THE INVINCIBLE RED SONJA #1 – An Honest Review

In THE INVINCIBLE RED SONJA #1, available from Dynamite Comics on May 5th, 2021, the crimson-haired She-Devil sets sail with a group of marauding pirates when she encounters a spoiled princess, enemy ships, and deadly sirens.

The Details

• Written By: Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner
• Art By: Moritat
• Colors By: Moritat
• Letters By: Dave Sharpe
• Cover Art By: Amanda Conner (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: May 5, 2021

Was It Good?

It’s an average Red Sonja story. That’s not a down point, necessarily. You simply come away from the story not feeling like you’ve read anything particularly unique or memorable.

To be fair, this is the first issue on a new series, so there’s plenty of room to go someplace special. As it stands, the first read-through left this reviewer lukewarm.

What contributes to the lukewarm reaction is the art. The lines are thick and rough, and the hatching style is sketchy. On several pages, this issue had more in common with an indie book that would work for a grim and gritty, sword and sandal story. But it doesn’t quite match the swashbuckling, high-adventure story Palmiotti and Conner have written. It’s not bad art, but it doesn’t suit the subject matter well.

Take a look at the art (and a mountain of variant covers) in our THE INVINCIBLE RED SONJA #1 preview to decide for yourself.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

We begin with Red Sonja standing against a small squad of soldiers coming for the head of a wizard. Fans of Red Sonja know she’s no fan of magic, and the narration quickly clues the reader in she’s under an enchantment forcing her to protect the wizard. She knows what’s happening but can’t control her body to stop it.

Flashback to a few days prior and we see Sonja lounging on a pirate ship where she’s offered to work or pay her way for passage. The ship’s captain, Rhafi, spots a ship of an enemy nation and he decides to raid it with Sonja’s help. Hours later, the enemy ship is burning, its crew is dead or dying, and Captain Rhafi has all their booty on his ship.

When they open a large, ornate chest, they find a princess hiding inside. Captain Rhafi declares he’s not in the ransom business, so he gifts the young maiden to his crew for their pleasure. Before the men take the princess, Sonja intervenes and asks for the princess as her share of the booty instead of any jewels or valuables. Captain Rhafi agrees.

Sonja appears to be making a rough show of claiming the princess as property, but it seems she made the deal to save the princess from an unsavory fate. Although, it was difficult to tell Sonja’s intentions from her facial expressions or her dialog.

So far, Red Sonja isn’t acting like the wandering warrior who lives by collecting bounties on criminals, despots, and malicious wizards. Throwing in with bloodthirsty pirates seems outside of her moral center. You could make the case that Red Sonja isn’t particularly careful about killing, but raiding an innocent (as far as we know) passenger vessel with the intent to kill everyone on board feels off for her character.

The princess has some grit to her, despite her pampered exterior, and she makes a run for it by jumping overboard. Sonja has no intention of drowning by going after her, so the princess is left to die in the open ocean.

That night, the crew is drinking and making merry and drinking some more to celebrate their spoils. Sonja has no trouble besting some of the bigger men at arm wrestling and drinking games, but Captain Rhafi calls an end to the night’s festivities by knocking Sonja out with a blow from behind.

When Sonja wakes up, the crew is gone and the ship is taking on water. She makes her way to the deck to find the ship has run aground on some rocks. The crew is dead, except for Captain Rhafi, at the hands of hungry sirens. Sonja takes her sword to the sirens but their numbers are overwhelming and she’s dragged below the water, fighting every fathom.

Next morning, a ship finds Sonja adrift, still holding on to her sword and a part of her ship’s mast. The crew hauls her in and tends to her injuries at the direction of their other passenger, the princess.

When Sonja wakes up a few days later, the princess acknowledges Sonja tried to protect her. We conclude the issue with the princess making Sonja a tempting offer.

How Does It End?

The ship is on its way to a wedding. Sonja’s second option isn’t very attractive. “…We Are Here Already.”

Final Thoughts

THE INVINCIBLE RED SONJA #1, available from Dynamite Comics on May 5th, 2021, is a typical start to a typical Red Sonja story. The issue isn’t bad, but neither the story nor the art stands out in any memorable way.

Score: 7/10