REVIEW: Joe the Barbarian #3

From issue #1-2, Grant Morrison & Sean Murphy tells us about a *Type 1 diabetic boy named Joe. He doesn’t fit in school and he gets bullied around. His dad died in Iraq. Because of his condition, he dropped in a delirium and is deprived of **insulin. He then transferred in a different world. Where some of the peopele in it were his toys. They were ‘reaslly’ cool toys. He meets a rodent yojimbo, Jack, held captive bu a pack of Deathcoats. They tried to escape but the two were sorrounded

In this issue, Joe and his pet… I mean his companion warrior-rat, Jack encountered some dwarf pirates submariners of Crater Fjord. Also, in this issue, we get to know more on why is Joe is so significant and why he is known to be the ‘Dying Boy’ in this realm. Making Joe so confused whether this place and the prophecy about him is fictional or fact. In this issue, they have set a course which it is maybe presumed that it will all lead in the last two issues of this awesome mini-series. From what I’ve observed so far, Grant Morrison, seemed to be having fun with this story and characters. Joe & Jack got an additional companion, Smoot (the world’s biggest dwarf), which may hint the adventure will get more interesting and comedic.

I haven’t read any past works of Grant Morrison (except his late issue of Batman) but all I’ve heard from some of my friends who are gaga about him is that he writes solidly and weird. From issue #1-2. I was totally fine with the weird story but in this issue, the story keeps getting more bizzare and weirder. Some readers would recognize that it would be his signature of all of hius stories and some readers might find of it confusing. But, I’m fine with it. There was a problem that I recognized in this issue: Unknown subcharacter names. However, to it’s flaw, the voices of each character were fun, different, rich and unique. Hopefully, those unnamed subcharacters be present in the future issues. They were lots of fun in this issue and they have a potential to be a strong supporting cast.

I totally have no problem with the artwork. Sean Murphy did a fantastic job. The panelling, story-telling and the pacing were all on sync. He led me into a world where it is valid and plausible into my imagination. The angles of his depiction made me sometimes awe. Nevertheless, I also wanted to give kudos to the inker and the colorist of this book. They also did a wonderful job. They made the Joe’s hallucinated world gorgeous and lively.

If you want some Grant Morrison’s fantastic weird original story and Sean Murphy’s amazing art, I recommend you picking this up. From the fronts and ends of each issue and for those who can wait, I recommend you getting and reading it in a tradepaperback form. This book is worth every penny or peso.

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*Type 1 diabetes – depend on external insulin (most commonly injected subcutaneously) for their survival because the hormone is no longer produced internall. Type 1 treatment must be continued indefinitely in all cases. Treatment need not significantly impair normal activities, if sufficient patient training, awareness, appropriate care, discipline in testing and dosing of insulin is taken. However, treatment is burdensome for many people. Complications may be associated with both low blood sugar and high blood sugar. Low blood sugar may lead to seizures or episodes of unconsciousness and requires emergency treatment.

**Insulin – is a hormone that has profound effects on metabolism. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle, and stopping use of fat as an energy source.

-Wikipedia