Introducing: BABS
As most fans of Sword and Mage stories know, a female protagonist is generally a badass protagonist. She’s just as good with a sword and fists as any man and isn’t afraid to speak her mind when asked. As I’ve mentioned many times, I LOVE characters like that, so leave it up to the author. Garth Ennis from preacher And The boys Fame and artist Jacen Burrows to give us a character that encompasses all of these things and more in the new series from Ahoy Comics BABS!
Life has its problems
Right from the start, Ennis tells the reader all about BABS! He explains her virtues and perhaps her weaknesses that contribute to her current situation. Which basically means she’s unlucky. She barely has two coins to rub together. In her estimation, her magic sword is just an “OK” sword, which apparently has a low opinion of her. Not to mention that the leather armor she wears chafes her chest to the point of madness. It’s also implied that some of the local population talk bad about her, but not to her face. They’re smarter than they look.
Izzy
The only thing that makes it at least bearable is that she has someone to complain to: her friend Izzy. Although Izzy isn’t doing much better. Especially when she had a little “encounter” (or raid) with the goblins. Having to compensate them for that mistake left her in the same boat (or tavern) as BABS… almost BROKE! But as they started packing up what they had to get one last drink, Babs got a visit. A group of mercenaries who thought they recognized her. They wanted her not because they thought they were being paid to do it, but because they didn’t like the backstory they had made up for her.
What are friends for?
Sounds like a bad reason to get their asses kicked by a caustic warrior. But they ASKED for it. After the ground was cleared of orcs, trolls, and whatever other species they brought with them, BABS imposed an “asshole behavior tax.” It was punishment for starting a fight they couldn’t win. The sudden influx of money meant she and Izzy could afford a few more drinks. The downside was that Babs wasn’t a big drinker. Hey, you can’t be good at EVERYTHING. Thankfully Izzy was there to hold her hair out of the way while she vomited.
Looking for upholstery
Later, Babs stopped in the forest to hunt some squirrels. Not for their meat, but because their pelts provided extra padding for her scaled armor and chafed chest. As she released the first squirrel from the tree where her arrow had left it stuck, her “okay” magic sword “Barry” began to speak, asking why she was wasting her time on squirrels instead of continuing her training. Babs ignored the comment, already eyeing her next prey. Her reasoning was impeccable: two breasts, two squirrel pelts for protection.
She took aim, and when she hit the squirrel, a loud roar rang out. Strange that a squirrel would make such a sound. As she searched through the leaves for her prey, she discovered that it was not impaled on a tree, but on the flank of a huge bear. If one remembered the earlier mention of bad luck, this was a prime example. For some reason, the bear was terribly agitated by the arrow. Perhaps the bear and the squirrel were mates, although that seemed unlikely.
Facts about the bear
Babs had two choices in this situation. She could stand her ground and face the bear head on, or run away. Babs wanted to try her luck with the bear, but Barry reminded her of the insanity of THAT idea. Running away would be the wisest decision. After thinking for a moment, Babs agreed with Barry and rode as fast as they could. Which was almost not fast enough considering the speed of the bear. Barry suggested that Babs sacrifice her horse to the bear. The thinking was that the bear simply wanted to kill something. Better the horse than Babs. Not to mention that Barry would come out unscathed in this scenario. I’m sure her horse would see it differently.
The Deep Realm
Back in town, the dejected mercenaries tried to decide who or what was responsible for their defeat and their generally poor lives. Their leader, Mork, blamed the insidious “Deep Realm.” It was this mysterious entity that was keeping them from living the lives they were meant to live. While he tried to explain how the “man” was oppressing them, a group of shining knights rode into the village. They were known as the Ivory Knights of Spotless Virtue and were led by their lord, Tiberius Toledo. This troop was not all that pretentious. In fact, Mork thought they looked like their kind of guys. Well… good luck with that.
BABS and the Bear, Part II
Back at Babs and the bear’s, the chase somehow ended with the horse, Babs, and Barry ending up in the branches of a tree. How exactly that happened was a mystery, but Babs was only too happy to remind Barry that it was the horse that had saved her. The same horse that Barry was going to feed to the bear. Barry would not hear of it. He reminded her that it was HIS idea that had really saved her. Babs hardly thought Barry’s suggestion to run away was particularly smart. She had already figured that out herself. Why couldn’t she have one of those magical swords that hurled fire or energy beams at her enemies? Barry just talked… and talked. Besides, her bear friend had caught up with her while he was babbling.
Thoughts
As I mentioned before, the story captivated me from the beginning when author Garth Ennis introduced the character.
“Black-haired, suspicious, wielder of an OK sword… pretty face but terrible luck, a wanderer, a mercenary, a goblin tramp, a dragon dodger… a lover but a loser, a heartbreaker and someone who jumps out of windows…”
Who wouldn’t fall in love with a girl like that? Babs (in my opinion) is a hilarious mix of Red Sonja and a sarcastic comedian…let’s say Sarah Silverman. She says what she wants and has the physical ability to back it up. What she hasn’t had lately is luck. At least, that’s how it seems to her. Babs is still waiting for an opportunity to turn things around. But in the meantime, she’s just taking things as they come. If that means she has to defeat a few whiners along the way, then that’s life. It also makes her a very interesting and entertaining character and a perfect addition to the Ahoy series.
References galore
Another part of the strength of this first issue is Garth’s willingness to make satirical references that older readers will notice. Just look at Mork the Orc. Is he from the village of Melmac? (I know I can’t be the only one who noticed this). His problem with Babs was that he thought she had usurped a man’s identity. No “feminizing” the characters for Mork. Don’t make him call Orson.
Then there’s Mork’s reference to the “Deep Realm.” A place where everyone is out to get you and keep you down. Sounds familiar. But in conspiracy circles here, it’s known as the “Deep State.” No matter where you go, the “Man” is trying to keep you in your place. It’s nice to know we’re not the only ones suffering from their insidious machinations. Nice.
Babs and Barry
And then there’s Barry. Babs’s magic sword. It’s no wonder that a sword named “Barry” inspires neither fear nor awe in Babs’ enemies. Of course, the fact that it doesn’t do any of the things magic swords normally do is also a problem. It doesn’t glow, it doesn’t shoot fire or any other destructive power. In fact, as far as Babs knows, it doesn’t even cut particularly well. But it does remind Babs that she needs to educate herself better… and maybe listen to his wisdom when he offers it. Their conversations alone are worth the price of admission.
Jacen Burrows
To make it all work so well, Garth works with a trusted collaborator, artist Jacen Burrows. Jacen’s work is a perfect fit for this story, and he captures every moment of the tale. Whether it’s bar fights, horses chatting, or a magical sword that uses crossguard and quillons to give Babs the middle finger, Burrows has them all mastered. His familiarity with Garth’s style and prose goes a long way toward making this a great opening issue and a must-read book.
Ahoy Comics BABS, Issue No. 1 is out August 14th. Get it at your local comic book store and wherever great books are sold. Also check out our interview with author Garth Ennis here.
