RED SONJA (VOL. 5) #23, available from Dynamite Comics on January 27th, 2021, concludes the current arc with a bloody last stand between Red Sonja and Cyril’s forces. With the Empress trapped in her tower, Sonja must defeat a small army on her own or risk leaving the kingdom in the hands of a corrupt, malicious boy.
The Details
- Written By: Mark Russell
- Art By: Alessandro Miracolo
- Colors By: Dearbhla Kelly
- Letters By: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Cover Art By: Jae Lee, June Chung
- Cover Price: $3.99
Was It Good?
Yes, for one specific reason. The art and story were so well-constructed, I genuinely thought Red Sonja was going to die. It’s her comic. Of course, she’s not going to die, but if the storytelling was strong enough to make me doubt that immutable fact, this comic deserves a gold star on that point alone.
I’ve already told you Russell’s writing is very good, and thankfully, the art holds up to the writing. Almost the entire issue is one desperate battle. Miracolo’s art doesn’t waste an inch projecting as much slashing, hacking, rending, and pecking (I’ll explain that one in a bit) as it can to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Short Story Long
We begin with the Empress lamenting the loss of her first husband, Cyril’s biological father, the malice of Cyril’s stepfather, and Cyril’s blossoming cruelty. She’s locked away in the palace tower under what Cyril calls “forced mourning” after Red Sonja slew the current king, Cyril’s stepfather. When Cyril enters her room, the two trade philosophies about her detention and what’s best for the kingdom now that Cyril is in charge.
Russell does a nice job setting Cyril up as a cruel little bastard who’s learned his life lessons from his equally cruel stepfather too well. With every word balloon, you can’t help but feel like kicking the little bugger in the teeth. I suspect that was the desired effect, so kudos to Russell for giving us a character worthy of hate.
Cyril excuses himself to meet his soldiers down near the palace gate where Red Sonja is surrounded. In a show of flippant arrogance, he commands his soldiers to attack now that he has a good viewing spot.
The soldiers, mercenaries, and all-around nasty characters attack Sonja in wave after wave as Cyril looks on. Sonja bests soldiers easily in one-on-one combat, but multiple attacks and the addition of archers eventually take their toll. Little by little, the damage to Sonja’s body compounds, and she begins to lose strength.
Meanwhile, Cyril’s biological father has escaped the dungeon; burned, scarred, and deformed from years of punishment. He gathers a few allies and sets a few fires as a distraction while they make their way up into the tower to free the Empress. In their search, they also find and free the Bird Overlord who agrees to help with the escape.
It may seem like there are two, equally-sized threads going on, but the escape is very minimal in this issue. The issue is almost entirely one, big battle with Red Sonja at the center, and it’s gripping.
As Sonja gets close to losing out, one of the larger gladiators swings his chain towards her head, accidentally hooking the legs of a very large statue near by. The statue buckles and falls on Cyril, crushing his lower half beneath its massive weight.
Sonja is down and nearly out, when the Empress, the allies and the Bird Overlord arrive to assist. The Bird Overlord sends a storm of pecking, shrieking birds to attack the remaining soldiers and the trapped Cyril. Sonja is rescued, Cyril is either dead or at least blind and severely crippled, and the Empress has regained leadership of her kingdom. We end with Sonja and her injured allies resting before returning home as friends to Zamora.
Final Thoughts
RED SONJA (VOL. 5) #23 Review gives you everything you want in a sword-and-sandal comic. High-energy, high-tension battles, a villain you love to hate, and a satisfying conclusion. This comic is a very high recommendation.