Is anyone reading the current series of ‘Red Sonja’?

[Sick Nick]

#3 is out but IMO it's a bit 'meh' compared with the previous ish. It's got some really fun moments but it's mostly setting up Sonja's confrontation with Kulan Gath.

[Sick Nick]

It's good ... definitely better than #3 IMO.  The Comic Bastards reviewer, who hasn't really liked the series up to now, reckoned it was by far the best issue yet.

[Kallor]

I thought the Max reveal was a little rushed, he's just like "I remember" and that's that without any real surprised reaction from him other than anger at Gath.  I guess there's no real reason to draw it out, but it felt like an underdone moment.  Overall good issue, the wait for these hurts.  Do you get these digitally or physical?  The digital versions of #3 and #4 have all the covers, and the cosplay covers are pretty good.

[Sick Nick]

Digital for me but I WILL be getting the trade when it’s out in July.

#3 was OK but it seemed a bit ambitious … there was too much to cram in to get Sonja face-to-face with Kulan Gath in the space of an issue, and it seemed to silly to do stuff like throwing in a whole half-page of Sonja showing off her new outfit when there was so little space and she was going to be back in the scalemail bikini 5 pages later anyway.

I feel there was also a great opportunity to chuck in a couple of nice fight scenes in #3 but the fights were really rushed. This series is still missing a really good fight scene. Micheal Oeming and Mel Rubi, in the original Dynamite Red Sonja run, used to have at least one fucking amazing fight scene every single issue, but all the fights so far this series have been restricted to about 3 panels.

Despite all the hype from Dynamite, I don’t think the Max reveal should’ve been a surprise to any readers but yeah, his reaction was a bit muted. I loved the sepia page showing his childhood; apparently that was an art experiment by Carlos which really worked IMO. What’ll be interesting now will be to see whether Max eventually goes back to the Hyborean Age with Sonja. He’s grown up in the modern era and enjoys all its comforts but he said he’s always been an outsider, and doesn’t appear to have any friends other than Jay. I’d like to see Sonja with a Joxer-style sidekick.

It’s gonna be a while before we get there though. I saw the solicit for #7 the other day, and Sonja’s STILL in the USA, apparently going on a roadtrip with Max to try to find a way home. I suspect that the original plan was to finish this run up at #5; in an early interview, Amy said it would last 6 issues. We’re up to #7 though, with Amy still on the book and Sonja still in America. I think sales and the critical reception have really pleased Dynamite and they’ve asked Amy to stay on, and she in return has asked to keep Sonja in America a bit longer because she’s more comfortable writing her in that environment. She’s been doing tons of research on Marvel Sonja, so I reckon she’ll eventually take the She-Devil back home … but not for the time being. Apparently, #3 outsold #2, which everyone was really pleased about, and sales have at least matched, if not surpassed, those of Gail Simone’s Sonja at the same stage. That’s pretty good going.

The good news for anyone missing Sonja in her traditional setting is there’s a one-shot out in a couple of weeks by Erik Burnham and Tom Mandrake called ‘The Long Walk To Oblivion’, which will act as a prequel to the current storyline and showing the Meruvians seeking Sonja’s help against Gath. I think the style will be very different from the main book … Mandrake’s style is much darker and more brooding than Gomez’ and I think this will be a much more serious tale but hopefully it’ll be pretty good nonetheless.

[Sick Nick]

its a (very pleasant!) surprise to hear about issue 7. I was going in what i'd read (6 issues) after you started this thread. Should be fun.

I agree on the fight scenes, though so far, it hasnt detracted from my enjoyment. I AM hoping for her to just cut loose and scare the shit out of everyone in the finale though.

I'm not convinced we're going to see too much more fighting in this arc, although I could be wrong. I think most of the focus now will be on Gath and his Demon Beast vs the good guys, although since Sonja will be of limited use in a magical scrap between Gath and Max, maybe she'll hold off his minions. Who knows?

It's been 5 weeks between issues for the 3 issues but only 4 until the next one. Amy did an interview about #5 but managed to reveal absolutely nothing about it, other than Sonja's going to ride a motorbike again. There are 3 or 4 preview panels on Carlos' page on Instgram but they don't reveal a whole lot except...




















SPOILERS





















Sonja and Max are going to hook up with Jay, Spike and Holly, and end up in Coney Island. There's also a panel seemingly showing Jay shooting at the Demon Beast, so presumably it's going to fight the cops in the streets of New York.

The main cover for #7 shows that Sonja's might be changing up her a look a bit for her trip across the States ... she's wearing a leather jacket and trousers, with the jacket open at the waist to show off her chainmail bikini top underneath. Quite a 70s exploitation movie look, I like it.

I'd like it if he went, too. He could be the filter Amy needs to help her write a 'period piece' so to speak.
I'd understand if he stays though.
Modern living trumps barbaric; like Howard the Duck shows, everyone's trapped in a world they never made, and one good friend is more than a lot of people have!

