RED SONJA (VOL. 6) #12, from Dynamite Comics on August 31st, 2022, ends Red Sonja’s journey to bring Sitha back home. When Sonja learns the true reason why Mother Ya-Ya was so welcoming, Sitha’s homecoming may not be the closure she wanted.
The Details
- Written by: Mirka Andolfo, Luca Blengino
- Art by: Giuseppe Cafaro
- Colors by: Chiara Di Francia
- Letters by: Jeff Eckleberry
- Cover art by: Mirka Andolfo
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: August 31, 2022
Is It Good?
RED SONJA (VOL. 6) #12 ends the series with a moral dilemma and a bit of a social statement that hits you on the nose with all the nuance of a brick tied to the end of a baseball bat. The message isn’t a bad one necessarily, but when you consider all the meandering it took to get to this finale, the message’s point and justification for making it should have started much sooner to make it meaningful.
The highlight of this issue is the heartwarming bond that solidifies in this issue between Red Sonja and Sitha. Up to now, the mother/daughter bond was strongly implied mostly by Sitha, but this issue elevates their relationship when Red Sonja finally reciprocates during a moment when it hits hardest. The moment in question happens very quickly, but if you’re paying attention, it pays off the last eleven issues beautifully.
The two down points in this issue are the delivery of the heavy-handed social message and the art.
The heavy-handed message centers around Agaras-Bulba and the town’s reliance on Xamul for protection. It’s hard not to miss Andolfo trying to make a statement about relying on men when women can do it for themselves, but the message is delivered very fast with little setup, making it feel incredibly forced. Again, the message isn’t the problem, it’s the hamfisted, clunky delivery of the message that’s off-putting.
The art is, in a word, sloppy. It’s hard to tell if Cafaro didn’t have enough time or couldn’t be bothered to do the work, but the art in several panels looks distorted, sketchy, and gloopy. It’s as if somebody painted the panels on a flat surface and then stood them upright before they were dry, so the paint started to drip and run. In close-up, detailed panels, the art is fairly decent. In most other panels, the art is blurry and undefined.
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What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Catch up on Sitha’s fate before the big finale in our RED SONJA (VOL. 6) #11 review.
We begin with Red Sonja easily dealing with the Agaras-Bulba gatekeepers on her way back into the village. She learns from one of the shopkeepers that Mother Ya-Ya has taken Sitha to the base of the volcano for a ritual.
Inside the volcano, Mother Ya-Ya performs a spell meant to remove Xamul from Sitha and place him into a volunteer body where he will remain trapped until the next generation. The spell may or may not kill Sitha. Red Sonja tries to stop the ritual, but the magics are too strong.
Sitha survives the transference, leaving only a small spark of Xamul’s power within her. However, Xamul demands submission by the village’s women in exchange for his continued protection. Red Sonja is unable to hrm Xamul by a direct attack because only someone who has Xamul’s power may confront him. We conclude the issue with a successful attack, a choice, and a new path.
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Final Thoughts
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RED SONJA (VOL. 6) #12 ends with a few heartwarming moments and a new status quo that dovetails Sitha into her Red Sitha series. However, Sitha’s new status quo is less intriguing, and the overall art in this issue is sloppy.
Related Information
Is there a Red Sonja movie?
Yes, there is a Red Sonja film starring Brigitte Nielson that was released in 1985. As of this writing, a new film is currently in production, starring Matilda Lutz. No release date has been announced.
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