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JOE THE BARBARIAN #4 (OF 8)

Who are the mysterious Sorcerors of Inventoria, and why have they taken a vow of cowardice? The mysteries of the Iron Kingdom and its relationship to Joe’s real world are revealed at last, and a new companion joins the doomed fellowship for a voyage into Ultimate Darkness.

Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art and cover by SEAN MURPHY

Price: $2.99
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 0.8%

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Comments

  1. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    April 19, 2010 at 2:18 pm

    Love that cover. Definitely makes you feel like you’re a kid reading a fantasy story.

  2. Avatar photo s1lentslayer says:
    April 19, 2010 at 2:27 pm

    It reminds me of "The Littles" cartoon.

  3. Avatar photo AmirCat says:
    April 19, 2010 at 2:29 pm

    This comic book is a perfect argument for hanving national healthcare.

  4. Avatar photo AmirCat says:
    April 19, 2010 at 2:29 pm

    pffvvfffft.

  5. Avatar photo drakedangerz says:
    April 19, 2010 at 2:38 pm

    @AmirCat-What???

    Always a great read. Such a fun book.

  6. Avatar photo AmirCat says:
    April 19, 2010 at 3:03 pm

    @Drakedangerz – nothing. Just goofing around. This is a great read and amazing art. I think I am going to wait for the trade though. I hope it will be in a Delux HC.

  7. Avatar photo rift1128 says:
    April 19, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    This book has been great… 

  8. Avatar photo Fvckstick says:
    April 19, 2010 at 5:03 pm

    My favorite book in print right now. I get so excited when its on the comics page!

  9. Avatar photo BCDX97 says:
    April 19, 2010 at 6:23 pm

    I dropped this and the guy at my store told me I’m the first person to dislike it.  I tried to like it, and I loved Grant Morrison’s Seaguy, but this just didn’t grab me.  I don’t really like the murky art.  But I have plenty of other books to read instead.

  10. edward says:
    April 19, 2010 at 6:39 pm

    Yeah, it is very similar to a Jim Henson movie from the 80s… you know, before he died a painful death from an aggressive bacterial infection

  11. Avatar photo PraxJarvin says:
    April 19, 2010 at 7:18 pm

    So excited for this. Vertigo is really putting out some gems after a few years of middling after Y: The Last Man. Between this, Sweet Tooth, Daytripper and Unwritten it’s a great time for V.

  12. Avatar photo rift1128 says:
    April 19, 2010 at 7:44 pm

    @PraxJarvin I think Y was the book that finally showed creators they had a place to tell the stories they want. Unfortunate it took that long but now they really are rolling with those titles and so many more. 

  13. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    April 19, 2010 at 10:14 pm

    This is why I think Vertigo should be considered a seperate publisher. I mean we like to say it is, but it is a DC line technically.

    I say Vertigo should move out to greener pastures. Or at least go the IDW route.

  14. edward says:
    April 19, 2010 at 11:22 pm

    @TNC: why would a company with the finanical backing of Time/Warner want to move on to "greener pastures"

    Why would time/warner let them go?

    Seriously, that makes no sense

  15. Avatar photo rift1128 says:
    April 19, 2010 at 11:29 pm

    Normally i would agree with TNC just do to the fact that in any industry (movies, books, comics, video games) breaking away from major corporations allows creativity to reach a higher standard without anyone changing it along the way. But with Vertigo its different or at least seems different. Like @Edward said they have major backing from time/warner and im sure that helps some of the slow starting books develop. And as of yet it hasnt hindered the writers to the extent of creating some amazing books. 

  16. Avatar photo PraxJarvin says:
    April 20, 2010 at 2:29 am

    @rift Even before Vertigo was Vertigo it was that place for creators to approach a book *their* way. I mean, Moore’s Swamp Thing, Morrison’s Animal Man & Doom Patrol, Grell’s Green Arrow and Gaiman’s Sandman are all their own thing with licensed characters. And of course there’s Ennis/Dillon’s Preacher. While Y The Last Man was probably the pinnacle of "Modern" (I don’t like saying that) Vertigo books, between its end – and Lucifier too – and this recent spat of great new books, the only book carrying the line was Fables. But you are right that Y was really the book that pushed Vertigo passed the Licensed Character step for the its "big books" and more into the creators/talent/what have you.

    @TNC Vertigo is a separate arm of DC Entertainment, and is on the whole bigger than just being an imprint, but it’s dependent on DC. To say it should breakway is just silly. You say this all the time, but don’t really understand the underpinnings of how/why the Vertigo line was created, the purpose it serves for DC or that it generates a lot of revenue for DC/Time Warner’s book distribution channel (This is why they can take the hit on first Vertigo trades being $9.99.) As well, IDW is able to put out a lot of great, solid, original work now because their licensed property comics make IDW a lot of money. IDW’s model is actually the same as early Dark Horse. You wouldn’t have the Dark Horse you have today if it wasn’t for Alien, Predator and Star Wars comics. IDW wouldn’t be in the same place it is (Essentially the 5th Major Publishing House in the industry) without its myraid (and ever growing) list of media tie-in comics: Star Trek, GI Joe, Transformers, etc. etc. Vertigo (as are all of them) is able to parlay poor sales of a critically acclaimed book by being in the same revenue pool as the DC properties.

