Red Sonja 10 review

Since Red Sonja found herself trapped in the modern world, she’s been searching for a Hyrkanian professor who may be able to help her, along with a couple friends. At the end of the previous issue, it appeared to her friends that she died in an explosion she caused to destroy a gang’s drug distribution base. Of course, this comic is called Red Sonja and she’s protected by some sort of Hyrkanian god, so we we know she survived.

Written by Amy Chu, Red Sonja 10 picks up not too long after the previous issue ended, with Red Sonja’s friends going to a casino hoping that they can win enough from $20 to fly back to New York. A very unrealistic prospect in real life, but we’ll let that slide in a fantasy comic about a barbarian who wears bikini armour and is trapped in the modern world. It turns out that this casino is run by the very people behind the gang, and it turns into a bit of a situation. There’s not much else to say without spoiling the comic’s fun. This issue isn’t particularly special – it’s not even the best issue in this story arc, but it’s fun. It closes off this story arc while also introducing Red Sonja and her friends to the professor they’ve been seeking.

Carlos Gomez’s art is good. The opening page shows a distant view of Red Sonja walking through the desert, with vultures flying overhead. It zooms in as one of the vultures approaches the barbarian, only to get punched when it gets too close in the last panel. The following spread is a great image of Red Sonja walking towards the reader, holding the dead vulture in her hand while the others back off. There’s nothing but rage in her eyes. The environmental detail is consistently good, with the tall buildings of Las Vegas in the background, and a roller coaster thrown in for good measure. There are a couple of neat Easter Eggs, like a homeless man’s sign that reads “The end is near I ned beer”. And yes, the sign does include that spelling error, not to mention there’s an uneven number of syllables for something that’s supposed to rhyme. The action flows well, with the right amount of blood flying around after Sonja punches faces and vultures. Mohan’s colouring is great. The comic in general is bright and colourful, and it makes good use of the dirt and burn marks on Sonja’s skin to add to her fury.

While I do think the previous couple of issues are better, this is still a fun comic. It concludes a bit of a side story while also ending with a direct continuation of the main plot, and it touches on the cop who’s trapped in ancient Hyrkania just like Sonja is trapped in the modern world. Didn’t mention that earlier because it’s only a very short scene. A barbarian trapped in the modern world has been done before, perhaps in too many poorly made movies in the 80’s and 90’s, but it’s been really enjoyable in this comic series so far. This is definitely worth a look for Red Sonja fans, or fans of entertaining fantasy comics in general.

8/10