RED SONJA/HELL SONJA #3, from Dynamite Comics on February 15th, 2023, finds Hell Sonja confronted with the new sensation of mortality as the Void’s reality-bending hallucinations threaten to destroy her mind.
The Details
- Written by: Jordan Clark
- Art by: Miriana Puglia
- Colors by: Ellie Wright
- Letters by: Jeff Eckleberry
- Cover art by: Joseph Michael Linsner (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen+
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: February 15, 2023
Is It Good?
RED SONJA/HELL SONJA #3 takes the limited run into new and unexpected places with a deeply introspective issue that forces Hell Sonja to confront who she is and what she’s done throughout the course of her supernatural life. Most readers wouldn’t expect to find such a weighty topic in a Red Sonja comic, but Jordan Clark pulls it off surprisingly well.
When last we left Red Sonja, Hell Sonja, and Warrick, they took refuge in a solitary house, only to find the house is a construct of nightmares and hallucinations. Now, it’s Hell Sonja’s turn to face her demons (heh) when the delusions show her what it means to be mortal, including all the life, pain, and death that comes with it.
Jordan Clark’s script doesn’t skimp on the horror or supernatural elements but uses the shock to send Hell Sonja on a trip that tears down, alters, and ultimately builds up her character into something new. Hell Sonja is confronted with the ease of her immortal life, in the confrontation sickens her, overcoming her with grief, shame, rage, and fear in a deluge of emotion. Clark paints the picture of a character experiencing an emotional awakening, and Hell Sonja is a richer character for it.
Puglia and Wright deliver some of the cleanest and most unsettling art of the series so far. The line work is pristine, the gore is understated but shocking enough to get the point across, and Wright’s use of color saturation punches up the dramatic impact on specific panels for a memorable set of visuals.
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]
Check out our RED SONJA/HELL SONJA #2 review to find out how Red Sonja and her allies wound up in the haunted mystery house.
We begin with Hell Sonja waking up on an operating table in a surgical venue. Masked monsters look on as a demonic surgeon enters the gallery and begins to operate without anesthesia. Hell Sonja is shocked to feel pain and more shocked when the demon doctor removes a child version of herself from her body.
Seeing the world through newborn eyes, Hell Sonja sees all the pain and suffering her position as Lord of Hell allowed her to ignore. Soon, Hell Sonja is hauled before the demonic version of herself to accept judgment for her crimes.
We conclude the issue with a casting out, a waking up, and a getting out.
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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RED SONJA/HELL SONJA #3 is a surprisingly deep character-building issue wherein Hell Sonja is forced to confront mortality after having led an immortal life. The horror is unsettling, the emotional beats are profoundly deep, and the gore shocks with understated precision.
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