Posted in: Comics | Tagged: barbarella, Comics, dynamite, embargoed, entertainment, Kenan Yarar, mike carey

Kenan Yarar Joins Mike Carey On New Barbarella For Dynamite

Published Tue, 19 Sep 2017 08:59:05 -0500

One of the most iconic sci-fi heroines of all times has to be Barbarella, and as the character turns 55, she will be getting a new series for the first time in 35 years. Dynamite has tapped writer Mike Carey (X-Men, Lucifer) and Turkish artist Kenan Yarar (Hilal) to work with consulting editor and longtime Barbarella brand custodian Jean-Marc Lofficer to create the new series.

The synopsis reads: Earth's star-crossed daughter is back! When Barbarella wanders into a war zone, the theocratic rulers of Parosia arrest and imprison her. A prison break is brewing, but now that she knows what the Parosians do to their own citizens Barbarella decides to make this fight her own…

Yarar said in a statement:

When I was first told of Dynamite Editor Matt Idelson's Barbarella project, I thought it was fascinating. Even though Barbarella is unruly, bold, attractive and sexually appealing, she wasn't objectified and she has a strange universe that may lead to countless eccentric worlds. The thing that compelled me to absolutely take part in this project was reading Mike Carey's script. The script was masterful and enjoyable in addition to having a solid philosophy and subtext to be the answer if someone bothered to ask me what kind of a comic book I'd like to work on as an artist. Also, the script demanded costumes, weapons, ships and worlds to be redesigned; the kind of work I delight in. I hope to present the script and Barbarella to Dynamite readers as fine and sophisticated as they truly are.

Carey, who was announced on the project back in July, added:

I'm really excited to be working with Kenan Yarar. He's an artist with an exuberant, dazzling, playful style that's perfect for the book – and he's a great collaborator, always coming up with left-field solutions to narrative problems.

And Lofficer said of Yarar:

I am delighted with the selection of Kenen Yarar. His preliminary sketches have shown both a spirit and a style that brings a new life into the character; it is faithful without being imitative.

Created by Jean Claude Forest in 1962, Barbarella was introduced at the heart of the Sexual Revolution, and is forever ingrained in pop culture after Jane Fonda's unforgettable portrayal in the 1968 cult-classic film. She was a key figure in the fertile battleground of French comic books and the struggle for sexual freedom in the medium, and has not appeared in a new series since her last appearance in the legendary science fiction publication, Heavy Metal.

Dynamite first announced the return of Barbarella in October of 2016, and plans to develop her in further categories which include potential art books and 3-D figurines.

Barbarella will be solicited in the October 2017 Previews catalog and slated for release in December. It will be offered with covers by Kenneth Rocafort, Joe Jusko, Joseph Michael Linsner, Robert Hack, Annie Wu, Kenan Yarar, Valentine DeLandro and Veronica Fish.