“Permanent Party is – what? A Vietnam-era W.A.C.’s Catch-22? A roman-à-clef? A murder mystery? A poetic memoir? Barr’s ear for dialogue is flawless, her... More > descriptions of human physiognomy hilarious. The dramatic rhythm is sporadic and punctuated, deliberately defying the breathless crescendi of fiction with the unresolved panics and careless lulls of real life in a gigantic bureaucracy. Small, throwaway bits of telling detail -- peeling paint chips, a dog’s sneeze on being patted, the smell of chicken frying -- give the entire book a sensuous texture. The characters in this woman’s Army are so steeped in weirdness they wouldn’t have been out of place in my college dorm (and we were the campus hippies).”
-- E.J. Barnes, Tales Of The Ling Master< Less
An old house is the source of fear and suspicion for the neighborhood children; one small boy discovers his fears were standing between him and the funnest family he's ever met. Beautiful... More > illustrations and ornate poetry will delight both children and adults.< Less
64 full-color pages. Based on the long-running drawn-book series, The Desert Peach. "There’s nothing innocent in Pithed. It is a nihilistic nightmare, a bad LSD-trip into human failure,... More > guilt and resignation. The future, along with (the Desert Peach)Pfirisch’s descendents, is portrayed as a climax of darkness and senselessness. A place with a destroyed nature, where pure air is dealt like drugs are today and where babies are sharp-toothed monsters. Evolution’s response to centuries-long child-abuse!
The Peach finds himself as a terrifying zombie in a bizarre hell. The Peach a doomed soul - who would have guessed? A self-made hell, because Pfirsich couldn’t forgive himself for having once called the Gypsies 'those people.'
And yes, Hell probably is always self-made. A place of one’s own unforgiveness." -- Diana Sasse, "Tales of The Antique Whitehouse."< Less
An Insupportable Light is the original Stinz novel, featuring Donna Barr's half-horse hero back when she thought of him as having two legs instead of four.
The story begins at the end of one war,... More > with the hope of peace. Then one small incident after another, building and combining like pebbles tossed down a slope, become an avalanche of misunderstandings, broken hearts, fury and revenge.
It's about how wars start: nobody wants them, nobody can see them coming and nobody can stop them.
“This is not so much a story about a war as it is a portrait of human folly at its most resplendent. It is as poignant and relevant today as it was when humanity first formed civilizations; as it will be so long as we exist.”
-- Carlos F. Chancellor, Tales from the Cold; The Comic Art of the Northwest.< Less
“The Desert Peach is such an original work. Most of the stories take place during WWII, in North Africa, among German soldiers under the command of Colonel Pfirsich Rommel, the brother of Erwin... More > Rommel, the famous 'Desert Fox.' Pfirsich is probably one of the most interesting characters in comics. If only all fiction tried to be as honest and open-minded as this, I’m naive enough to think, the world would be a better place. After all, fiction shapes our dreams and aspirations. And we could all do worse than let ourselves dream of having tea in the North African desert with a man as utterly charming as Pfirsich Rommel.”
-- Francois Peneaud: The Gay Comics List< Less
“Donna Barr's war-time comedy drama sees the gay brother of Rommel lead a band of misfits in the Africa Korps. "Desert Peach" soon found a stride that has escaped all other war... More > comics. Blending humour and drama without sacrificing either, "Desert Peach" eschews easy answers or code morality, to portray a story of duty and honour, of doing what you can in whatever situation you are in, and finding your true nature. Very poignant without being schmaltzy, 'Desert Peach' is an odd mixture. It shouldn't work but it does.”
-- Richard Johnston, Lying In The Gutters< Less
Stinz is the hero of the self-named drawn-book series. He's a big, black centaur stallion. Sergeant Kirschen was his drill sergeant in the army. The handsome Kirschen is a tough DI, but he's not so... More > tough around the ladies. One of my readers commissioned this story of seduction and romance. Kirschen is the stalkee, not the stalker. The one illustration shows him looking rather snappy in a nice suit.< Less
Peach Slices 2nd Edition: The Director's Cut. Filled with the Peachy Short stories, one-shots, and small press material of the original, this time with additional background information and full... More > creator screen commentary. This book also contains "Beautiful", The Desert Peach issue #25, that went out of print because it sold out so quickly. Featuring the younger Pfirsich in Transylvania during WWI, and a handsome gentleman in a castle who may or may not be whom we expect.< Less
Henning Asbach is an SS officer assigned to investigate a series of grave robberies in the backwater province called The Share. But the assignment won’t be as easy as he imagined, as the... More > close-mouthed inhabitants of the Share seem to be hiding an even more terrible secret.
Ringcat is both touching and horrific, a tale of a Third Reich that never was.
It is in the form of a prose novelette, spiced throughout with elegant illustrations served in portions from the original Black Manuscript story.< Less
22 wondrous color watercolor and gouache paintings, by the author of the classic drawn-book series "The Desert Peach" and "Stinz." Are these beautiful winged women spirits of... More > light, or the Undead in flight? The author leaves that up to the reader. Your vampire may be someone else's angel. Each painting is done in a different style, including science-fiction and fantasy illustration, religious icons and folk or vision paintings.< Less
Donna Barr is the author of the long-running drawn book series, "The Desert Peach" and "Stinz." She's been drawing and writing for publication since 1986. She's also a fine prose writer. Often, she includes detailed drawings, turning her prose novels into illustrated books. "An Insupportable Light" is full of her ornate, soulful art.
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