Big Barda
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| Big Barda | |
|---|---|
 Big Barda, art by Stephane Roux |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Mister Miracle vol. 1 #4, (October, 1971) |
| Created by | Jack Kirby (writer & artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Barda Free |
| Species | New God |
| Place of origin | Apokolips |
| Team affiliations | New Gods Justice League Female Furies Birds of Prey |
| Abilities | Superhuman strength, stamina, durability, and reflexes. Energy manipulation. Immortality. Carries an Omega Rod and Aero-Disks. |
Big Barda is a fictional superhero and New God in the DC Comics universe. She first appeared in Mister Miracle vol. 1 #4 (October, 1971), and was created by Jack Kirby.[1]
In a reversal of the stereotype associated with female characters at the time of her creation, Barda is physically more powerful than her husband and very protective of him.
Jack Kirby based Barda's physical appearance on Lainie Kazan, "who had recently appeared topless in Playboy."[2] Mark Evanier, Kirby's assistant during the Fourth World comics, has stated: "Jack based some of his characters (not all) on people in his life or in the news ... the characterization between Scott 'Mister Miracle' Free and Barda was based largely — though with tongue in cheek — on the interplay betwixt Jack and his wife Roz." [3]
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[edit] Fictional character biography
Barda was born of the race of New Gods about 250 years ago, on Apokolips. Her mother was named Big Breeda, but Barda was taken away from her at an early age to be trained as a warrior. She is a product of Granny Goodness' Home for Orphaned Youth. Granny's motto is "Die for Darkseid" (the planet's evil ruler). Granny grooms Barda to one day lead the Female Fury Battalion, a ferocious pack of warrior women.[4] However, during a raid Barda meets Scott Free, Darkseid's adopted son, and, sensing a peace about him, falls in love.[1]
Barda risks her own safety to work with the rebel cell lead by the New God Himon. Both of them help Scott escape from Apokolips. Eventually, Barda turns her back on Granny, and comes to Earth herself. (Mister Miracle vol. 1 #4, 1971) Scott has become an escape artist called Mister Miracle, and is teamed with Oberon, his diminutive manager. Scott and Barda are married by Scott's father, the Highfather of New Genesis. (Mister Miracle vol. 1 #18)
For a number of years, Barda follows Scott and Oberon on tour. Eventually they retire as superheroes and move to Bailey, New Hampshire. (Mister Miracle vol. 2 #1) However, despite their best attempts, a normal life eludes them. Disasters plague them; Barda, Scott, and Oberon leave Bailey and move to a loft in Greenwich Village, New York City. Barda forms a defense-training program for women called the New Female Furies.
[edit] Justice League
Though naive regarding Earth customs, Barda relishes her roles of wife and housekeeper. However, when duty calls she never hesitates to assume the posture of a warrior, and when Scott joins the Justice League, Barda participates in several missions. (Justice League America #7, 28) In one instance, while training Fire, her weapon, the Mega-Rod is stolen from her car. With the assistance of her husband and the Huntress, she gets it back but not before many innocent people are killed by its wielder who was unable to resist the corrupting influence of the Apokoliptian technology. Barda also leads a JLA mission to rescue her husband after he is lost in space. The mission is a result of Manga Khan selling Scott to Granny Goodness. Her teammates include Martian Manhunter, Rocket Red, and G'nort. In an attempt to dissuade their successful pursuit, Manga Khan hires Lobo, paying him in dolphin feed, to kill them. He almost does, before Barda teleports him to a random location, that being ten feet behind Guy Gardner's skull. The repercussions of that literal meeting of the minds would last for years.
After their time with the JLI, the two leave Earth for New Genesis. (Mr. Miracle, v.2 #28) However, they soon return to Earth (Mister Miracle vol. 3 #1-2) and take up temporary residence aboard the Justice League Refuge. During this period, the couple separate briefly due to Scott's lack of consideration for her feelings. (Mister Miracle vol. 3 #4-5)
Barda has served as a member of the JLA in her own right: at Takion's order, she and fellow New God Orion are sent as agents of New Genesis to serve on the team. Takion predicts that the Earth faces a grave threat. (JLA #17) Their mission is to help mobilize Earth's heroes against the omnipotent Mageddon. Over time, they become involved with several other JLA missions. Adam Strange, needing help with an alien invasion, enslaves the JLA as part of a bluff. The League works for days, turning the planet into a giant teleportation beam. The aliens are sent off to the prison planet of Takron-Galtos, which Barda had mentioned several times during the ordeal. In another instance, Barda is badly wounded fighting the Queen Bee, a member of the newly reformed Injustice League. Once Mageddon is defeated, Barda and Orion resign from the JLA.[1][5]
[edit] After the League
Barda and Scott currently reside in the suburbs of Connecticut and are active adventurers. (Orion #25) Barda never hesitates to lend a hand to her friends when her power and expertise are needed.
