''Joe the Barbarian'' is an eight-issue

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

limited series In the field of comic books, and particularly in the United States, a limited series is a comics series with a predetermined number of issues. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is finite and determined ...

written by

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...

and drawn by Sean Murphy. It was published in 2010-2011 by

Vertigo Comics DC Vertigo, also known as Vertigo Comics or simply Vertigo, is an Imprint (trade name), imprint of the American comic book publisher DC Comics. Vertigo publishes comics with adult comics, adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and ...

. Morrison has discussed the inspiration behind the series: The first issue was released in January 2010 (

cover date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d March 2010).

Plot summary

Joe is a teenage boy with

Type 1 diabetes Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body's immune system destroys pancreatic cells (beta cells). In healthy persons, beta cells produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone require ...

. When his blood sugar drops and he enters a state of

hypoglycemia Hypoglycemia (American English), also spelled hypoglycaemia or hypoglycæmia (British English), sometimes called low blood sugar, is a fall in blood sugar to levels below normal, typically below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L). Whipple's tria ...

, he begins to

hallucinate A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming (REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pseud ...

, and enters a fantasy world populated with his toys and other fantasy characters. Here he becomes embroiled in a war with King Death, while in the real world he searches for a soda to fix his blood sugar. He knows there is one in the kitchen downstairs, but it is extremely far away, made farther by his medical condition affecting his mobility.

Collected editions

The series was collected into a single volume: * ''Joe the Barbarian'' (224 pages, DC Deluxe Edition hardcover, September 2011, )

Reception

The first issue had estimated sales of 25,543, placing it at number 77 in the American comics market sales rankings. The second issue had 17,512 estimated sales and slipped to 97th in the sales lists, after which sales then stabilised with issue three estimated to have sold 17,674 (119 in the rankings), 17,102 for issue #4 (108 in the rankings), 16,725 with #5 (118 in the rankings), and 16,219 with #6 (118 in the rankings).

Adaptation

The comic has been optioned for a film adaptation by

Thunder Road Pictures Thunder Road Films is a film and television production company founded by Basil Iwanyk. It is based in Santa Monica, California. Thunder Road's films have grossed over $3.8 billion worldwide and garnered nominations from the Academy Awards, Gol ...

Notes

References

* *

External links

''Joe the Barbarian''
on the Graphic Content blog,

DC Comics.com DC Entertainment is an American entertainment company that was founded in September 2009 and is based in Burbank, California. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery which manages DC Comics characters by working with other units o ...

Reviews

Review: ''Joe the Barbarian'' #1

Comic Book Resources ''CBR'', formerly ''Comic Book Resources'', is a news website primarily covering comic book news, comic book reviews, and comic book–related topics involving movies, television, anime, and video games. It is owned by Valnet, parent of publicat ...

Sunday Slugfest: ''Joe the Barbarian'' #1 Review

Comics Bulletin Comics Bulletin is a daily website covering the comic-book industry. History Silver Bullet Comicbooks In January 2000, New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice founded then named Silver Bullet Comicbooks. During this period, the site ...

''Joe the Barbarian'' #1 Review

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

''Joe the Barbarian'' #1 -- Hot Ink Advance Review

ComicsAlliance ComicsAlliance is an American website dedicated to covering the comic book industry as well as comic-related media, and is owned by Townsquare Media. The site has been nominated for multiple awards including a 2015 Eisner Award win in the categ ...

''Joe the Barbarian'' #1 Review
, Comics Should Be Good!,

''Joe the Barbarian'' #2 Review
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''Joe the Barbarian'' #2 Review

''Joe the Barbarian'' #2 Review
, Comics Should Be Good!,

''Joe the Barbarian'' #3 Review
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''Joe the Barbarian'' #4 Review
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{{Grant Morrison, type=comic Comics by Sean Murphy