Burrows team! In the depths of Tiberius Toledo's diamond mine, Babs and her allies toil in captivity, until an escape plan forms involving the libidinous Head Guard and a shocking sacrifice of virtue!

Score:

★★★★☆ (4/5)

'Babs' has been a monthly blast of entertaining satire and laughs. Issue five is a pivotal one as Babs and Izzy look for a way to escape the mines they've been forced to work in if only they can get past the guards. Meanwhile, Mook and his cohorts realize snitching and throwing their fellow weirdo citizens under the bus for the White Knights turned out to be less rewarding and less glamorous than they thought. Now, Tiberius Toledo and his knights are ready to pull stakes and leave town. 

This might be some of Garth Ennis' best work. He found the right tone between outrageous satire and fun adventure. Not as biting or as gonzo as some other Ahoy titles but still razor-sharp and enjoyable. Anchored by the delightfully foul-mouthed Babs, a Red Sonja-type, the story matches her energy and fire when it's time to get into action and get her revenge. The subplot with the band of incels subjugating their peers to suck up to power only to be abandoned and no better than when they started is a powerful lesson. 

 Jacen Burrows and Andy Troy have created such a colorful and eclectic cast of characters that give the series the necessary fantasy inhabitants full of trolls, goblins, and giants. 

'Babs' is a wonderfully fun adventure that's just the type of escapist enjoyment we need right now.