HELL SONJA #2 – Review

HELL SONJA #2, from Dynamite Comics on February 2nd, 2022, brings the story into focus as the Sonja Squad tackles their latest mission against an enemy that can’t be harmed.

The Details

• Written By: Christopher Hastings
• Art By: Pasquale Qualano
• Colors By: Kike J. Diaz
• Letters By: Jeff Eckleberry
• Cover Art By: Lucio Parrillo (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: February 2, 2022

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Was It Good?

HELL SONJA #2 is a wild and weird entry into the spinoff series that answers a lingering question hanging in the brimstone-filled air since the end of Sonjaversal – What’s in it for Red Sonja? In this issue, we get that answer, the rules of her “bargain”, and some hint that perhaps not everyone is living up to the honor system.

First things first. The end of Sonjaversal up through to this point has settled into a mission-of-the-month model without a clear sense of a big challenge or goal in mind. It’s only issue #2, so there’s plenty of room to go into a myriad of directions, and the reveal of what’s at stake for Red Sonja teases the one thing the series has been missing so far – a direction. If you want the lowdown, read through to the next section for spoiler-ish details. Suffice to say, the “bargain” makes sense, it’s personal, it’s fraught with emotional stakes, and if any of the players interfere with the “bargain”, fireworks are assured. In other words, Hastings has placed readers on a precarious ledge that immediately escalates the sense of tension.

The mission-of-the-month model can be predictable, but in this issue, it’s entertaining and thought-provoking. How do you defeat a monster when breaking it does more harm than good. The solution is clever and satisfying, and this issue shows the mission-of-the-month model can work in the right hands.

Qualano’s art is a welcome sight in a sea of monthly comics with either sub-standard art or uninspired house styles. The inks are razor sharp. Diaz’s coloring style is top-notch, and Eckleberry turns in a fine job with lettering that keeps all the Sonjas’ voices straight.

Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

If you don’t remember how the Sonja Squad came to be, first read our HELL SONJA #1 review to get caught up.

We begin with the Sonja Squad answering prayer on a post-apocalyptic world devastated by a science experiment gone wrong. The scientists created portal technology to link to other worlds and accidentally linked to an ocean planet that flooded their own. It looks better than it sounds.

The Sonja Squad are summoned by prayers to help the few survivors of this now-flooded planet defeat a monstrous entity composed entirely of mind-infecting spores that drive the infected into unending torment and death. The Squad’s first instinct is to attack with full force, but the entity explains it welcomes the attack because destroying its body will enable it to spread its spores throughout the universe.

As the Sonjas plan their course of action, Red Sonja reveals she continues on these missions to honor a bargain with Hell Sonja. If she completes a set number of missions in a row, Hell Sonja will spare Red Sonja’s lover from damnation. If a mission fails or is aborted, the count starts over.

Realizing that physical attacks are pointless, Gold Sonja comes up with an unconventional strategy. We conclude the issue with a Hellfire boost proof that what comes up must also come down and a hint that Gold Sonja may have a bargain of her own.

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