Review – Red Sonja #5 – BIG COMIC PAGE

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Writer: Gail Simone
Art: Walter Geovani
Release Date: 20th November 2013

Red Sonja has a score to settle, a plague to cure and a pub to visit. During the first few pages, you could be forgiven for thinking that Red Sonja is the villain of this story as she darts about the forest butchering guards and mermen (yaas!)

Red Sonja continues to be a strong character in the hands of Simone thanks to some sharp dialogue and impressive choreography but her character feels a bit inconsistent at times. All this talk of darkness and pain – the burden of being Sonja – seems out of place after her murdering a bunch of guards joking round the fire. Of course there is humour involved but, when combined with drama, it just doesn’t add up.

The art is great and the use of colour deserves attention with some really lush environments and a panel or 2 of majestic beauty. There are also a couple of great flashbacks (King Dimath leaves a lasting impression) where the past is highlighted by a glowing effect between panels. It’s a very practical use of space that is otherwise wasted and helps orient the reader. The lettering is also really well chosen. These little touches make a very slick comic.

All of the characters in this comic are suspiciously beautiful, though. With the obvious exception of the mermen (yaas!), everyone in this comic could easily be in a shampoo, toothpaste, underwear and gym advert. Even the severed heads that are thrown on the fire look like they were taken from the shoulders of Firemen during a calendar shoot. There are no cuts or bruises or bloodstains after battle and considering Red Sonja is infected with the plague, she could still easily walk her way to the title of Miss World. This clean look threatens the impact of any violence on display making it hard to believe.