Review by Ian Keogh

There’s this evil being known as Witch Head, a skulking shadowy creature intent on destroying Bailiwick, but so far Barb has been able to keep the Shadow Blade out of his hands. She may have converted some of Witch Head’s transformed fighters back to their true selves, but The Ghost Blade ended with both Barb and the Shadow Blade being transported straight to Witch Head. Even worse, she’s been wounded by an arrow.

Such is Dan Abdo’s skilful plotting, that what appears tragic is rapidly turned around in the opening chapter, supplying the best possible outcome for Barb, slightly foreshadowed at the end of the previous book. Suffice to say, a rapid escape is on the agenda, and while that’s good for Barb, it’s not such good news for Bailiwick.

Anyone who’s followed Barb’s story so far won’t need any persuading to see it through to the end, and The Shadow Army lives up to expectation. We learn the secret origin of Witch Head, take a visit to Porkchop’s home town, and learn why sometimes Barb hasn’t been able to summon the Ghost Blade.

While still styling the pages to seem as if a child could draw them, Jason Patterson’s art becomes slightly more expansive here, with the action-packed, all-motion sample spread an example. Other spreads have the density of Where’s Wally? pages, especially one at the end where kids can spend a happy hour picking out almost everyone who’s appeared in the series. Well, the good ones at least. It’s a delight.

All the way through Barb’s exemplary behaviour has made friends of what could have been enemies, and that really counts when it comes to the crunch, as there’d be no chance of her winning on her own. However, having kept everything relatively upbeat throughout, Abdo opts for some heartbreak toward the end, which isn’t in keeping and unnecessarily upsetting for young readers. As this is the final book, there’s no chance of a reversal as there has been in other cases.

That niggle apart, The Shadow Army is a very clever and satisfying finale. As with the other volumes, Barb the Brave is plain Barb for US editions, where this is titled Barb and the Battle for Bailiwick.