Review: Red Sonja (Vol 6) #1

Another week and another Red Sonja book; it’s getting that Red Sonja and Vampirella have as many books between them as DC have Bat books! With so many to choose from, it’s getting to be hard to keep up for sure. Of course with Mirka Andolfo’s name attached to this one, I am sure that there will be plenty of readers jumping onto Sonja at this point.

Red Sonja is on a quest to save a child from god-knows-what. In her path is a village that is constantly on fire. Therein lies a mystery, the child and a couple of braggarts. Of course with Sonja being Sonja this means plenty of sword swinging and heads rolling. Still this is the first issue, so don’t expect things to go be resolved quickly. Once the child is found, Sonja sets out to return the child from whence she came. Of course with Sonja being Sonja, things are never that simple.

When I heard that Mirka Andolfo was going to be taking on Sonja I was very pleased. I was only mildly disappointed to discover that she was writing and not drawing the book. Andolfo is joined by a writing partner in Luca Blengino. Together the pair start off in a traditional manner before adding a few curve balls along the way. One of Andolfo’s strengths is her dialogue; just look at Sweet Paprika for for the evidence. This book is no different where the interaction between the stubborn Sonja and the equally loquacious child aims to be both the central relationship and the focus for the humour that you would normally expect from Andolfo. Where the line between Andolfo and Blengino is I am not sure, it would be interesting to chat with either or both of them to try and find out.

For those, like me, who are disappointed about the lack of Andolfo art, especially after that great A cover, need not be too disheartened as Giuseppe Cafaro has the art covered. Cafaro uses a kind of over exaggerated style that borders on cartoon, yet manages to walk the line extremely well. There are strong facial elements in play, for the most part, which helps convey how Sonja is reacting to her new ward. The page designs work well, with panels layered over full bled artwork. Cafaro is helped out immensely by the fantastic colors of Chiara Di Francia who chooses to go bold and bright, which adds to the cartoon style elements. A special mention must go to Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou who has to work hard to ensure that the letters, of which there are shed loads, do not impact the storytelling in a negative way, a feat he manages with amazing results. Coverwise, I would just stick with cover A from Andolfo, but as always variant covers are buyers choice.

As with Vampi, there is now a range of Sonja books to choose from, depending on your personal taste. All of them, very much like this new ongoing series, feature A list creators; it is surely one of the best times to be a fan of the She-Devil with a sword!

Writing – 5 Stars
Art -4 Stars
Colors 5 – Stars

Overall – 4.5 Stars

Written by Mirka Andolfo & Luca Blengino
Art by; Giuseppe Cafaro
Colors by; Chiara Di Francia
Letters by; Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Published by; Dynamite Entertainment

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

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