A new threat emerges.
Creative Staff:
Story: Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner
Art: Moritat
Colors: Matt Carter
Letterer: Dae Sharpe
What They Say:
Our award-winning duo of AMANDA CONNER and JIMMY PALMIOTTI continue Red Sonja’s mission to protect a young (and, shall we say, precocious?) princess as her wedding day arrives. But as the preparations for the festivities continue, a coveted icon of the kingdom is stolen and its protector, the king’s wizard, sets a bounty Red Sonja cannot resist. The strikingly beautiful sequential art of MORITAT, another killer cover by AMANDA CONNER and PAUL MOUNTS… all this can be YOURS!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The opening installment of this series was one that definitely was easy to get into, which is no surprise from Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner. While we’re in the midst of things, there was also a good deal of introductory material for new fans while for older fans it provides the context of how this adventure will play out and the style of it. When it comes to the artwork, the incredibly talented Moritat flexed wonderfully with that opening installment and does so once again here with Matt Carter on the color design. The end result is a really richly detailed book that has a ton going for it in making these places and characters engaging and alive in so many ways.
Sonja and Zaria are definitely a delight to watch together and the opening page here is one that delivers the goods beautifully. The two strolling through the city while Zaria is welcomed is filled with activity and the entourage works well. Sonja by her side adds some real power and presence as well and she provides some context for Zaria for understanding the city. The two have a really good dynamic throughout this issue, such as later when Sonja joins her in a cleansing bath and Zaria asks what her wifely duties are like and whether she’d enjoy them. Sonja’s response is comical at first but she does get serious and even offers to talk further later on. The two have bonded well quickly and while I wouldn’t call Sonja an older sister looking out for her, she is someone that Sonja is seriously looking after beyond just the bodyguard duties.
What enlivens this installment is that the entourage is attacked quickly upon entry and Sonja leaps to their defense and heads to the roofs to go after the would-be assassin. This delivers us a lot of good if murky action at times but it works well as we discover that Sonja was the target and we understand how she handles those that try to kill her. This is also informative later when the king talks to her after she returns and he gets the quick sense that Zaria is well-protected for the duration and that it feels real and honest, not that he’s trying to find a way to get to Zaria. Sonja’s long learned to handle the halls of power in her own way and I love seeing her dealing with these folks respectfully but also that little bit of tongue that sticks out when she sees so much delicious food.
In Summary:
Invincible Red Sonja had me on board just from the solicitation but the first issue cemented it far more. This one builds on that incredibly well to move things forward and hint at some of what’s to come. The bookends here play well to set up the mystery that Sonja is likely to exploit and get caught up in but realistically, I just want more time with her and Zaria overall. There’s so much to take in with this issue that it’ll make for a good re-read right after finishing but also looking at this from the long view with this run as a whole. Another strong opening installment across the board.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: June 2nd, 2021
MSRP: $3.99
