Joe the Barbarian #2

Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Sean Murphy
Little more is revealed than in last issue, as Joe continues to flit between the reality of his house and a strange fantasy world where his toys have come to life. He is now being helped by Jack, who is his pet mouse in the real world.

I'm not sure where Morrison is going with this. So far, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of comment on childhood, it's just been a straight up adventure story, wherein the protagonist desperately needs some glucose.

As with the first issue, the pace is very quick, but the art is fantastic. I love Murphy's way of re-drawing familiar (and copyrighted) icons of commercial childhood. The plastic Lego trees would be a favorite, just for the associations their image evoked.

I know that this title has become a source of some controversy, and I don't think it's Morrison's best work, but it's enjoyable.