Babs: The Black Road South #4 Review

 

Babs: The Black Road South #4 Review

Writer: Garth Ennis

Artist: Jacen Burrows

Colorist: Andy Troy

Logo, Production & Letterer: Rob Steen

Cover Artists: Jacen Burrows & Andy Troy; Erica Henderson

Editor: Tom Peyer

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 17, 2026

 

After defeating childhood bully Yorikk the Ginger, Babs took on more soldiers, a green cyclops, and a panda with a unicorn horn. Then, after booking a night in the Tyrannical Suite, Babs and Izzy wowed the crowd in Pale Elric’s with their rendition of “Like The Sonj.” Unfortunately, before returning to their hotel, they stopped by the Invest-A-Quest booth and invested their winnings in an expedition into the Shadowlands of Mordynn.

 

After misfortune struck the fellowship, Babs and Izzy huddled in a tent, while the knight Colin Culpepper paid obeisance to his fallen idol. When a pack of Snowpeckers attacked, Babs suborned Colin’s ultimate image of womanhood as a snowboard. As they sped away on the frozen body of Lilith Lazuli on the dark and snowy night, the trio toppled off a cliff. Can Babs’ talking sword advise them on how to survive the fall? And why is Babs having a Bad Hair Year? Let’s leap into Babs: The Black Road South #4 and see!

 

Story

Clinging to the muscular, bikini-clad corpse, Babs, Izzy, and Colin scream epithets to their plight as they plummet into a chasm. But when they splash into an underground sea, the trio must make their way to shore before their musclebound ride vehicle thaws. The journey grows more unsettling as the magic that cursed the land revives Lilith. Her tough-girl consciousness may have died. Still, her motor skills respond to verbal commands.

 

As Izzy traveled in the fellowship, she had wondered why Babs dreaded returning to Mordynn. The landscape didn't gel with Mordynn’s reputation as a hellscape filled with monsters. When they reach the coast of this underground world, Izzy discovers the corrupted, primordial land lurking beneath the vibrant surface. After the first Snowpecker attack that destroyed their company, she realizes the second cannot have been a coincidence. So, amid the dangers of this bleak underground world, Izzy decides it is time for her friend to explain why she was so reluctant to return to Mordynn in Babs: The Black Road South #4.

 

In Grant Morrison's story, Izzy and Colin learn more about the history of this dark land. They confront more of its cursed inhabitants. And as the ladies shrug off the dishonorable act that quenched the fire of Colin’s magic sword, they confront the person responsible for the two Snowpecker attacks that reduced their well-supplied company to a trio and a bikini-clad zombie in Babs: The Black Road South #4.

 

 

Art

As they fall into the chasm, the snow-covered opening, replete with stalactites and stalagmites, resembles a toothy maw. When they emerge from a cave tunnel, they descend one of many waterfalls. After splashing into Mordynn’s inner sea, the trio perch atop Lilith’s still body. Ahead, a stand of trees, barren of foliage or branches, evokes the trials of another Hobbit-filled fellowship. A downshot reveals the spark of life that awakens a remnant of Lilith’s consciousness. An upshot reveals Babs and Izzy’s horror, as the earnest knight peers down between them.

 

While they battled the Snowpeckers, the yellow-and-orange that crept into the snowy sky evoked the warmth of the campfire they had left behind. When Babs, Izzy, and Colin descend into the chasm, the memory of the fiery sky and the blue waterfall contrast with the gray sea and land the adventurers encounter in Babs: The Black Road South #4. 

 

Andy Troy paints the sky in similarly fiery tones in Babs' memories, as she travels alongside a Hobbit, and flies on a dragon past volcanoes spewing lava. Even Lilith's blue hair is less vibrant in this bleak land. Yet as Jacen Burrows showcases Lilith’s subdued nature, the barbarian queen retains a vestige of what made Colin admire her. And when day gives way to night, the vivid colors of the triune fellowship return beneath a crimson sky.

 

Like the land they travel through, black uppercase letters fill white dialogue balloons. The letters grow bold for intonation, swell for raised voices, and shrink for distance. Amid a glimpse of the past or Babs’ imagination, Rob Steen’s sound effects demonstrate the depths of Mordynn’s evil.

