Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword #1, written by Rory McConville with art by Pablo De Bonis and colors by Salvatore Aiala Neto, starts off with a bang, as members of the fanatic cult Rising Sun take down a wealthy Lord and his friends who have been extorting taxes from the local beaten-down populace while the Lord and his rich friends feast and frolic 24/7 in their castle. The takedown is violent and quick, with no mercy given, and though the Rising Sun are destined to be the villains of this new series, you wonder if they’re really that bad. After all, they’re targeting those that take advantage of and prey on the downtrodden.
It’s an interesting variant to the usual good vs. bad tale where Sonja vanquishes yet another evil beast or person, instead entering morally grey areas. Speaking of Sonja, she seems more mellow here, as she teams with her old friend Prince Eaymon to protect a young woman named Aretha, the descendant of a powerful wizard. Rising Sun wants to grab Aretha so they can tap into her sorcerous powers to take their fight to the next level.
There have been many variations on the Red Sonja character throughout the years, and this is one of my favorite versions of her. This Sonja isn’t all about maiming and killing – she’s a great counterpoint to Eaymon’s impulsiveness and rage. Once the duo find Aretha, the three head for a sanctuary city and seem more like a family than three lost souls heading for a stronghold. Sonja keeps Aretha (who’s the typical rebellious teenager) at bay with some diplomacy and reasoning and it’s a nice change of pace for her character.
The book is paced well, mixing humor, conflict and a couple of raging battle sequences to make a great start to the new series.
There’s a bit of Joe Kubert’s style in Pablo De Bonis’s art. He draws the characters realistically, never giving Sonja massive comical proportions as other artists in the past have done. She looks stout but not overly muscular or sexualized. She looks like a woman who’s been through a lot of battles and has the physique that comes from hard training and a hard life on the road.
I’m looking forward to seeing how Sonja deals with Rising Sun, given that many of their ideals coincide with hers. In another life, she may have joined them, but their overzealousness and “kill ’em all, let God sort them out” approach will inevitably have her going into battle against them. Still, it’s going to be an interesting story, far more interesting than watching Sonja fight a random monster or evil King for the thousandth time.
Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword #1 is balanced perfectly, with just the right amount of humor, drama and some vicious battle sequences. The villains of the story, Rising Sun, are morally gray and will be an interesting nemesis for Sonja.
