In the RED SONJA VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL 2021, available from Dynamite Comics on February 10th, 2021, Red Sonja crosses paths with a tricky old witch whose spells have more unintended outcomes than a monkey paw’s wishes. When an evil wizard falls victim to one of the witch’s spells, Red Sonja learns just how uncomfortable a love potion can get.
The Details
- Written By: Bill Willingham
- Art By: Giuseppe Cafaro
- Colors By: Andrew Dalhouse
- Letters By: Taylor Esposito
- Cover Art By: Joseph Michael Linsner
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Release Date: February 10, 2021
Was It Good?
It was amusing in a weird sort of way. Cafaro’s art is excellent, as per usual. Dalhouse’s colors and Esposito’s lettering both hit the mark. It then falls to Willingham’s story to make or break this issue.
It’s not that I didn’t like it, but it’s a farce. And a farce works as well as the reader is willing to accept the absurdity. You’ll either love it or you’ll hate it. This reviewer falls closer to love than hate.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
We begin with Red Sonja arriving on the doorstep of an old with. A local family put a bounty on the witch’s head for making for lying about a future prophecy. A young man told he would become king, took unnecessary chances that led to his death.
Before Sonja can collect the old crones head, the witch casts a spell to put Sonja to sleep for a little while. When Sonja awakes, she and the witch trade philosophies about the nature of fate and the morality of fortunetelling. Realizing the witch does have some power, they part ways and the witch gives Sonja a severed head that resembles herself to fool the family the bounty was completed.
I mentioned this was a farce. Here’s where things get… freaky.
The witch, sensing she’s no longer welcome by the local townsfolk, casts a spell on her cabin that causes it to sprout giant chicken legs so it can walk away. She then casts a spell to create several small chickens to haul the walking cabin like a pack of sled dogs.
Cut to an evil wizard, Kulan Gath, flying along in a tent mounted on top of a dragon. He’s traveling in style with his soldiers and a corny minstrel. As they travel the unfriendly skies, Gath spots the old witch riding in her house that’s been turned into a horse-drawn wagon, except it’s being pulled by a pair of giant chickens. Gath decides to land and gets a closer look for some curious fun.
Gath and the witch exchange unpleasantries, but when the minstrel foolishly interrupts, Gath magically switches the minstrel’s head and with one of the giant chickens. The witch refuses to yield to the great Gath’s authority but she strikes a bargain to give him something his power cannot give him, a potion that takes him straight to his greatest enemy.
Gath agrees and takes the potion in exchange for some gold. when he drinks the curious potion, he immediately jumps on the dragon and flies off, instructing his soldiers to follow. Of course, the tricky witch’s brew is not what she said it was.
Cut to a pub where Sonja is drinking merrily from the earnings of her bounty when Gath bursts through the door and declares his undying love. What follows are multiple chase scenes where Gath finds his greatest enemy… with the power of his unquenchable and very creepy love.
To end the issue, Sonja loses patience and puts a permanent stop to Gath’s advances, but even Sonja’s blade isn’t strong enough to stop an evil wizard’s libido.
Final Thoughts
The RED SONJA VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL 2021, available from Dynamite Comics on February 10th, 2021, takes unrequited love to a whole new level of uncomfortable. The art is excellent and all the pieces are there for an enjoyable story, but it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
Score: 7.9/10
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