 

Bonus Features:

Angelique Fawns illustrates a young woman’s struggle to find love and better her life in Elena and the Belligerent Zeno Beets. Rob Steens’ accompanying illustration demonstrates the dangers of tinkering with nature. As Joe Orsak pays homage to an iconic cover from comics history, Kek-W champions a forsaken era of comics in Potato-Chip Rick Mansplains the Pewter Age of Comics. An editorial page hailing the merits of 19th-century poetry accompanies the prose stories. Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Some things may be easy to explain, such as Babs’ hairstyle. Others are harder to ignore, like how she knocked a Hobbit into a lake of fire. But what becomes clear as she returns to Mordynn is that Babs bears some of the responsibility for the shadow that lingers over the blighted land in Babs: The Black Road South #4.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Babs: The Black Road South #4.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Babs: The Black Road South #3.

For what happened when Babs went There, And yes, Back Again, see my preview of Babs: The Black Road South #2. 

For how this series started, see my review of Babs: The Black Road South #1. 

 

Babs: The Black Road South #4 Preview

 

Babs defeated childhood bully Yorikk the Ginger in the arena. Then, Izzy watched as Babs took on more soldiers, a green cyclops, and a panda with a unicorn horn. The ladies celebrated their winnings in Pale Elric’s with drinks, laughter, and their rendition of “Like The Sonj.” Unfortunately, before returning to their hotel, Babs and Izzy stopped by the Invest A Quest booth and invested their winnings on an expedition into the Shadowlands of Mordynn.

 

After misfortune struck the fellowship, Babs, Izzy, and the knight Colin Culpepper battle a pack of attacking Snowpeppers on a dark and snowy night. Amid the blizzard, the trio topples off a cliff. Can Babs’ talking sword Barry advise them on how to survive the fall? And why is Babs having a Bad Hair Year? 

 

Here's all the info from Ahoy Comics:

 

 

Babs: The Black Road South #4 Preview

Writer: Garth Ennis

Artist: Jacen Burrows

Colorist: Andy Troy

Logo, Production & Letterer: Rob Steen

Cover Artists: Jacen Burrows & Andy Troy; Erica Henderson

Editor: Tom Peyer

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 17, 2026

 

 

The violently funny sword-and-sorcery epic 

from Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows!  

 

 

More sword-and-sorcery mayhem from the co-creator of The Boys! Babs, Izzy, and Culpepper are cast away on the rapids of a body of liquid so disgusting we don’t even want to tell you what it is until we already have your money. Plus, the raft they’re riding might not be completely dead, in quite a gross way. 

 

 

Now, let's brave a look inside:

 

 

 

 

Here's another cover option:

 

 

Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Babs: The Black Road South #3.

For what happened when Babs went There, and yes, back again, see my preview of Babs: The Black Road South #2. 

For how this series started, see my review of Babs: The Black Road South #1. 

Babs: The Black Road South #3 Review

 

Babs: The Black Road South #3 Review

Writer: Garth Ennis

Artist: Jacen Burrows

Colorist: Andy Troy

Logo, Production & Letterer: Rob Steen

Cover Artists: Jacen Burrows & Andy Troy; Keith Burns

Editor: Tom Peyer

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 1, 2026

 

Babs didn't want to come. But as Izzy argued, they'd already sunk their fortune into Invest-a-Quest. Lilith Lazuli and her fellowship had spent their winnings from the arena in Matazak on fresh horses, provisions, and new weapons. So, after Lance the Dragon carries them to the High Barns, Izzy talks the barbarian queen into letting them join their quest. Will they gain riches, or at least recoup their investment? And how did Babs become one of the few people to ever return from a quest into Mordynn? Let’s leap into Babs: The Black Road South #3 and see!

 

Story

Like the land of Mordor, Mordynn has fallen under an evil spell. An Elven king, whom history has forgotten, once sought to channel a shadow demon’s power. Performing the arcane rituals granted the Black King access to the world. Then, the demon raised armies to transform his kingdom into a dark realm.

 

Unlike in The Lord of the Rings, the Black King seems content to dominate the land he has transformed into a hellish realm. So, as in Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel The White Company, knights and warriors sometimes venture into this lost world in Babs: The Black Road South #3. Some, like Lilith Lazuli, seek fortune. Others, like her follower Colin, seek to reclaim their honor. Babs once followed the wizard Shandall Godstaff on a quest to limit the Black King's power by stealing a weapon of ultimate evil. But she dislikes discussing that adventure, even with her friend Izzy.

 

After bidding Lance farewell, at least for now, Babs and Izzy accompany Lilith Lazuli and her fellowship into Mordynn. The outcast barbarian is aware of the dangers of this realm and the fears of her followers. So, Lilith makes every effort to appear a strong leader.

