Review: Savage Tales: Red Sonja Halloween Special

Ah, you gotta love these special days of the year that ensure we get these “special” issues.Â Just for the record, it’s my birthday next week – I expect The Machine special from any publisher to arrive any day now!Â For Dynamite, Red Sonja is currently featured in a range of books, maybe more than even Batman!

This savage tale features a Sonja that we may not have seen previously.Â She is battle worn and tired of her lot in life.Â Now armed with a bag of coin, Sonja is vising the Tower of Wigur-Nomadene in search of the sorcerers who may be able to bring those she has lost, back to life and maybe rescue her from her life of violence and sorrow.

Mark Russell delivers a story that has more poignancy than you might expect; a young Sonja whose life if effectively torn apart.Â From the rubble of the destruction of her village, Redling Sonja finds her place with a family and the first throes of young love.Â It’s a heady existence that gets better when her boyfriend learns that there is a secret door, leading into the treasury.Â But when surrounded by all that gold, there is a temptation that creates the most serious and desperateÂ of decisions.Â Through it all, Russell’s dialogue works well, giving the reader an opportunity to see a young Sonja that we are not used to.Â I don’t mind this aspect to be honest, especially as there is a link to the Red SonjaÂ “Year One”Â currently on the racks.Â The majority of characters are foils of which to engage with Sonja, though the Mayor of the city is probably the most standard of bad guys.

The art is provided by Jacob Edgar who has previously worked on issues of Dynamite’s James Bond books.Â Here, Edgar hasn’t let the change in environments; cityscapes into landscapes, swords in lieu of gadgets and guns, faze him at all.Â Whilst it is clear whom is who, when it comes to older Sonja there are elements of androgyny in place.Â I suppose that clothes do make the woman after all.Â Things get better as we move into the past, where the odd Sonja / not Sonja has more sure footing.Â Edgar’s lines are clean and strong, with a touch of the Mignola’s around the legs and feet. The pacing of the art works well enough, taking the time to setup a life almost lived.Â Colorist Dearbhla Kelly keeps the scenes in the past crisp and bright, emphasising perhaps how Sonja herself sees this time.Â The present has a spooky look, which fits into the idea of a Halloween book.Â Letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou get to have some fun, using different fonts and styles throughout this tale.Â Finally, the cover by Erica D’urso, whilst not have a great deal to do with the story, is well crafted.

If anything, this book seems to show that the idea of loss can be all consuming.Â The truth of the matter is that without Sonja’s trails and tribulations, she wouldn’t have become the person who she is today.Â Given it’s a Halloween book, it is appropriate that the book features the pull of the ghosts fo those lost.Â Hopefully, come Thanksgiving or Christmas, Sonja will see that whilst loss and suffering can shape us, so to can recognition of success and the happiness that we find along the way, in each of our own journeys.

Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 3.5
Colors – 4 Stars

Overall SCORE – 4 Stars

Written by; Mark Russell
Art by; Jacob Edgar
Colors by; Dearbhla Kelly
Letters by; Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover by; Erica D’urso
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