Let me start off by saying that it's hard to compare Barry Ween to most other trade paperbacks. Whereas most trades are structured like a novel, Barry Ween is structured like a collection of short stories. So the trade does lack one continuous storyarc to tie the whole trade together, but it still does manage to be a great read.
Judd Winick illustrates Barry Ween beautifully. I've heard complaints of his work being too cartoony but I disagree. I think his style borrows a lot from cartoons but his work is still rooted in the comic genre. Winick's style is so beautiful and subtle that it can often be overlooked, especially since it is so easy to get wrapped up in Winick's wonderfully twisted sense of humor. One thing that Barry Ween proves it is that Winick has an excellent sense of panel layout. He can manipulate the layout for both emotional and comical effects. Winick has a true gift in that he can write and illustrate a truly hysterical comic but still manage to give the book the occasional emotional moment. Its humor is its hook; you end up caring about the characters because you enjoy them.
Winick's characters are ten year olds that talk much more like ten year olds than they are usually portrayed. This trade did a good job of slowly building a supporting cast for Barry Ween. The first issue introduces Jeremy Ramirez, Barry's best friend. The issue also introduces Barry's mother and father. The third issue introduces Barry's love interest, Sara Tan. This trade feels as if it's just the beginning, sort of an introduction to the characters.
A true testament to Winick's writing ability is not only his humerous dialogue and situations but that he manages to make the smartest boy in the world an interesting character, he manages to humanize him. It can be difficult to sympathize with someone that makes Einstein or Edison look like morons but Winick manages to do just that. He focuses on his attraction to Sara, his friendship with Jeremy and his inability to fit in at school. Despite the fact that he can build a nuclear reactor, Barry is a presented as a normal kid.
If I was a more devious person, I'd suggest people buying a copy of Barry Ween and giving it to all the kids that enjoyed Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (a pale imitation of Barry). I can only imagine what the jump from Nickeledeon pureness to the corrupting humor of Judd Winick would do to their poor minds. Their lives would never be the same again.
A-
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