 

In Garth Ennis’s story, Babs seeks anything to keep from dwelling on what she endured during her earlier quest. As she makes fun of Lilith’s brave talk and jokes with Izzy, Colin’s awe of the outcast barbarian queen also becomes fodder for the ladies’ levity. All this helps Babs forget the dangers of this realm. But, as she watches the Dragon dwindle into the distance, and Babs follows the imposing Lilith on horseback, her former quest comes back to haunt her in Babs: The Black Road South #3.

 

Art

Minstrels may sing of the Black Road's horrors. But as the company rides past barren trees and evergreens, snow covers the sloping land they pass through. Jacen Burrows adorns most of the riders in cloaks or a mixture of armor and clothing to keep out the cold. A helmet with a red plume adorns Izzy's head, while Babs lets her "bad hair" breathe. Colin surveys his surroundings through his helmet, clad in a medieval knight's armor. Yet as she rides at the head of the company, Lilith Lazuli's scale mail bikini only enhances her Ms Olympia physique.

 

Before the blue-haired barbarian leads her company into this land draped in white in Babs: The Black Road South #3, Jacen Burrows shows a thin, gray figure surrounded by darkness. Fire rises from gold censors as a horned silhouette regards the elf from a realm of yellow, orange, and red. The blood flowing down his arms links with the sky above his kingdom, as the power the elf king unleashes summons armies to his land.

 

Rob Steen fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase dialogue that shrinks for lowered voices. The letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. Bold, lowercase letters fill parchment scrolls, while uppercase letters fill the similarly colored shapes. A dialogue balloon sprouts spikes when Sir Colin grows impassioned, while sound effects and scarlet liquid fill the air when the company faces the dangers of this troubled land.

 

Bonus Features:

Paul Little's compelling black-and-white image accompanies Hanna Bahedry's plea for understanding and cooperation in Smells Like Lady Speed Stick. Then, Rob Steen's opening art introduces Tyrone Finch's reminder that the things we think we want often aren't what we need in Another Fine Christmess. In addition to the two prose stories and a letter from a reader, a poem from an English official of the East India Company closes out the humorous fantasy issue. Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Something transformed Babs from an idealistic adventurer into a cynical warrior. Someone she hurt in her past seems intent upon robbing her and Izzy of their ill-gotten gains. Somehow, Bab's much-disdained hairstyle seems a reminder of the tragic events that still haunt her in Babs: The Black Road South #3.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Babs: The BlackRoad South #3.

Babs: The Black Road South #3 Preview

 

Cover A: Jacen Burrows

Babs didn't want to come. But as Izzy argued, they'd already sunk their fortune into Invest-a-Quest, and Lilith Lazuli and her followers had spent it on fresh horses, provisions, and new weapons. So, when Lance the Dragon transports them to the High Barns, Izzy talks the barbarian queen into letting them join their quest. Will they gain riches, or at least recoup their investment? And how did Babs become one of the few people to ever return from a quest into Mordynn?

Here's all the info from Ahoy Comics:

 

BABS: THE BLACK ROAD SOUTH #3 (of 6)

Writer: Garth Ennis 

Artist: Jacen Burrows

Cover Artists: Jacen Burrows & Keith Burns

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 1, 2026

On their quest down the demon-cursed Black Road South, Babs and Izzy face murderous creatures, a murderous hobbit who’s into bondage, and a couple of particularly murderous, impossible-not-to-mock examples of cosmetic surgery attached to a narcissistic swordswoman! Is all of this stress worth the treasure that might await at road’s end? Of course. It’s treasure!

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another cover option:

 

Cover B: Keith Burns

Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.

Babs: The Black Road South #2 Preview

 

 

Babs can take on the fiercest fighters in the arena. The barbarian brawler can drink the thirstiest adventurers under the table. She and her friend Izzy can do the craziest karaoke in the local tavern. So why is Babs so reluctant to travel south along the Black Road? And should she have bolstered Barry's fighting spirit by buying the talking sword a new scabbard?

Here's all the info from Ahoy Comics:

 

BABS: THE BLACK ROAD SOUTH #2 (of 6)

Writer: Garth Ennis 

Artist: Jacen Burrows

Cover Artist: Jacen Burrows

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: February 11, 2026

The sword-and-sorcery comedy by Ennis and Burrows (Crossed, Get Fury) continues! Seeking to recover a large sum of treasure, swordswoman Babs and her friend Izzy ride a depressed hired dragon along the Black Road South to Mordynn—a hazardous wasteland from which no one has ever returned. Except Babs, once. But she doesn't like to talk about it!