I think Amy's worked so hard with Max, I can't see her leaving him in the modern world. She hinted on Twitter that she's written alternative endings.

The humour that works best in 'Red Sonja' IMO is the fractuous banter between Sonja and Max, and general observations about the clash between modern culture and Sonja's own. It can get a little too knowing on occasion but when it works, it works really well. 'Red Sonja' really had many amusing moments since Dynamite took it on in 2005, so I'd like to see Amy continue to bring the funny.

[Sick Nick]

You are really well informed, and i love spoilers so thanks.
You have a good grasp on what makes the humor work. I hope it keeps up, too.
Couldnt find any of the art you referred to, but this one for issue 5

https://www.dynamicforces.com/images/TNRSvol405CovAMcKone.jpg

Is pretty damn epic.

Yeah, that's a great cover. I LOVED McKone's covers for #2 and 3 as well. Not so much #4 and in his cover for #6, Sonja looks like a 12 year old with Lion-O's hairstyle.

Solicits for #7 are here, together with McKone's cool cover (it's the top one):

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/04/15/exclusive-first-look-dynamites-heroes-fighters-comics-shipping-july-2017/

[Sick Nick]

Oh, and I'm not that well-informed ...  there's a guy I discuss Sonja with a lot on deviantART who knows more about the character than anyone. He's an excellent judge of how well a writer's doing and he's really enjoying Amy Chu's run.

I keep an eye out for any interviews or reviews about 'Red Sonja' because it's not that well-known a comic and so doesn't get all that much coverage. Everyone's heard of the character but relatively few read the comic. Gail Simone got tons of publicity when she jumped on board because she's so famous but otherwise, I think people are generally just aware the comic's rolling on.

It's a shame because this run is fucking fantastic IMO. Yeah, if you don't like the old 'barbarian ends up in the modern world' chestnut, it's probably not going to be for you but not only is it different from every barbarian time travel story I've read, it's different from pretty much any Sonja story that's come before it. It's just so much funnier and full of life. It's a real breath of fresh air after Gail Simone's experiment in PC failed miserably and after Simone seemingly used her own run to vent about what exactly she hated about the character and the overall genre. People don't read 'Red Sonja' for restraint and introspective moments, they read it for balls-out action and a babe in a metal bikini swinging a sword. There's a lot of talk about the female readership but even feminist extraordinaire Gail Simone's Sonja spent half her run in the bikini, the character's incredibly popular with cosplayers, and loads of female fans state that they don't care what Sonja wears as long as she drives the plot and kicks arse. Sales are way up on the last volume, so it seems Dynamite has hit on the right formula with the current team.

I'm just really glad you're enjoying the book as much as I am.

[Sick Nick]

As for spoilers, Amy Chu does everything she can to avoid divulging anything, even in interviews about upcoming issues. Carlis Gomez puts up the odd tantalising preview on Instagram, usually unlettered. .. he's cunning about what he posts so it's really difficult to piece the story together. For example, most of his previews for #4 were of Gath standing around, bar a pic of Sonja leaping into action, a flashback to the destruction of Meru and a panel showing the museum on fire.

[Sick Nick]

Erik Burnham's one-shot is out on Wednesday. It's basically the prequel to Amy Chu's series so the ending won't be a surprise but it looks like it's gonna be tons of fun. It's much more of a traditional Sonja story set in the Hyborian Age but Burnham's been paying close attention to Amy's version of the She-Devil, and his Sonja looks like a hoot, griping about having to sit behind a guy on a horse and sinking endless beers. It's not short on action, with a thug getting his nose cut off in the first three pages and a better fight in the first third of the comic than Chu has managed in all of her series so far. Tom Mandrake's art looks great, less flashy and cartoony than Carlos Gomez' but as good in its own way. I'm actually looking forward to this more than #5 of the main series, out the following Wednesday. The Sword and sorcery setting will make a nice change, and TBH I'm getting a bit bored of the Gath storyline ... not Sonja in the modern US necessarily, I think there's loads more mileage there - just this particular arc.

If the rest of the comic lives up to the pages I've seen, Burnham will join Chu as a first-time Sonja writer who understands and respects the character infinitely better than the much-ballyhooed Gail Simone ever did.

[Sick Nick]

My astonished takeaway here is Tom Mandrake on art chores. Havent thought of him in years.
I first got to know him on Grimjack, another sword weilding character, in the late 80s.

His art here is fantastic, particularly the creepier pages with Kulan Gath. His Sonja isn't as strong as Carlos' IMO but his Hyrkanian plains and taverns look like suitably wild and dangerous places.

I'd like to see more from him on Sonja. Erik Burnham seemed starstruck to be working with him

[Sick Nick]

That's great to know, imma Google some of his work on this!

Preview is here:

https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Red_Sonja_The_Long_Walk_To_Oblivion_One.html?id=tVu8DgAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y

The first 4-5 pages are available at CBR etc. but if you're smart with search words on Google Books, you might find some of the pages later in the book.

