Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Walter Geovani

I’ve always – somewhat ignorantly – dismissed Red Sonja in the past, assuming it to be pointless cheesecake fare; one-dimensional eye candy without much in the way of true storytelling merit. Well, consider this review my official apology to the franchise. Because I have no problems admitting that, well, this is actually pretty damn good.

Looking past the cover which – despite being impressively drawn – did little to dispel my earlier prejudices, this is a well written, tightly-scripted book with a hell of a lot more depth than I first expected. And, in spite of me jumping in midway through the opening story arc, I quickly managed to gain my bearings, getting a pretty strong sense of what was going on and a firm grasp of just what the red-headed title character was all about.

The issue flits back and forth between thoughtful character development and brutal, visceral action, with writer Simone and artist Giovani showing a firm grasp of both, and while the occasional panel lacked detail and the occasional line of dialogue felt a little out of place, there’s no denying the storytelling talent on display here.

I can’t think of a situation where the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” has more emphatically applied. This is a dramatic, humorous, gritty look at the fantasy world, and is a title I fully intend to keep on my radar for the foreseeable future.

Rating: 7.5/10.

The writer of this piece was: Craig Neilson (aka Ceej)
Article Archive: Ceej Says