Now, let's take a look inside this comic for Mature Readers:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.

Babs: The Black Road South #1 Review

 

Writer: Garth Ennis

Artist: Jacen Burrows

Colorist: Andy Troy

Logo, Production & Letterer: Rob Steen

Cover Artists: Jacen Burrows & Andy Troy; John McCrea & Mike Spicer

Editor: Tom Peyer

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 14, 2026

 

The city-state of Matazak is abuzz as spectators fill the arena. The announcer welcomes Emperor Gabbagool the Ninth’s subjects and promises them a rousing spectacle. As people fill the stands, purchase refreshments, and place their bets with the bookies, they watch as a newcomer enters the arena. Who is Babs? And can she defeat Yorikk the Ginger? Let’s leap into Babs: The Black Road South #1 and see!

 

Story

Yorikk may have earned a fearsome reputation in Matazak. But this battle is personal for Babs. Like Steven Tyler, her childhood nurse taught Babs that getting even was better than getting mad. So, when she enters the arena, Babs takes out her childhood disappointment on Yorikk.

 

Babs: The Black Road South #1 introduces Babs and her friend Izzy. Despite the protestations of Babs’ talking sword, the girls make a killing and enjoy a mad night on the town. Garth Ennis imbues his medieval fantasy world with modern appeal as the girls check into the Tyrannical Suite and start their pub crawl at Pale Elric's. But trouble finds them when they make plans in their inebriated state.

 

This debut installment features cultural references and pays homage to literature, comics, and cinematic fantasy. The dialogue may be saltier than the sea-elves serving aboard the good ship Marillion, but the hijinks are all in good fun. Still, Babs and Izzy would do well to listen to Barry, even if the talking sword wants to curtail their frivolity. But as they don't, Babs must face her fears in Babs: The Black Road South #1.

 

Art

The announcer wears Shakespearian attire as he speaks into a branched brass horn, while Babs dons armor before spilling blood. The Human, Elven, and fantasy-race spectators watch from their concrete benches. Izzy stands with the bookies as they take bets and track the odds on their whiteboards.

 

Andy Troy lavishes a loaded palette on Jacen Burrows’ detailed art in Babs: The Black Road South #1. After their day at the arena, Babs and Izzy visit the Ryvendale Loriental, a multistory hotel adorned with Ionic pillars and Gothic windows. They check in with the receptionist in a grand lobby. Then they enter a suite filled with bearskin bed comforters, a chaise lounge, a freestanding wine rack, a scalloped bathtub, and a stuffed dragon head above the brick fireplace.

 

Rob Steen aids the bikini-armored barbarian and the Zula-like Izzy with black uppercase dialogue in white balloons. The letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. Dialogue balloons sprout spikes when the girls belt out their favorite song via fish preserved on wooden sticks. Barry's quillons gesture as he speaks or covers his gleaming gem when his owner's antics overwhelm him. Giant black words outlined with white rise above the tables as Babs and Izzy wow their fellow drinkers.

 

Bonus Features:

In "Here Today, Scone Tomorrow," Mallory tackles the pros and cons of gentrification. "A Trail in a Timeline" by Byron Ackerman ponders the seemingly innocuous acts that determine our future. While Joe Orsak contributes a black-and-white illustration for the first chapter of a potential crime saga, Rick Geary’s drawing evokes the moment when the 14^th Doctor got a second chance at life. The Editor's Notes page contains poems from a writer compared with Taylor Swift and Kanye West, and the author who sought the Prince Regent's patronage in Black Adder the Third. Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

It's not easy to plan your future when you're a freebooting barbarian. Still, Babs and Izzy are up for anything. But like anyone making a big purchase, the wild warrior women battle buyers’ remorse in Babs: The Black Road South #1.

 

Rating 9.4/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Babs: The Black Road South #1. 

Babs: The Black Road South #1 Preview

 

Cover A by Jacen Burrows

 

Alas, poor Yorick! Babs knew him well. But Babs doesn't have time to dwell on her memories. Nor does she spend her days reading the Bard. She's too busy living the high life of the sword-wielding adventurer. With her friend Izzy, and her talking sword Barry, is there anything she cannot take on? What does the writer of The Hitman, and the co-creator of The Boys, have in store next for Babs, Izzy, and Barry?

