Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
    Battlefield 6 Multiplayer Reveal promotional image

    Battlefield 6 Classes, Maps, And More: Everything You Need To Know

    07/31/2025
    A glimpse at all the upcoming Star Wars stories coming to the galaxy

    Star Wars Stories: What We Learned At SDCC 2025

    07/25/2025
    Blindspot episode still

    It’s been 5 years since ‘Blindspot’ ended. Why haven’t you watched it yet?

    07/24/2025
    Strange Scaffold

    Strange Scaffold Summer Showcase Delivers Bizarre And Brilliant Games

    07/22/2025
  • Fantasia Festival
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
But Why Tho?
Home » Indie Comics » REVIEW: ‘Barbarella/Deja Thoris,’ TPB

REVIEW: ‘Barbarella/Deja Thoris,’ TPB

Lizzy GarciaBy Lizzy Garcia09/02/20194 Mins ReadUpdated:11/06/2021
Barbarella Deja Thoris But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Barbarella/Dejah Thoris TPB

Barbarella/Dejah Thoris TPB is published by Dynamite Comics, written by Leah Williams (Adventure Time Comics, X-Men: Black,) with illustrations by Germán Garcia (Action Comics, X-Men), colors by Addison Duke, and letters from CRANK!. The trade is a cross-over between the two famous characters. Barbarella debuted in a sci-fi film of the same name in 1968 but now is more commonly found on the pages of Dynamite Comics. Similarly, Deja Thoris the princess of the Martian city-state/empire of Helium created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and has appeared in many of his Martian novels. The issue starts as Barbarella investigates the murder of a well known intergalactic scientist, Dr. Gitu. In her quest to unravel his mysterious death, she finds herself trapped in a strange mirror that is later found by the Dejah Thoris, the Princess of the Martian empire of Helium. Together, the two must unravel the pieces Gitu left them.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Barbarella/Dejah Thoris TPB tasks the two sexy leading ladies of Dynamite into working together to get out the strange mirror both of them fell into. The story showcases Barbarella’s intelligence while also showing Dejah Thoris as human. While trying to escape a structure deep underwater, Deja Thoris has a panic attack. Like any warrior princess, her reaction is to deny her brain’s response to the stressful situation; however, Barbarella beautifully explains panic attacks are normal and never a sign of weakness.

Later on in the story, Barbarella addresses her robotic nature in regards to how she is dealing with the immensely stressful situation. She assures Dejah Thoris she does feel pain, but instead of showing it, she “puts it to work.” Barbarella clearly handles anxiety and stress differently than Dejah Thoris, but the moment is an important way to show that mental health issues are not black and white. No one deals with it the same way. While Deja Thoris feels her pain fully, Barbarella pushes down her pain in order to focus on the mission ahead of her.

The moment was a surprise to me, but something I greatly appreciated as someone who has struggled with anxiety. Additionally, despite just meeting and being from vastly different worlds, the respect between Barbarella and Deja Thoris is evident. Williams’s dialogue consists of a lot of banter but never pits the two heroes against each other. Instead, there are a lot of moments throughout the book where Barbarella reassures Deja Thoris who is in a hostile environment extremely unlike her own. At one point, Barbarella tells Deja Thoris she isn’t stupid and it is unfair for her to expect to understand worlds that she never had access to. Basically, you can’t learn what you don’t know that you don’t know.

Additionally, while the two women are fully-fledged characters, each showcasing their own strengths,  they also retain their classic sexy ensembles. While I am never against updated looks, like the ones debuted in 2016 for Vampirella and Red Sonja, it is still nice to remember female characters can be sexy, sexualized, or use their sexuality without it being problematic. Overall, the story of Barbarella/Dejah Thoris TPB can be convoluted, but the banter and comradery between Barbarella and Deja Thoris make the story worth reading.

Additionally, Garcia’s art has a certain softness to it that lends well to the designs of the characters. Duke’s coloring also helps to capture this softness. The color palatte is never too heavy-handed. However, the facial expressions on the characters, at certain points, can look distorted, particularly in far-away shots. Outside of the art, CRANK! makes a lot of creative choices with the lettering. Small comedic moments are drawn from the brilliant lettering designs in the action words.

Barbarella/Dejah Thoris TPB is an empowering story that has a lot of heart and a surprisingly inspirational message about mental health and impostor syndrome. I personally related in a lot of ways to Deja Thoris’s handling of the situations in front of her. If you are a fan of either character or Williams’s other fantastic work then this is a must-read.

Barbarella/Dejah Thoris TPB is available in comic book stores everywhere.

Barbarella/Dejah Thoris TPB
4

TL;DR

Barbarella/Dejah Thoris TPB is an empowering story that has a lot of heart and a surprisingly inspirational message about mental health and impostor syndrome. If you are a fan of either character or Williams’s other fantastic work then this is a must-read.

  • Buy Via Our ComiXology Affiliate Link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Berserker Unbound,’ Issue #2
Next Article REVIEW: ‘The Terror: Infamy,’ Episode 4 – The Weak are Meat
Lizzy Garcia

Related Posts

Speed Racer Issue 1

REVIEW: ‘Speed Racer’ Issue 1

07/30/2025
No Saints Nor Poets Issue 1

REVIEW: ‘No Saints Nor Poets’ Issue 1

07/18/2025
Who Killed Sarah Shaw

REVIEW: ‘Who Killed Sarah Shaw’

01/20/2025
Katabasis #1

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Katabasis’ Issue #1 (2024)

11/20/2024
Space Ghost Issue #3

REVIEW: ‘Space Ghost’ Issue #3

07/03/2024
Space Ghost #1

ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Space Ghost’ Issue #1

04/30/2024

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Wildgate promotional key art
9.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Wildgate’ Is Co-Op Space Mayhem Done Right

By Adrian Ruiz07/25/2025Updated:07/30/2025

Built for friends and tuned for competition, Wildgate is messy in the best way: smart, surprising, and bursting with room to grow.

Glass Heart
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Glass Heart’ Offers Messy, Musical Catharsis

By Allyson Johnson07/22/2025

The musical drama series ‘Glass Heart’ soars when it focuses on the epic performances of it’s fictional band, TENBLANK.

Simon in An Honest Life But Why Tho
3.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘An Honest Life’ Is Terribly Dishonest About Its Own Politics

By Jason Flatt08/02/2025

An Honest Life is an overly severe misfire about a law student who falls in with anarchist burglars that can’t decide who it resents more.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here