After teasing it in their May solicits, Vault Comics have announced (via CBR) “Barbaric: Axe to Grind,” a second, ongoing volume of the fantasy series debuting in July. Written by Michael Moreci, with art by Nathan Gooden, colors by Addison Duke, and lettering by Jim Campbell, “Axe to Grind” will continue the saga of Owen, the barbarian cursed to do good by his talking Axe.
The book will be preceded by May 25’s one-shot, “Barbaric: The Harvest Blades,” which sees Owen being forced out of hiding. It will feature interior art by Richard Pace, who did the variant covers for the series. Moreci told CBR, “I feel like ‘Harvest Blades’ is a big step toward the big, bold ‘Barbaric’ future. With the success of our first volume under our belt, we now have the flexibility, and confidence, to grow this story in all kinds of ways, and this is the start of that growth. We’re going to keep doing what we do — ‘Barbaric’ is nothing if it’s not big, bloody, and loaded with humor — but now we’re going to take it to the next level, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
Gooden added, “This second adventure is bigger, badder, longer, AND has a one-shot lead in for fans that can’t get enough. We dive deeper into Owen’s mysterious past while introducing some new badass characters that Mike Moreci and I love. We’ve got even more unique magic and powers as well as some gags from the first book, that really pay off. The first book introduced the world, this one truly expands it and makes it rich.”
“Barbaric: Axe to Grind” #1 will be released with a cover by Pace on July 27. Head to CBR for more from the creatives on the series in the meantime.
