Tom Scioli’s long running webcomic gets a new collected edition from IDW. Read on to find out why “American Barbarian” is everything you ever wanted from a comic book. Contains minor spoilers
Written and illustrated by Tom Scioli
Revenge is a dish best served BOLD! Follow Meric, the red-white-and-blue-haired American Barbarian on his quest to defeat the post-post-apocalyptic zombie cyborg mummy overlord, Two-Tank Omen. This is the complete Saturday Morning Epic from the artist and co-writer of “Transformers vs G.I. JOE” and the Eisner Award-nominated “Godland.” Also includes an introduction by Rob Liefeld.
Tom Scioli is a creator that wears his influences on his sleeve. One look at his work on “Godland” and you’re instantly transported back to Jack Kirby’s ‘Fourth World’ masterpiece; a glance at his instant classic “Transformers vs G.I.JOE” and you’re not just reminded of those particular franchises, but of the toys you had when you were a kid and the cartoons from the 80s that inspired you to play for hours in the garden until you lost Snake Eyes’s sword, despite your mom warning you that you would (I’m over it, I promise.) Scioli is not at all shy about declaring his love for Kirby, and it’s this passion for his idols that shines through in all of his work. “American Barbarian” however, arguably more so than any of his other work, transcends such comparisons.
The above solicit describes “American Barbarian” as a ‘Saturday Morning Epic,’ and for those of a certain age the idea of Saturday mornings conjures up those very same cartoons mentioned above: Transformers, G.I.JOE, He-Man, Thundercats, Voltron, M.A.S.K, Dino Riders, Bravestarr. “American Barbarian” takes all of those, throws them into a blender and crafts an epic in every sense of the word, one that hits all of the right nostalgic buttons without feeling like a homage, dancing with familiar concepts before blowing anything remotely unoriginal out of the water. Every page introduces something fresh and unique in a whirlwind of creativity and energy that’s very rarely seen in modern comics. In fact, you’d almost have to go back to Kirby to find anything that’s close to being as bold and inventive.
“American Barbarian” started life as a webcomic (and remains so – you can read the whole thing here) before this release from IDW, and while it served as a fantastic story to read in regular web installments, one whole volume like this gives you the opportunity to truly appreciate the grander story at play. It’s a classic ‘Hero’s Journey,’ albeit one with robot dinosaurs and a 50-foot pharaoh with tanks for feet, and as such, hits all the expected beats: a valiant warrior, a cut above the rest, suffers great tragedy and loses everything he knows and loves, is forced to climb back to the top using nothing but muscle and a thirst for revenge. The overwhelming enemy force standing in his way is led by the awesomely named Two-Tank Omen, the previously mentioned Pharaoh-Skeleton-Monster-God with tanks for feet who commands an unholy horde that sweeps across the post-post-apocalyptic wasteland in search of ultimate power.
You can imagine “American Barbarian” as a long-running Saturday morning serial and there’s a couple of reasons why this helps the book to flourish. Firstly, the comparisons and influences of those cartoons we all know and love from the ’80s are clearly laid out in both dialogue and art. Everything is overly dramatic, excessively bright and colorful, the lead protagonist a wild and muscular barbarian with red, white and blue streaked hair. Secondly, the concept – Meric the titular American Barbarian travelling the land on a quest for vengeance – is one that could run and run. Each week in a new location, fighting ever increasingly strange and bizarre foes, Two Tank Omen a foreboding shape on the horizon. In fact, it’s almost a shame in its collected form that you’re deprived of the belief, one that webcomic readers might have held, that “American Barbarian” could run forever. Lastly, and this cannot be overstated, the artwork is stunning.
Scioli’s form absorbs Kirby, Jim Steranko, Barry Windsor-Smith and reproduces, builds, and naturally succeeds from those seminal creators. There’s an instant nostalgia to his work that may stem from the sepia toned borders and exaggerated expressions, but more than likely it’s because comics – specifically superhero comics – just don’t look like this anymore. Despite this, there’s still something achingly fresh about his work. Scioli is in no way a creator that rides the coattails of nostalgia, and if that’s not already apparent from his insatiable creativity, his layouts demand to be taken seriously, and betray a cutting-edge eye towards originality. The first example of such striking layouts comes during a banquet hosted by King Lionheart, his honored guests being Yoosamon and his six sons (including our hero Meric.) The opening panel is gorgeous in itself, a candelabra in the foreground that gives way to a full shot of all the party guests around the dinner table, and it’s a panel that takes up almost the whole page. I say almost, as it’s deprived of the full page thanks to a panel at the bottom; a mere sliver of a panel depicting half formed shadows framed by a burnt orange sky, the free-form lettering stating clearly “Two-Tank Omen is on the march.” Like his presence in the ongoing conversation, the foreboding vision of this malevolent force continues to rise as the pages turn, that sliver of a panel growing larger and larger until, seven pages later, Two-Tank Omen and his army overwhelms both the characters and the panel structure, spilling into an awe-inspiring double page spread of the Pharaoh God standing astride the gutter, threatening the reader directly.
