Red Sonja #1 Review: A Promising, Back-to-Basics Battle
Part of the fun of Red Sonja has become the myth surrounding her. Since her first comic appearance fifty years ago, the sword-and-sorcery heroine has endured moves across comic publishers, a so-bad-it's-good 80s movie, and a changing tonal tide ranging from cheesecake to genuine feminist empowerment. That seems to be the ethos for Dynamite's latest Red Sonja relaunch, which throws the heroine into a predicament that's familiar, but multifaceted. Red Sonja #1 might not be groundbreaking just yet, but it lays the groundwork for what could be an enthralling new era in the heroine's history.
Red Sonja #1 sees our titular heroine at a crossroads, framed for a murder she didn't commit. While Sonja could easily find justice and retribution in that situation, the politics of a nearby kingdom—and a voice in the back of her head—threaten to make things even worse.
The past few years have brought no shortage of high-concept Sonja stories; she has adventured around Camelot, retold classic fairytales, fought to protect a younger version of herself, teamed up with an ever-growing number of alternate selves, and fought in a Crisis on Infinite Earths-esque war for the multiverse. That's not even counting all of the other recent Sonja offshoots, which have chronicled those doppelgangers' lives as samurai, a demon from Hell, and even Sonja's quasi-adopted daughter. By comparison, the narrative Torunn Grønbekk crafts in Red Sonja #1 is incredibly straightforward – Sonja outruns a misunderstood part of her past, while interacting with (and/or fighting against) a number of new characters. But that premise utilizes its simplicity in some fun ways, both minute and massive. Even the smallest interaction between Sonja and a new-to-readers character is engrossing, especially because the issue seems built on the foundation that her reputation precedes her. While that detail has reverberated into many of the aforementioned Sonja stories of late, it is refreshing to see it being conveyed on a relatively intimate scale.
With regards to the overarching narrative of this new Red Sonja, the bedrock only begins to be laid across issue #1, largely through exposition-filled conversations. But the general premise of Sonja being framed for murder is certainly compelling, especially depending on how the forces surrounding her decide to react. At the end of the day, although that predicament has the potential to spin out a dozen different, wild ways, Grønbekk has such a clear grasp on Sonja's charisma and sense of adventure that I'm confident in the end result, regardless where she goes next.
While Walter Geovani is no stranger to the world of Red Sonja, his aesthetic approach to Red Sonja #1 provides a necessary sense of freshness. This is especially true with Sonja's character design, which balances the best of previous runs with a cleaner hairstyle and a charming cape, but it's also seen in the elements that surround Sonja. From detailed palace shelves to the obvious brutality of an action-packed fight scene, every panel is incredibly effective. The color work from Omi Remalante Jr. is equally subtle, but allows for moments of beauty in a sunset or a flashback sequence. Simon Bowland's lettering marries it all with a timeless and sensible quality.
Red Sonja #1 feels quintessential to its heroine, but the prowess of its creative team helps push that comfort into the start of something special. This debut issue not only breaks through the noise of the increasingly-complicated gimmicks that surround it on comic shelves, but is an accessible entry point for new or returning readers. If Red Sonja #1 is any indication, the immediate future—and the next fifty years—of Sonja are off to a good start.
Published by Dynamite Entertainment
On July 19, 2023
Written by Torunn Grønbekk
Art by Walter Geovani
Colors by Omi Remalante Jr.
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover by Shannon Maer