HELL SONJA #5, from Dynamite Comics on May 18th, 2022, brings the battle for Hell to the edge of existence as Asmodeus arrives to take his throne back, and he brought all the (dead) Sonjas with him.
The Details
- Written By: Christopher Hastings
- Art By: Andres Labrada
- Colors By: Ellie Wright
- Letters By: Jeff Eckleberry
- Cover Art By: Lucio Parrillo (cover A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: May 18, 2022
Was It Good?
HELL SONJA #5 concludes the arc (the series?) with a battle between the old ruler of Hell and the new ruler for absolute control. Generally, this is a good issue with big moments and plenty of heartfelt goodbyes at the end. Does it hold up as the big event for control of existence itself? Yes, no, sorta, and maybe.
The big positive in this issue is the heartfelt (almost teary) goodbyes at the end of the issue as the Sonja Squad parts ways for the last time in this lifetime. Each Sonja, in turn, is given an opportunity to rest or live or do whatever they wish to do to make their lives worth living, unencumbered by a sworn oath to one god or another. The last half of this comic, which is everything past the big battle with Asmodeus, is the highlight and possibly the strongest emotional beat of the entire series.
Conversely, the big battle with Asmodeus is the weakest part of the issue and possibly one of the weakest points in the entire series. There’s nothing technically wrong with the battle except that it started quickly, ended quickly, and felt very small. This is it. This is the big moment where opposing forces clash to wrest control of the realm that keeps the multiverse from falling apart. Yet, the battle starts and ends in roughly four pages interspersed with dialog panels. Again, there’s nothing technically wrong with the battle, but it hits with all the scale and epicness of a minor slap fight.
In a nutshell, there are some good points and not-so-good points. The farewell scenes are great, but the big battle, the culmination of everything in this series, falls flat.
We can’t say goodbye without a word about the art. Pasquale Qualano was the main artist on this series up to this point, and his work is stellar. However, this issue turned over the reigns to Labrada to bring it home, and to be blunt, the art quality to a step backward. Some panels look roughly inked, almost unfinished. Ellie Wright’s coloring saves the day with fantastic coloring, but it’s hard not to notice the lack of polish in the art. We’ve seen worse, but we’ve seen better, too.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
If you don’t recall how the Sonja Squad wound up back in Hell (not by choice), first read our HELL SONJA #4 review.
We begin with the passengers from the plane crash arriving in Hell, zealous cult followers of Asmodeus, summoning Asmodeus back so he can reclaim his throne. Tech Sonja is the only one present to greet them, and she signals for the Sonja Squad to return to help defend Hell against a sudden swarm of Asmodeus’s demons.
Hell Sonja calls forth a giant worm demon powered by the billions of souls she’s collected to strike down Asmodeus, but it’s not enough. In turn, Asmodeus has control over the newly dead, and he summons the Sonja Squad to attack as he gained control over their souls in the plane crash from the last issue. Outgunned and outnumbered, Asmodeus believes he has the upper hand over Hell Sonja. When all seems lost Hell Sonja politely informs Asmodeus that she keeps Hell fed with souls because there are much greater beings than either of them who wouldn’t be happy if reality started to fall apart.
We conclude the issue with a greater being, an admission of a half-truth, and a new start.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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HELL SONJA #5 is a serviceable finale to an imaginative series with big emotion at the end. Unfortunately, the big battle doesn’t live up to the big emotion, so you get a mixed issue. Likewise, the art is a downgrade from the previous issues with only serviceable visuals.
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