INTERVIEW | Garth Ennis Gives Us a Peek Under the Bloody Armor of BABS

INTERVIEW | Garth Ennis Gives Us a Peek Under the Bloody Armor of BABS

In comics, few names command the respect and recognition that Garth Ennis does. Known for his sharp wit and unflinching storytelling in iconic titles like The Boys and Preacher, Ennis has again teamed up with the incredibly talented Jacen Burrows to bring all us eager nerds BABS, the latest gem from the unending treasure pit that is Ahoy Comics. This wild new adventure introduces us to Babs, a barbarian thief with a penchant for chaos, an itchy metal wardrobe, and the world’s most unfortunate enchanted sword, Barry.

The premiere issue of BABS is packed with Ennis’ trademark humor and biting cultural critiques, offering readers a fresh, hilarious, and thought-provoking ride through a world filled with wizards, dragons, and very disgruntled knights. Everyone at Geek Network was thoroughly entertained by the clever blend of humor and social commentary that Ennis masterfully weaves into the threads of this story. He and Burrows are well-sharpened blades slicing through any opposition that threatens their invasion of the fantasy genre.

In this exclusive interview, we enjoyed chatting with Garth Ennis about his creative process, the inspiration behind BABS, and how it all relates to the weirdness going about in the world. So geek responsibly, dear readers, and dive into our conversation with one of comics’ most legendary writers.

Blake Morgan: You’ve used humor and genre to critique various elements of pop culture with great success. With Preacher, you played with mythology and religion. The Boys was a modern deconstruction of righteousness showing the dangers of weaponized justice. 

What is your goal with BABS? What are you hoping to accomplish within the fantasy genre?

Garth Ennis: Hopefully tell an entertaining story and give people a laugh or two. There’s some stuff in there about current concerns, which is typical of my stuff—whatever I’m thinking about at the time tends to go in, so long as it doesn’t get in the way of the narrative.

My dad always told me to try and be the guy who makes people laugh at funerals. I feel like you’re that guy. How do you find such great humor in hopelessness?

People at their most wretched will frequently resort to humor, if only as a survival mechanism. They may not even be trying to be funny, which will sometimes make things even more amusing. Remember Bill Paxton in Aliens, right after the dropship crashes? Technically that shouldn’t be a funny moment, but he makes it hilarious.

I don’t usually make people laugh at funerals, but I was at one once when a goat appeared and ejaculated spectacularly over a woman in a fur coat (its motivation was never established). As far as humor at funerals goes, I don’t think that particular quadruped’s efforts have ever been bettered.

Is it easier to write about our degenerating world through a fictitious lens? What is it about genre fiction that makes the bitter truths more palatable? 

Possibly a matter of reaching an audience that wouldn’t normally be interested in such issues, that tends towards fantasy as an escape from reality (that’s fantasy with a small f, encompassing not just sword & sorcery but sci-fi and superheroes as well). So by the time they realize they’re reading things they might normally shy away from, it’s too late—you’ve got them. Of course, a good chunk of the audience goes in the exact opposite direction and laps it up, they want all the social commentary you can give them.

. . . I proceed largely on instinct . . .

There were some great moments of physical comedy in the premier of BABS. One instance came from an anthropomorphic sword flipping the bird. Several others came from the outrageously comical facial expression from Babs’ horse. 

Were those moments in the script or was it that magical collaboration between writer and artist?

It tends to start with the script, but when you establish a gag like those two you know a good artist will take it and run with it. So once Jacen knows that Barry the sword uses his little hands to gesture with, or that the horse understands everything the characters are saying, he can keep the joke going—I’ll occasionally make specific references to what both are up to, but otherwise, Jacen will be slotting in sight gags of his own as appropriate.

You seem to have some things to say about incel culture. Why do you think so many men are scared of powerful women?

A matter of expectation and entitlement, based on both their own specific upbringing and the more general sense of a man’s role in society—as defined by history and fiction (look at the way men have traditionally been portrayed in most stories over the years). Incel culture seems to me the most pathetic response imaginable to the changing roles of women in society, and to the powerlessness some men feel in the face of it; there’s something bloodcurdlingly cringeworthy about a cackling, spiteful little gollum going online to spread hatred, convinced that he’s being denied both career advancement and sexual gratification due to some non-specific female “conspiracy.”

I’m not one of those people who bangs on about masculinity—I like poems better than sport and prefer a quiet corner of a pub to a bar full of raucous “lads”—but even I can see there’s something terribly wrong here. Perhaps if the people in question tried employing some allegedly traditional male virtues, such as, say, stoicism—that might be a start. Instead of whining like little bitches.

Your career is astounding. Your works are many, and they’ve evolved from the page to the big screen. There’s a timelessness to your work. How do you stay current with the chaos of the world and how do you know, when sifting through the muck, you’ve found a golden nugget?

Good question, but I don’t have a particularly scientific answer. I proceed largely on instinct; I have a far better sense of what I don’t like than what I do. If it feels right, it probably is right, and vice-versa. Generally, the acid test is a commercial one—if the stuff doesn’t work I’ll go out of business, and if it does I won’t. So far, so good.

Garth, I’m such a big fan. I met you in Kansas City, Missouri a couple of years ago at Planet Comicon (you signed a copy of SARA for me). I so appreciate the time. I’ve got one final question:

Looking at BABS and looking back at Marjorie Finnegan, you’re writing about women, about gender, and coating it in a fine layer of humor. Is it because the quest for biological domination is, in itself, sad and hilarious, or are we missing some hidden mark buried in the plot points?

Glad you’re enjoying the work, thanks—plenty more to come. Really I think it’s more a question of which particular story I’m doing at any given time, rather than any unifying theme. Marj and Babs are both meant to be humorous, but Sara (like its follow-up, the forthcoming Partisan) also involves a female lead and concerns itself with the experience of women—inasmuch as a male writer like myself has been able to determine it from the historical record. Much as I love the book, Sara is not exactly a laugh riot.

No matter the tone, there is always knowledge to be found in an Ennis story, and readers are in for delectable snack this week. You better pick up BABS #1 when you’re out comic shopping on Wednesday or else Barry will surely have something to say about it…