    And as popular as Vertigo books are among fans and the users of this site, they rarely break the Top 20 on Diamonds list.

  17. Avatar photo Bendrix says:
    April 20, 2010 at 3:29 am

    @PraxJarvin No years of middling from my point of view. DMZ is great, and so was Exterminators

  18. Avatar photo rift1128 says:
    April 20, 2010 at 7:23 pm

    @PraxJarvin Your right about the drop off after Y. A lot of that comes from personal experience as well. Being slightly newer to comics, I haven’t read Swamp Thing, Animal Man or Green Arrow which makes it hard to relate. My first foray into Vertigo was Y, followed by Preacher,Scalped and DMZ. All were great but you could tell the difference between say Y and DMZ. Walking into the shop, people were talking about Y all the time while the other books kind of fell off after reading. 

  19. edward says:
    April 21, 2010 at 12:54 am

    I really want to hear TNC’s response to this topic of debate. Seeing as how he started it by mentioning something ridiculous

    Well, TNC?

  20. Avatar photo kmob181 says:
    April 21, 2010 at 4:00 am

    Fun Question: Ten years from now how many of today’s Vertigo (ongoing) offerings will be on everyone’s top 25 runs of all time list? 

    I think Fables and Scalped make the cut right now.  And I think Unwritten and Sweet Tooth have potential but as they’ve both been around less than a year it’s still too early to tell.  (As much as I have a soft spot for House of Mystery and like American Vampire I’m not sure they’re destined for stardom).

    Also as for the aformentioned debate Vertigo does decently in trades but in terms of issues the top selling Vertigo book – Fables – sells less than 20,000 copies through Diamond a month and they are the exception.  Most sell between 5,000 and 12,000.  Very tough to build an independent company like this with no licensed properties, a high level of production quality and low sales.

  21. edward says:
    April 21, 2010 at 6:33 pm

    @Kmob181: For me, i would say only Sweet Tooth has a chance to be one of my favourites. partically, because the title is still new. I could see Fables be a lot of people’s list because of the wealth of material there… if you like that kind of thing…. which i don’t 

    Other than that, i think vertigo produces a lot of really disposable stuff. Just think about all the Sandamn tie-ins they used to publish. 

     

    Also, TNC, still waiting brother.

  22. Avatar photo stuclach says:
    April 21, 2010 at 8:46 pm

    Dammit, DC.  Stop screwing up the placement of word balloons like the one on page 7 of this issue!

  23. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    April 21, 2010 at 10:45 pm

    Great issue as always, Murphy’s art is only getting better. Glad this issue focused more on the switching of realities. The last issue kinda lacked that.

    Still too much of a slow burn, but I am dedicated to see this wonderful fantasy continue.

  24. edward says:
    April 21, 2010 at 11:08 pm

    yeah, yeah, but what about vertigo, TNC?

    Should they move on to greener pastures? i’m sure they would be much happier as an independent publisher like IDW or BOOM, right? That’s your logic

     

  25. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    April 21, 2010 at 11:38 pm

    @edward: I still think so, but Prax made it pretty clear why logically it can’t happen.

    He’s right, the books sell well but not that well. Probably safer if they stick with DC…..for now. 

  26. Avatar photo rift1128 says:
    April 22, 2010 at 8:43 am

    Man that answer was so anticlimatic…

  27. Avatar photo drakedangerz says:
    April 22, 2010 at 11:43 am

    If you give all the Sorcerors of Inventoria a foppish voice while reading this, the book is hilarious. Also, give the main guy Zodak the voice of John Cleese and this becomes the best comic ever.

  28. Avatar photo OttoBott says:
    April 22, 2010 at 1:03 pm

    I read every comic with the cast of Monty Python doing voice-overs. Watchmen was hilarious.

  29. Avatar photo TheNextChampion says:
    April 22, 2010 at 5:29 pm

    @drake: Damn I should’ve thought of that. Cleese is perfect for that role.

    I did like that line…..I don’t have the comic in front of me but….It was like:

    "Quick! Just should how weak you are! They will walk away in disgust in no time". Something like that….that made me laugh. 

  30. Avatar photo kmob181 says:
    April 23, 2010 at 9:53 pm

    @edward – yup that’s a good guess.  funny, right after posting i dropped american vampire and house of mystery so in terms of vertigo im down to just fables, scalped, sweet tooth and unwritten.

  31. Avatar photo OnASunday says:
    April 24, 2010 at 11:39 am

    I’m content with Vertigo right where they are, as long as they keep putting out the quality of work they do. People who aren’t reading Northlanders are doing themselves a great disservice.

  32. Avatar photo Fvckstick says:
    April 24, 2010 at 11:44 am

    i thought this was one of the weaker issues, putting it at 4 stars, but i still loved it. Cant wait to get to the queens hearth and find out about the silver legion!

  33. Avatar photo e_limarenko says:
    April 24, 2010 at 2:43 pm

    I feel like every issue of Joe the Barbarian should end with the "Lost" logo floating into darkness..gorgeous book but I haven’t got a clue

  34. Avatar photo drakedangerz says:
    April 25, 2010 at 10:46 pm

    @erockus-What don’t you have a clue about? This is easily some of Morrison’s most accessible work outside of Batman.

  35. Avatar photo drakedangerz says:
    April 25, 2010 at 10:47 pm

    I should add, I meant most accessible recent work.

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