There are few joys in life greater than grumpy Red Sonja
Creative Staff:
Story: Gail Simone
Art: Walter Geovani
Colors: Adriano Lucas
Letters: Simon Bowland
What They Say:
The wild and untamed climax to Sonja’s epic journey to collect the six most gifted individuals of her age…but will she give them over to the sadistic emperor, as she promised?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Red Sonja has been riding hell for leather for weeks gathering six artisans at the request of a dying emperor and now her long journey is over. She returns to Emperor Samala to present them, but finds that he has no intention of honoring his bargain of freeing 1,000 slaves. It’s seven against an army, and if you’re not betting on Sonja then you’re a fool.
Simone ends this arc with humor, action, and grace. Sonja stands as the blue collar hero of Hyboria, fighting kings and monsters to protect those who can’t protect themselves, and while she wears a grumpy façade like a second suit of armor, her strength comes from her empathy. It drives her forward and inspires others to follow her stead, which is exactly what happens in this story.
Just before the emperor’s final feast, his Overseer visits Sonja to tell her that the emperor will renege on his end of the bargain. Being a wise person, he brings several guards with him, even though he hopes that Sonja will understand. Although she’s swordless and wearing a dress, Sonja jumps right into the fight, but not even the fabled Devil could win against such odds, and she ends up in the dungeon. Thankfully, though, she has six very talented friends looking for her.
Really, there are two character arcs here (well, seven, if you want to get technical, but I’m lumping the artisans together). Sonja the loner learns to love this odd assortment of people she has been traveling with for weeks and finds a sense of family she hasn’t experienced since she was a girl, and the six artisans come together for a cause other than their art. Each of them display bravery and cunning and prove why they are worthy of Sonja’s affections, making for a heartwarming ending.
This issue masterfully plays with the reader’s emotions. The beginning where Sonja expects to run into trouble acquiring the final artisan is funny, and the dinner scenes where we truly get to meet the emperor made me so angry that my chest hurt. This, of course, only made the moment where the artisans step up all the sweeter and heroic.
Of course, the writing is only part of the equation. Walter Geovani’s art, as I’ve said many times, is superb. It is getting to the point where his image of Red Sonja has become my mental image of her. His action scenes are kinetic and exciting, his facial expressions and body language excellent, and his framing and pacing all top-notch. His art is certainly enhanced by Adriano Lucas, who employs a rich palette that brings the scenes to life and conveys the tone of the situation.
In Summary:
Red Sonja 12 brings to a close this second story arc under Simone and Geovani and it just keeps getting better. This issue is exciting, fun, and full of honest emotion. While I’m sad to see the artisans go, I am looking forward to seeing where the road will take Sonja next. Highly recommended.
Grade: A+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dynamite
Release Date: September 24, 2014
MSRP: $3.99