“The Ghosts We’ve Become”
Creative Staff:
Story: Mark Russell
Art: Alessandro Miracolo
Colors: Dearbhla Kelly
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
What They Say:
Whether consigned to the ground, or to the flame, or to the unknown graves of history…Queen Sonja has witnessed the destruction of everyone she has ever loved. It may be a curse, or simply who she is…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Red Sonja series in this volume has been exceptionally good and engaging and seeing the threads Mark Russell is weaving has me very excited to see how his storyline is going to wrap everything up. His work on this run has made me far more of a fan of this character than any other writer. And this particular arc has taken on a greater look with Alessandro Miracolo stepping in for the artwork as we get some really wonderful framing for a lot of the panels as this installment unfolds, moving back and forth in engaging ways with some wonderful layouts that warrant second, third, and fourth reads to take in all the details. Combine that with the great look of the characters and the expressiveness and it’s just turned up the heat significantly and made it all the hotter a work.
For Sonja here, we see her as she makes progress in accepting Cyril’s invitation to Shadizar. It’s a long journey and one that has her remembering much of the loss in her life over the years and how this new loss is just as painful in its own way. It’s an engaging piece to see her fall into this colder mode while still remembering the warmth of the past. But once she enters the city, it takes a more intense turn as she’s doing her best to skulk her way in and be largely unseen so she can use the passages she knows from her time here before. It doesn’t quite work that way overall and that helps to deliver some good time with her and her swords, but it wasn’t a necessary piece. It’s a highlight reminding us that she would prefer to not do this kind of thing but has learned over the years because of what she’s been through that it’s a thing she must do.
When it comes to Cyril, he’s taken on a very different turn since his time in his miniseries. Here, with the knowledge that he spent decades in with the sorcerers of the tower, has the confusing air about him to others in how he’s a twelve-year-old boy commanding them, not knowing that he’s far older, far more patient, and far more ready to do what’s needed. The way he cuts through the “fat” of his own city and troops bears that out as does the shift to a war footing with another nearby kingdom that shows just how effective he is – again treating his one troops as fodder for the greater cause. While at the core you’re excited to see what happens when he and Sonja come face to face, watching this adult-boy-emperor reclaim the empire after dealing with the Empress is completely fascinating.
In Summary:
I’ve always enjoyed Red Sonja overall and I’ve been delighting to a lot of the crossover projects she’s involved in. But when it comes to getting to a big part of what makes the characters and her world work, Mark Russell is absolutely nailing it. This has quickly become the definitive run for me on the character and with a few more issues to go before it wraps up, I’m excited to see where it’s going to go and how it will all play out. Russell’s had a great run of artists to work with on this series and Miracolo is definitely a strong way to bring the events to a close with as they deliver page after page, panel after panel. Excellent stuff.
Grade: A-
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment | Amazon | ComiXology
Release Date: September 2nd, 2020
MSRP: $3.99
