An expected but well-executed end.
Creative Staff:
Story: Mirka Andolfo, Luca Blengino
Art: Giuseppe Cafaro
Colors: Chiara di Francia
Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
What They Say:
Sitha has finally embraced her real mother once more. With her mission accomplished at last, Red Sonja is ready to go home…but then, why do her instincts tell her that danger still lurks? Sonja will discover that in this village, nothing is really what it seems.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Mirka Andolfo, as she writes alongside Luca Blengino, has had a strong run as the series has progressed and now draws it all to a close. I’ve really enjoyed her interpretation of the character and this world and in delivering a series of stories that built to this larger piece. It’s felt like it inhabits this realm wonderfully and expands one’s view of it in a great way. Once again, Giuseppe Cafaro is handling the artwork with Chiara di Francia doing the color design and it’s really great. There’s a really great sense of color to this that gives it an almost film-like feeling at times. It’s richly detailed and immerses you in this engaging world in a really great way. I love the look of the cast and the expressiveness that we get as well.
With Sonja having figured things out on her journey out of the city, her quick return is not unexpected and her intention of finding Sitha to save her is what’s driving her. She’s definitely bonded with the girl in a way we rarely seen and watching her operate as she gets the information she needs as quickly as possible s a delight, especially as Cafaro is given the time to show the journey. Events unfold well as we get her finding the leadership within the mountain as they basically look to extract Xamul from Sitha – which she may not survive – and to give this god his due after the long years without him. It’s a little exposition-heavy but not unexpected and it provides the final impetus for Sonja’s actions as she goes up against the god, grateful that Sitha has seemingly managed to survive.
And Sonja would have just left with her but Xamul, being the way gods are, is intent on carrying out his promise of separating Sonja’s head from her body. And it’s not a fight Sonja can win easily considering the imbalance here, though she’s always game for something like this. It’s a pretty solid fight sequence as it plays out but it’s Sitha providing the key moment that resonates the best and watching as she and Sonja puts Xamul on their heel is great. Even more so that Sonja puts the fate of Xamul in the hands of the residents, as their choice to make to be free and fight for themselves or to live under the yoke of a mad god. It’s a good way to bring that to a close and allow an epilogue that goes just as you’d expect – Sonja must always ride alone – and to see how Sitha fares as I really liked the idea of her being raised by Samosh. It’s a good way to slowly bring it all to a close.
In Summary:
I really enjoyed this run overall and while things do end predictably, it’s the execution that makes it as strong as it is. Sonja is very much in character here with what she does and how she operates, Sitha gets a great couple of moments and provides a strong end-narration to it, and the exploration of why these women did what they did works well. The larger series itself really is strong and I am envious of those that get to binge through it and savor it in a collected form at some point. I really hope we get a collected version of all the covers for it as well as its own work because there is so much gorgeous material produced for it that many will never see in full. I can’t wait to see what any of the members of this team put out next and this will stand out as one of my favorite Sonja stories ever.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 31st, 2022
MSRP: $3.99
