RED SONJA (VOL. 5) #28 – An Honest Review

In RED SONJA (VOL. 5) #28, available from Dynamite Comics on June 23rd, 2021, Kentaro, Tristine, and Red Sonja race to return to Hyrkania when an invading army seeks to take advantage of their absence.

The Details

• Written By: Luke Lieberman
• Art By: Drew Moss, Vincenzo Federici
• Colors By: Dearbhla Kelly
• Letters By: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
• Cover Art By: Jae Lee, June Chung (cover A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: June 23, 2021

Was It Good?

It was a proper ending to the current arc. Not perfect but adequate enough to wrap things up in a satisfying way.

Consistent with the rest of the arc, you never get a sense that Queen Isolde or Hyrkania were in any real danger. Isolde and Sonja treat the entire invasion as a training exercise for the tag team of Tristine and Kentaro, as well as for the young conqueror looking to make a name for himself.

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While it’s interesting to show a wiser Red Sonja in a mentor/teacher role, the lack of threat diffused any sense of drama, stakes, or tension. How do you spend any energy rooting for the good guy when you knew they were going to win before the fight started?

The art from Moss and Federici is pleasant, albeit lacking in drama or fine detail. That’s not to say the art is bad in any way. It simply lacks punch, which is effectively the same critique for the writing.

See for yourself in our RED SONJA (VOL. 5) #28 preview right here.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

Hyrkania is under attack by a young conqueror who’s more interested in a glorious reputation than a mutually beneficial treaty. Red Sonja, Kentaro, and Tristine have escaped the sultan and taken all his knowledgeable slaves for good measure.

You can read all about Red Sonja’s exploits with the sultan in our Red Sonja (Vol. 5) #27 review.

Queen Isolde sends her crows to notify everyone within flying distance of the attack, and she meets the young conquer outside the Hyrknian gates… alone. The aging Queen warns the young conqueror to make a treaty and give up his quest to conquer Hyrkania or Red Sonja will cut his conquering career very short.

The young conqueror is arrogant and stubborn. In his tent, he cuts off Queen Isolde’s finger as a show of his superiority and counters her offer with one of his own. Open the gates to Hyrkania willingly and the married women will be spared violation and the men will be given the chance to join his army in eternal servitude.

Meanwhile, Queen Isolde’s crow finds Tristine with a black ribbon, meaning invaders are at the gates. The traveling trio swiftly travels with their freed slaves back to Hyrkania as fast as nearby horses can carry them.

Before the young conqueror harms Queen Isolde any further, a crow arrives as a sign the Red Sonja and her party are almost there. With the training Kentaro received from Sonja on strategy and battle tactics, she lures the conquerors away from the gates (with Sonja’s help) to isolate their leader. Then, a band of warriors overrun the young conqueror’s unguarded tent and take him “prisoner” while Tristine negotiates a proper treaty with the skills she learned in leverage.

The young conqueror signs the treaty after his own finger is cut off, and all is right again.

We conclude the last four pages of the issue with drinking, reminiscing, and long goodbyes.

Again, it’s not a bad way to wrap up the arc but you never felt there was any real threat to Hyrkania, and so, there’s almost no dramatic tension.

How Does It End?

Everyone says goodbye. Red Sonja promises to return someday. Queen Isolde says farewell to Red Sonja and this world.

Final Thoughts

RED SONJA (VOL. 5) #28 has good art, good writing, and good dialog but this issue is closer to a light prologue than a dramatic finale. Despite the lack of big moments, it’s still a pleasant way to say goodbye to the current run.

Score: 7/10