What They Say:
The unstoppable warrior is honor-bound to continue on in a king’s bizarre quest to find and capture the greatest artisans of the world, whether they want to be found or not! In this unforgettable story, Sonja seeks the finest animal trainer in the world…except he’s trained them all for WAR, with only Sonja to stop them!
Creators:
Story: Gail Simone
Art: Walter Geovani
Colors: Adriano Lucas
Letters: Simon Bowland
The Review:
A dying emperor hires/forces Red Sonja to gather the six greatest artists in the world in one month’s time to attend his final party. So far she has freed Gribaldi the cook from a clan of cannibal swampmen and now the two of them ride to Stygia to procure the next person on the list: the Beast Lord Kalayah. Unfortunately, Sonja’s temper, her unfulfilled desire for a bedmate, and the truth behind the Beast Lord may keep her from accomplishing her task. And if she fails in bringing these artists to the emperor in one month’s time then he will kill one thousand slaves.
One of the best parts of this current storyline is how matter-of-fact Simone makes Sonja’s personality. We saw this to some extent in the first arc, but given the dire situation Sonja found herself in, the gruffness to her personality may have been due to the circumstances. Now we see that this is just who she is: she wants food that’s unadorned, beer that’s cold, and the occasional warm body to help spend the night. Pairing her with Gribaldi the chef is a great move because it highlights this and brings up some interesting questions about gener roles. Although biologically he is male and she is female, for all intents and purposes, she acts as the male in the relationship, and he the female. She’s blunt and he’s sensitive; she needs sex and he needs romancing; she acts and fights and he can’t bear to see violence. The situation is played for laughs, but Simone is a smart enough writer to play it for the right kind of laughs. For her part, Sonja never belittles him for not acting like a man—she just makes fun of him for being an “artist.” And Gribaldi never expresses fear over losing his masculine identity or being shown up by Sonja. They seem to accept each other, even though at times they are irritated by the other’s personality traits, and that’s another element that elevates their characters and relationship beyond the standard sitcom portrayal of gender roles. It’s those moments between Sonja and Gribaldi that make this issue so enjoyable to read.
The only hiccup in this issue has to do with Sonja’s plan. In order to get close to Kalayah she kills one of his bears, knowing that the city guard will throw her and Gribaldi in the dungeons. This is fine because she knows that the dungeons are poorly tended and quite escapable. Her plan hitches when Kalayah shows up to taunt her. We know by this point that Sonja has had dealings with the Beast Lord in the past and that she has vowed to kill him. It turns out that Kalayah feels the same for her and plans on feeding her to his animals in the morning. Sonja and Gribaldi are rescued by Kalayah’s assistant—a little girl named Rat. We soon learn that it’s actually Rat that tames the animals Kalayah uses in his show, and the Beast Lord then turns them vicious by starving and mistreating them. The issue ends with more than a little bit of poetic justice but a great deal of the plot hinges too much on coincidence. Sonja’s plan is just a bit too convoluted and if not for Rat then she would either have been killed by Kalayah, or had to kill him and then be short one Beast Lord for the banquet, thereby condemning one thousand slaves to death.
It could be that Sonja knew, or at least strongly suspected about Rat, or that there was more to her plan that we were not made privy to because of Kalayah’s appearance in the dungeon, but that’s just speculation on my part, and while I overall enjoyed this issue a great deal, that part was definitely the weak link.
In Summary:
I think my favorite part in the issue occurs when Gribaldi rebuke’s Sonja’s advances. He says, “This is outrageous….what if you’re not my type?” To which Sonja replies, “I’m Red Sonja. I’m everybody’s type.” It’s that sense of bravado and brashness that makes this such a fun comic to read. It’s full of action, adventure, and great humor. It also presents gender roles in new and interesting ways—especially considering that this is the character famous for running around in a chainmail bikini. This series has been fun and smart, and this issue is no different. Although I do question Sonja’s plan and the nice way it wrapped up, I also enjoyed the story enough that it didn’t bother me. It’s safe to say that Red Sonja is definitely my type. Recommended.
Grade: B+
Simone turned Sonja into a Whore. I refuse to read simones run on this comic.