Too MAX for Me!

Barracuda #1
Publisher: Marvel/Max series
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Goran Parlov

Sending out and maxing out the wrong message!
By John L. Daniels Jr.

I am dismayed, but not surprised in this new era and time in the comic book industry that a writer the caliber of Garth Ennis could resort too writing and portraying an African- American as a gangster thug and find this is a stereotypical male in the world of crime. I am appalled and ashamed to read this material.

As an African-American, critiquer of comics and one who notes an article “Comics of Color” which reviews creators and comic periodicals of different ethnicities, this book is very disheartening to view. I am a fan of previous works of Ennis, however the content and characterization of the characters destroys all the effort for positive portrayal of people of color, but my view this story can be presented in a better fashion, and the editor has the opportunity to take the initiative to do so, if he wanted.



The editors and the creative team must really think the character Barracuda is a hero to African-American teens and their peers. Another score for MAX to insult and give it justification to continue to MAX Out, Gross-Out readers for a Mature series and to use vulgarity to make Marvel/MAX subscribers believe that “without using such language it will take away the depth of the character or story! Hogwash!

Barracuda #1 the Max line of Marvel is what u read is what u view.

This title deserves an Inquisitive rating of one. The only reason Barracuda #1 receives this rating is that this issue can be used as a tool for “How to do everything against the comic book code and get away with it.”