This omnibus contains various mini-series featuring Barry Ween, a ten-year-old with an IQ of 350. The adventures are full of funny instances, classic science fiction plots, and tons of dirty language. I highly endorse this piece of art.

Barry Ween’s assorted adventures, all written by Judd Winick, were published between 1999 and 2002. They feature a variety of standard science fiction adventures: giant ape, time travel, aliens, dinosaurs, experiments gone mad, etc. But with Barry Ween, as with so many other works of fiction, it’s the teller not the story that makes this collection special.

The author goes out of his way to put a fresh face on each plot. He skims through a lot of data and attributes it to Barry’s high IQ. Every issue glides across the page and pulls you in. I had trouble setting the book down. Or to be glib: I love graphic novels, I love science fiction, and cursing children are always funny, exhibit A.

What truly makes this work transcend for me is the cursing. I realize that sounds ludicrous, but properly placing dirty language in a believable way is an art form. The factors may vary slightly but consideration must always include: the character’s lexicon, timing within the character’s speech, saturation of dirty language in the overall work, and net gain due to usage.

All these factors are perfect in Barry Ween. Furthermore, they avoid repetition through the characters’ lexicons.

The primary characters are Barry Ween and Jeremy Ramierez, Barry’s best friend. They are also ten-year-old boys. Cursing is an art form for young men. The words themselves, and any logical formations they may or may not take, are secondary to the timing and attitude with which they are screamed, uttered, or simply spoken. Toward the end of the omnibus Jeremy teaches a variety of younger children to swear. He feels accomplished when one of his students zings him with an incomprehensible insult. To which Jeremy responds, “You hear that? Scrot-Mucher! I don’t even know what that shit means. They are learning” (317).

Those readers who have naturally filthy speech, like me, may be tempted to cast this technique aside. However, I know a few people who are cleaner than me. Those people are also amateur writers and they struggle with swear words. It’s not an easy thing to make foul, or in this case incredibly foul, language come to life.

This graphic novel, despite transcending into art, is going to appeal to the 15-year-old-boy inside us all, even the ladies.

Just Fantastic appears the second and fourth Wednesday every month.

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