Red Sonja has faced many adversaries in her time: evil wizards, monstrous beasts, treacherous warriors. But in Red Sonja Attacks Mars, she’s up against an entirely new kind of menace: the Martians of Mars Attacks!. I recently spoke to writer Jay Stephens, who shared how he brought Red Sonja into the chaotic world of Mars Attacks!, blending sword and sorcery with brutal sci-fi mayhem.
But how can these two wildly different properties mash-up? It’s simple: While serving out a life debt, Sonja stumbles upon a dark prophecy that foretells an ancient cosmic horror invading from beyond the stars. Her journey takes her from the scorching deserts of Hyrkania to the frigid shores of the Vilayet Sea, where she must confront an onslaught of bizarre threats: Serpent-Men, undead Martians, Metamorlocks, Martian Pirates, and even an owl with a human face. Writer Jay Stephens and artist Fran Strukan blend high fantasy, pulpy sci-fi, and dark comedy into an unpredictable adventure unlike anything Sonja has faced before.
The project came together when Dynamite’s editor, Matt Idelson, contacted Stephens directly. “Dynamite tracked me down to pitch this to me,” Stephens reveals. “Matt saw some rather… unusual… pitches from me back in the old days at DC and knew I would be up to the challenge of this wild mash-up. Either that or no one else would take the gig!”
Finding the Right Tone
Known for his distinctive style, which he describes as “campy, horrifying, mid-century, and notorious,” Stephens approached Red Sonja Attacks Mars by returning to the original inspirations behind both properties. “I believe going back to original source material, right to the core meanings of things, helps focus writing for me,” he explains. “Reading old Robert E. Howard Hyborian Age tales and revisiting the 1962 Mars Attacks! cards was stepping into a time of on-the-edge-of-good-taste shock and titillation. Just the right amount of gross and cheeky.” Rather than referencing recent interpretations of Red Sonja or Mars Attacks!, Stephens built his version from his nostalgia for the classic worlds they originally inhabited.
Courtesy Dynamite
Nostalgia vs. Reinvention
Nostalgia plays a key role in Stephens’ work, but he approaches it with a balance of reverence and reinvention. “No matter how many times stories or characters are updated or reinvented, there is only so much ‘new’ you can add before they lose what was special about them to begin with,” he notes. His personal connection to these characters dates back to the 1980s: “I can still remember how it felt in the mid-’80s when I first saw the reissued Mars Attacks! trading cards and the Conan and Red Sonja rental videos at Center Market, the corner store beside the graveyard a block away from where I lived in Brampton, Ontario.”
Merging Sci-Fi and Sword-and-Sorcery
Blending the sword-and-sorcery world of Red Sonja with the brutal sci-fi chaos of Mars Attacks! required an anchor point, and for Stephens, that was the shared DNA of Weird Tales-style storytelling. “Robert E. Howard wrote in The Fire of Assurbanipal, ‘Mankind isn’t the first owner of the earth; there were Beings here before his coming — and now, survivals of hideously ancient epochs. Maybe spheres of alien dimensions press unseen on this material universe today.’ I’m convinced these skull-faced invaders from beyond the stars aren’t actually that far off in tone!” He continues, “Weird Tales is the sci-fi/horror/dark humor uniting force with my thinking, here. Lots of monsters, action, and blood!”
Courtesy Dynamite
A Cast of Bizarre Foes
Red Sonja faces a rogues’ gallery of bizarre enemies in this series, from Martians to serpent-men to metamorlocks to ancient monster-gods. When asked if he has a favorite among these foes, Stephens doesn’t hesitate: “Writing the Martians (some comically) was a blast. But the ‘Voice of Vaakku,’ an owl with a human face, was especially fun. You’ll understand when issue #3 hits the shops!”
The Art Behind the Madness
Bringing this madness to life visually is artist Fran Strukan, whose dynamic style perfectly matches the story’s blend of humor and horror. “I don’t know what they’re eating over there in the Fartographics offices in Zagreb, Croatia, but whatever it is grows good cartoonists!” Stephens jokes. “Fran knows how to balance the humor and horror with a straight face… a classic adventure tale that occasionally veers off into bats#!t crazy territory.”
Courtesy Dynamite
Keeping Sonja True to Her Roots
Though the sci-fi elements are prominent, Stephens assures fans that the core of the story remains true to Red Sonja’s barbarian roots. “This epic decidedly leans towards Hyborian sword and sorcery,” he explains. “But the sci-fi is woven through, hopefully rather seamlessly, as that was my point. The aforementioned Weird Tales, the pulp magazine that famed the names of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, and Ray Bradbury, always did both at once.”
A Different Kind of Horror Story
With Dwellings, Stephens delivered a self-contained horror hit, but he sees Red Sonja Attacks Mars as a different kind of storytelling challenge. “Pacing, building tension, little twists and surprises… these elements are similar. There’s still plenty of horror in Red Sonja Attacks Mars! But a big difference is story length. The Dwellings tales are all self-contained stories, whereas here I had an opportunity to stretch out into a longer fable, broken into chapters. More time to world-build and develop new characters.”
Courtesy Dynamite
Facing a Martian Invasion
Finally, if faced with a Martian invasion himself, what would Stephens’ strategy be? “If I could stand behind the She-Devil With A Sword, I would know I had nothing to fear,” he says. “Otherwise, running. For sure running.”
Red Sonja Attacks Mars #1 lands in comic shops on March 19th, promising a thrilling, grotesque, and wildly entertaining collision of genres. Whether you’re a fan of sword-wielding warriors or bug-eyed alien invaders, Jay Stephens’ latest tale is sure to deliver something unforgettable.
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