We are back in the frozen tundra of New York, catching up with possibly the most attractive fish out of water, Red Sonja as she becomes acquainted with New York’s finest whilst trying to find her feet and seemingly not being bothered by the cold despite her chainmail attire. Who knew that a metal bikini that barely covers anything could keep you warm? Do you think that the G-Man should have worn them against Green Bay?
Back to the book. As you may remember, Sonja is stranded in our world which is pretty much as far-flung from her native land as she could possibly get. Of course, there is a language barrier to contend with, sword waving, the magic of bullets and the threat of an enemy unseen yet still making his presence felt. Along the way there may well be a couple of aiders and abettors, one of which has the handy talent of being able to talk the same language of our country-girl-stuck-in-the-city.
Amy Chu has more characters to play with this issue, yet the dialogue remains a tad over bearing at times, explaining the obvious. With a “Teen +” rating, I would have hoped for a little bit of sophistication especially as you consider that not a lot happens other than Sonja getting shot and going on the lam. At first glance, this may seem like a harsh comment. After all, Chu could’ve painted herself into a corner already, so the introduction to a larger cast is required. Of course, hospital can’t keep a warrior down which is just as well as she probably doesn’t have medical. Still makes the new characters; Max and his partner; at least a tad interesting as they may be the last bastions of law and order rising against those controlling the world.
Carlos Gomez is back on art and now has a raft of characters to contend with to go along with his pin-up styling of Sonja. With the focus so squarely placed on Sonja’s curves, Gomez could have taken his foot off the gas and gone for backgrounds and characters with little detail. Instead, Gomez takes his work seriously and puts in the effort for all the characters which gives the book a sense of attention rather than just being cheesecake. The line work for the most part is clean and strong with a sense of vibrancy, which with the amount of movement throughout the book can take a little of the structure of the figure work. Mohan provides the colors for the book and does well with New York as well as using lights to add texture to the characters rather than shadows which gives the book a brightness rather than a darkness.
This book is a fun read. Let’s not forget, fun is the reason why we all fell into the world of capes and cowls. We shouldn’t be reading books to hate on them. If this book isn’t for you and I understand why there will be haters, then fine give it a miss. For me, regardless of the fact I get to see review copies, the actual book is on my pull list which I guess is one of the better compliments a reviewer can give a book.
Writing – 3.5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4.5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
- Written by Amy Chu
Art by Carlos Gomez
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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