[Sick Nick]

Just read it ... this is much more of a basic 'Sonja in the Hyborian Age' story and doesn't really bring anything new to the table but it is WELL worth buying. It's got a fucking awesome fight scene in the first half, where Sonja takes out 5 or 6 guys by herself with ease, lots of humorous little touches and Mandrake's art is really good. Sonja is much cockier here than she is in the main series but she's on her home turf, so that's to be expected. The scene at the end is Sonja taking on Kulan Gath's demon, as she did in #0 but this fight is much better than Amy Chu's take. This is Erik Burnham's first Sonja outing but like Amy, he's immediately understood the character in a way Gail Simone never did.

[Sick Nick]

I havent enjoyed Simone's in a long time. I get she's a 'name', though, and so will never lack for work...

I don't think she's got much to do with Sonja now, although she recommended Amy Chu for the writing job. I think she's well-liked by Dynamite and has a lot of sway there if she chooses to use it.

I actually really like a lot of Simone's work, particularly on 'Batgirl' ... that was great. She was good on Wonder Woman as well. I just don't think she 'gets' Red Sonja - she enjoyed writing it but her work came across as a petty attack on everything she hated about the character and the genre in general. Gail thinks the vow is stupid, so she pins it onto another character and has Sonja laughing at him, and also writes Sonja fucking anything that moves. Gail doesn't like Sonja enjoying a few beers, so she transforms her into a raging alcoholic. Gail doesn't like the fact that Sonja's an amazing warrior, so she turns her into a laughing stock ... there's actually a comic where another swordsman trips Sonja up during a fight and then kicks her up the arse as she falls past him. I'm not kidding.

Gail pretty much hated the classic version of Sonja, so she created her own version. They're practically different characters. Luckily, even though Amy Chu's a friend of Gail's, her version is WAY closer to the original version.

[g-train]

I havent enjoyed Simone's in a long time. I get she's a 'name', though, and so will never lack for work...

I don't think she's got much to do with Sonja now, although she recommended Amy Chu for the writing job. I think she's well-liked by Dynamite and has a lot of sway there if she chooses to use it.

I actually really like a lot of Simone's work, particularly on 'Batgirl' ... that was great. She was good on Wonder Woman as well. I just don't think she 'gets' Red Sonja - she enjoyed writing it but her work came across as a petty attack on everything she hated about the character and the genre in general. Gail thinks the vow is stupid, so she pins it onto another character and has Sonja laughing at him, and also writes Sonja fucking anything that moves. Gail doesn't like Sonja enjoying a few beers, so she transforms her into a raging alcoholic. Gail doesn't like the fact that Sonja's an amazing warrior, so she turns her into a laughing stock ... there's actually a comic where another swordsman trips Sonja up during a fight and then kicks her up the arse as she falls past him. I'm not kidding.

Gail pretty much hated the classic version of Sonja, so she created her own version. They're practically different characters. Luckily, even though Amy Chu's a friend of Gail's, her version is WAY closer to the original version.

That seems kind of confusing; like if she hated Red Sonja that much why take on the character?

Hell; from what your saying she almost sounds "non-feminist" in her writing of the character; woman tries to become like the male warriors around her, fails horrible and as a result becomes a laughingstock, whorish and an alcoholic?

[Sick Nick]

I havent enjoyed Simone's in a long time. I get she's a 'name', though, and so will never lack for work...

I don't think she's got much to do with Sonja now, although she recommended Amy Chu for the writing job. I think she's well-liked by Dynamite and has a lot of sway there if she chooses to use it.

I actually really like a lot of Simone's work, particularly on 'Batgirl' ... that was great. She was good on Wonder Woman as well. I just don't think she 'gets' Red Sonja - she enjoyed writing it but her work came across as a petty attack on everything she hated about the character and the genre in general. Gail thinks the vow is stupid, so she pins it onto another character and has Sonja laughing at him, and also writes Sonja fucking anything that moves. Gail doesn't like Sonja enjoying a few beers, so she transforms her into a raging alcoholic. Gail doesn't like the fact that Sonja's an amazing warrior, so she turns her into a laughing stock ... there's actually a comic where another swordsman trips Sonja up during a fight and then kicks her up the arse as she falls past him. I'm not kidding.

Gail pretty much hated the classic version of Sonja, so she created her own version. They're practically different characters. Luckily, even though Amy Chu's a friend of Gail's, her version is WAY closer to the original version.

That seems kind of confusing; like if she hated Red Sonja that much why take on the character?

Hell; from what your saying she almost sounds "non-feminist" in her writing of the character; woman tries to become like the male warriors around her, fails horrible and as a result becomes a laughingstock, whorish and an alcoholic?

I think she enjoys writing the character but she didn'the like the 'classic' take and tried to reinvent her. Gail Simone's Red Sonja is pretty much a completely new charafter.  I honestly don't think she sees any difference personality-wise between Sonja and Conan, whereas those differences were stark right from Sonja's first appearance. Basically Gail writes Sonja as a less capable and angrier Xena