Barda accompanies Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman to Apokolips to rescue Supergirl from Darkseid's clutches (Superman/Batman #11, 12), and accepts an invitation from Oracle to become the heavy-hitter on the Birds of Prey. (Birds of Prey #100)
A similar-looking character named Little Barda appeared as a member of the Teen Titans in 52 #21; the character leaves the group in the same issue. Her relationship to Big Barda is unknown, though she escaped from Apokolips with Power Boy.
In a confrontation with the Secret Six, she engages Knockout, another ex-Fury, in hand-to-hand combat. Although the fight is long and continues in the midst of other larger concerns for her team, it ends in a draw.
Big Barda is killed in the first issue of Death of the New Gods; her funeral occurs in the second issue of the series. Infinity-Man is later revealed as the killer.[1]
Final Crisis #7 depicts Barda standing alongside Lightray and Highfather in front of a reincarnated New Genesis.
[edit] Powers and abilities
Barda has superhuman strength, endurance, and is virtually indestructible. Being an Apokoliptian she is also immortal. She is skilled in all forms of warfare and weaponry.[6] She is one of the deadliest hand-to-hand combatants alive.[7] Her skill and strength is such she has fought Wonder Woman to a draw.[8] She can project cosmic energy for destructive blasts, perceive matter and energy on a sub-atomic level, form and manipulate energy constructs, and discharge most forms of energy.
She wields a high tech weapon called a Mega-rod, which produces extremely powerful concussive energy bolts and can also increase gravitational forces.[9] She can also summon and uses Aero-disks which allow her to fly, and Apokaliptian armor which augments her already superhuman strength.
[edit] Other versions
- Barda appears in the limited series Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross, which is set in an alternate future timeline of DC continuity. Orion has overthrown Darkseid and is the reluctant ruler of Apokolips. Barda (now sporting an eye-patch) and Scott Free work to teach the "lowlies" to think for themselves, with Orion's approval. The two have a daughter, Avia, who deploys a mega-rod and wears an outfit that combines elements of those of her parents.
- In Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, as America descends into anarchy and chaos, a former porn star called Hot Gates (a reference to Miller's 300 comic) takes up the mantle of "Big Barda" in order to declare herself dictator of Columbus, Ohio.
- Superman/Batman #24 depicts Big Bard, the male version of Big Barda from a reverse gender universe, who is married to Miss Miracle.
- In JLA: Another Nail, Barda becomes a Green Lantern Corps member, although her power ring having fused to her Mother box has made her a rather unusual Green Lantern. Mister Miracle's consciousness also inhabits the ring and he can project himself as a spectral green figure.
[edit] Other media
[edit] Television
- Big Barda appears in the Justice League Unlimited animated television series, voiced by Farrah Forke. Her physique is uncharacteristically slender in this appearance. In the episode "The Ties That Bind," Granny Goodness kidnaps Oberon and forces Barda and Mister Miracle to rescue Kalibak from the clutches of Virman Vundabar. With the help of Flash, they rescue Kalibak and trick Granny Goodness into revealing Oberon's whereabouts. After Oberon is safe, the couple leaves Apokolips, but not before Barda punches Granny Goodness in the face.
- In the two-part episode titled "The Call" of the animated television series Batman Beyond, Barda is a member of the Justice League fifty years in the future, along with Warhawk, Superman, a new Green Lantern, Aquagirl, and others. At Superman's request, Batman investigates the members of the Justice League to find a traitor who has been trying to kill off the members one at a time. Barda at first does not trust Terry and treats him with nothing short of contempt, but after he saves her and the rest of the Justice League Unlimited from Starro, the one responsible for framing Superman for the attempted murders, he gains her respect and trust.
- Big Barda appeared in the teaser of the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode, "The Last Bat on Earth", voiced by Diane Delano. Mister Miracle mentions her while he and Batman are chained to a death trap event for charity. After the event, when Mister Miracle is bragging about his escape, Barda replies "You know what would be a real miracle? If you would finally clean out the garage." before walking away from him, leaving Batman to respond, "Guess that's one trap you can't escape from."
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Greenberger, Robert (2008), "Big Barda", in Dougall, Alastair, The DC Comics Encyclopedia, London: Dorling Kindersley, pp. 47, ISBN 0-7566-4119-5
- ^ Ro, Ronin. Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and the American Comic Book Revolution (Bloomsbury, 2004)
- ^ The JACK F.A.Q. - Page 1
- ^ Wallace, Dan (2008), "Female Furies", in Dougall, Alastair, The DC Comics Encyclopedia, New York: Dorling Kindersley, pp. 120, ISBN 0-7566-4119-5, OCLC 213309017
- ^ JLA #41
- ^ JLA: The Ultimate Guide to the Justice League of America
- ^ The DC Comics Encyclopedia
- ^ The DC Comics Encyclopedia
- ^ JLA: The Ultimate Guide to the Justice League of America
[edit] External links
- DCDP: Big Barda - DC Database Project
- Big Barda
- [1] A Woman of Valor - an appreciation of Barda by novelist Michael Chabon
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