Here's all the info from Ahoy Comics: 

 

BABS: THE BLACK ROAD SOUTH #1

Writer: Garth Ennis 

Artist: Jacen Burrows

Cover A by Jacen Burrows: $4.99

Cover B by John McCrea: $4.99*

Publisher: Ahoy Comics

Release Date: January 14, 2026

“BABS is sharp, subversive, hilarious, and absolutely one of the best comics of 2024,” said CBR—and now the hit Ennis/Burrows sword-and-sorcery satire returns! A day of over-the-top carnage in a gladiator arena leads Babs and her partner-in-barbarism Izzy directly into a strange, unfamiliar, bizarre situation: they actually have money! That’s good, right? Wrong—because it’s about to lead them down a dark, horrific road to the devastated wasteland of Mordynn.

*Any retailer who orders at least 3 copies of cover A (Jacen Burrows) will be eligible to order unlimited copies of cover B (John McCrea).

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

Here's another cover option:

 

Cover B by John McCrea

 

Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.

The War #1 Review

 

Writer: Garth Ennis

Artist: Becky Cloonan

Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain

Letterer: Pat Brosseau

Cover Artists: Becky Cloonan, Jay Shaw, Trevor Hairsine with Rain Beredo, and Tula Lotay

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 30, 2025

 

Deep down, we believe that words shouldn’t hurt us. Perhaps some, like Mr Spock, can dismiss hurtful words dispassionately. But even words meant to calm and console can lead to anger or depression. Words can ruin relationships and destroy lives. How might dialogue and argument draw friends closer together or push them apart? Let’s grab a bottle of wine, leap into The War #1, and see!

 

Story

Russia and Ukraine are attending a summit. But they do so without Volodymyr Zelenskyy. David argues that the Ukrainian war cannot worsen. Luke claims that Russia will never trust NATO. Both men urge their friends to follow the news in The War #1. Informing yourself about contemporary events is healthy and empowering.

 

After the eight friends part ways, their conversation continues. Reports of increasing tensions and violence drive the dialogue between partners and friends. With President Zelenskyy dead, Russia's focus shifts to Ukraine's allies. As Luke argued, NATO awakened the slumbering beast. Whether or not the friends view Vladimir Putin as rational, the Russian president has a vast arsenal at his disposal.

 

The War #1 is a dialogue-driven story that questions our readiness for war as individuals and as a society. Unlike in The Kids #1, when the world changes overnight, Garth Ennis probes what happens when the apocalypse approaches more slowly. Some draw comfort from reason. Others ponder a quick death. People mourn loved ones they will never see again. Relationships hang on tenterhooks, swayed by storms of emotion. David, Luke, and their friends process the situation by discussing it in these first three serial installments from the Hello Darkness series. But how can words bring comfort or support when a city can vanish in the blink of an eye?

 

Art

Tamra Bonvillain contributes a loaded palette to The War #1. Yellow, green, and pink enliven the evening get-together. When starlight pierces David and Nikki’s darkened bedroom, greens, blues, and skin tones glow and highlight an iconic movie poster. Streetlamps paint the sidewalks yellow as residents pack their cars, while taillights leave a trail of red. Pink and orange fill the sky as Travis and Grace opt for the safe course.

 

Becky Cloonan’s detailed penciling shows Luke’s involvement in the discussion, while Stefan props his cheek on his knuckles and closes his eyes. Nikki glares a quiet storm but rarely focuses it on David. Maggie and Spencer stand on a lonely platform before boarding an empty subway carriage. As Grace watches the TV from the couch, Travis presses his forearm against the wall window of their apartment. Instead of studying nearby high-rises, he stares at his phone. While Tamra Bonvillain reveals light sources and directions through color, Becky Cloonan enhances shadows and backgrounds with stippling. The dots suggest the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the friends like dust hurled into the air.

 

Pat Brosseau fills white dialogue balloons with black uppercase letters that grow bold for emphasis and shrink for lowered voices. Lowercase text in blue and gray fields differentiates texts between David and Luke. While emotion and raised voices enlarge words and reshape balloons, sound effects erupt once amid an approaching storm. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

People often hypothesize their actions in foreseeable futures. But you can’t know how you would react to a situation until you experience it. And weapons of mass destruction can make the best-intended actions irrelevant. In The War #1, eight friends—David and Nikki, Luke and Stefan, Travis and Grace, and Maggie and Spencer—react to the threat and reality of war in different ways. Whether their actions seem wise or foolish to others, they are all very Human.

 

Rating 9.3/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.