“Know then, O Prince, that after two months of chasing Sonja The Red through the Hyrkanian steppes, Dragan and Sonja at last met in pitched battle. They fought, not for a bridge, as the great histories say, but for the future of the Hyborian Age. For what is a bridge, O Prince, but the choice of one realm over another?”

by BOB FREEMAN – Paint Monk’s Library Writer

I had stepped away from this title around issue #6 or so, which surprised even me. I was quite taken with Mark Russell’s handling of Red Sonja at first, despite the injection of comedy into the narrative. As the title went on, that humor began to grate on me more and more, hence my focusing on other books.

I was still buying Red Sonja, but I found I wasn’t reading it, hence my reviews grinding to a halt.

Wally and I were discussing titles the other day and he asked if I’d be willing to review the twelfth issue and I agreed. The synopsis promised a conclusion to Queen Sonja’s war with Emperor Dragan and I was truly curious how Russell would wrap things up.

So I pulled out the last few books, purchased the 12th, and read them all in one sitting. Not only was the finale satisfying and the highlight of the series so far, but as a whole, this is a tremendous 12-part story that is truly an admirable example of how to accomplish long-form storytelling in comic form.

While the more humorous aspects of the book are still a disappointment, the overall narrative, with flashback framing devices, makes for a complete tale that is highly cinematic and emotionally charged.

Sonja is strong and competent, but she makes mistakes along the way. Russell makes the character come alive in these moments as she fights against near-impossible odds to defend her people with a rag-tag guerilla militia against the might of an empire.

Looking at its Hyborian Age competition, Red Sonja far outshined Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan.

Mirko Colak’s art is uneven at times, but he has moments that are just wonderfully sublime and the grittiness of his heavy line brings a very visceral and primal immediacy to the story. It really suits the narrative Russell has created, and complimenting Colak’s inking is the coppery tones of Dearbhla Kelly’s colors which adds a whole other dimension and depth to a near picture perfect tale.

I am thrilled that Wally charged me to revisit the title as the end was something rare in comics these days — it was, in a word, satisfying.

This issue I would gladly give 9.5 skulls of my enemies and, for the twelve issue run as a whole, a solid 8. Looking at its Hyborian Age competition, Red Sonja far outshined Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian and Savage Sword of Conan.