Barbarians, drunken axes, giants, and more! That is what Vault Comics’ new series Barbaric promises this June. The wild fantasy series is from writer Michael Moreci, (The Plot, Wasted Space The Lost Carnival), artist Nathan Gooden (Brandon Sanderson’s Dark One, Vampire: The Masquerade), colorist Addison Duke (Curse Words, Vampire: The Masquerade), letterer Jim Campbell (The Plot, Giant Days), and designer Tim Daniel.
The publisher’s description is below:
A bloodthirsty barbarian and his drunk axe roam an untamed, mythic realm battling supernatural cultists, hungry giants, creatures of the night, and more in their quest to somehow, amidst all this chaos, do some good.
BARBARIC follows Owen the Barbarian who has been cursed to do good with what remains of his life. His bloodthirsty weapon, Axe, has become his moral compass with a drinking problem. Together they wander the realm, foredoomed to help any who seek assistance. But there is one thing Owen hates more than a life with rules: Witches. Welcome to the skull-cracking, blood-splattering, mayhem-loving comic brave enough to ask: How can a man sworn to do good do so much violence? Hah! F***ing with you. It’s just…BARBARIC.
AXE, co-star of BARBARIC (Owen’s sentient, blood-drunk axe) slurred his way through a statement about his upcoming role in the book. “Look, maybe I am a bloodthirsty axe with a drinking problem, but I still know an epic, kick-ass story when I see one. Granted, I happen to be the star of this particular tale (never mind that barbarian oaf), but that doesn’t change the fact that BARBARIC has got it all: action, a sweet f***ing axe, mystery, magic, an awesome AXE, and other non-axe related stuff. So come for the axe and stay for the axe. You don’t want to get me mad, do you?”
“Barbaric, to me, is a series that wraps both its arms around the comics medium–it’s big, from the get-go, in ways only comics can be,” said Moreci. “I want this to be a huge story that continues on the way Hellboy does, and I want it to feel like that kind of epic. It’s my ode to pulp adventures, and immersive world-building, and larger-than-life characters. I feel so energized writing it, and I hope, between my scripts and Nate’s insanely amazing art, that energy comes off of every page.”
“2020 was a very difficult year for me and my family; as it was for everyone around the world,” added Gooden. “Barbaric was my escape. I got to work with one of my genuine friends in the industry and make a book that is just, dare I say, fun. There is humor, there is action, there is tons of adventure, but most importantly, there is heart. Come enjoy the ride as we continue to grow these characters across a fantastic landscape.”
Barbaric #1 will hit stores in June 2021 and will debut with a special Vault Vintage cover from Gooden and Daniel that pays homage to Barry Windsor-Smith’s epic cover to Conan The Barbarian #1 (1970). Check out some preview pages below!