Continued belowThis is not the first example of a double page spread in the book, and far from the last. Scioli uses the bold structural choice much like Walt Simonson does; liberally, gleefully, and always to maximum effect. Another noteworthy example is the cutaway diagram of an imposing mobile fortress, each room within representing another step on a journey that the American Barbarian takes as he fights his way through the complex on a one-man mission to overwhelm the occupiers. These pages (almost spilling into a triple page spread) present a masterclass in structure, Meric’s tiny form duplicated over and over to show his path through the fortress, forming a snake-like route filled with leaps and kicks and sword slashes. By condensing the storytelling in this manner, Scioli not only increases the perceived speed in which it all takes place, but presents a dynamically choreographed action scene that cannot be replicated in any other medium.
“American Barbarian” consistently and enthusiastically demonstrates a creator unleashed, one that embraces the sequential medium to its fullest and pulls on a wide range of storytelling techniques, each unique to the comics form. There are full-page panels emulating Kirby’s unique photo-collage techniques; pages that are sliced in half with jagged, blood red lines, as if the reader shares the fate of those murdered in the scene; staggeringly detailed action scenes giving way to sparsely minimum character beats; free-form lettering that is incorporated into the action and becomes an integral, tangible part of the scene; and a bold, constantly inventive use of color and shading that helps to capture the madcap insanity barely contained within the panels.
As mentioned numerous times, the creativity on display puts many other comics to shame, AmBarb’s journey bringing him face to face with monsters, beasts and Gods in his quest to retrieve the Star Sword and avenge his fallen family. When his quest brings him to the Land of Mother Nefarious, “High Avateress of The Great God Al-un-Gothma,” Scioli’s talent for character design comes to the forefront. If a red,white and blue haired barbarian with R-E-V-E-N-G-E carved into his fingers, facing off against a 50-foot Pharaoh skeleton with tank feet wasn’t any indication, Scioli is pretty good at inventing original characters, and it’s in this later section of the book where that becomes even more evident. Every page is filled with unique and bizarre creations, ranging from robots and Gods, to puppets and dwarfs, Chewbacca-esque beasts with cybernetic faces, and glowing rainbow visions with dire, cryptic portents.
As “American Barbarian” draws to its inevitable, final confrontation there are still some twists in the narrative to keep things fresh, leading to a review of the whole, which presents further comparisons; this time to the overtly masculine action films of the 1980s. Its structure of a wronged man seeking vengeance against an almost insurmountable foe is lifted wholesale from almost every Schwarzenegger movie of the era, and the dialogue reflects this beloved sub-genre, revelling in its dramatic exclamations and pithy comebacks. The narrative throughout the book is also constantly cut through with a sharp, surprising humor that belies its own self-awareness.
“American Barbarian” is a joke that takes itself seriously, a wrestler deep in the keyfabe, a book that approaches the absurd with an earnest, unflinching eye, and presents the ridiculous with genuine sincerity. It’s a masterful, almost effortless recreation of childhood nostalgia, of Kirby-esque concepts and structure, that manages to overcome its influences and become wildly independent of such comparisons. Fiercely creative, endlessly inventive and visually spectacular, this collection may be as close to perfect as comics can be. It naturally speaks to those with memories of ‘Saturday Morning Epics’ or frequent visitors to the ‘Fourth World,’ but its universal themes and recognizable narrative structure has a wide-ranging appeal. Its self-aware humor, shamelessly over-the-top action set-pieces and bold, frankly awe-inspiring artwork is enough to satisfy any comics fan, and as such should be a part of everyone’s collection.
Final verdict: 9.8 – A modern classic. “American Barbarian” epitomizes a creator at the top of his game and is an endlessly inventive, fantastically unique adventure to boot.
