RED SONJA (VOL. 6) #8, from Dynamite Comics on April 27th, 2022, pits Red Sonja against Baroness Drang in a fight to the death.
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 A)
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: April 27, 2022
Wait! Don’t Forget To Sign Up For The Comical Opinions Newsletter.
It’s 100% FREE. Sign up NOW!
Was It Good?
RED SONJA (VOL. 6) #8 is an odd issue. Not an enthralling odd. An imbalanced odd.
When last we left Red Sonja, she was mostly unarmed, half-starved, and in a fight to the death against the preternaturally strong Baroness Drang. Here, Red Sonja defeats the Baroness (naturally) much too easily. It’s almost anticlimatic and barely serves as an opening prologue. For all the buildup to Baroness Drang’s threat as a mad ruler, you’d expect there to be a little more challenge in their fateful fight, but it’s over and done without breaking a sweat. This ending to the Baroness Drang portion of the story doesn’t live up to the hype.
The rest of the issue surrounds an ocean journey that (of course) doesn’t go as planned. The issue feels imbalanced because Anfolfo and Blengino are ending one part of the story at the beginning of an issue and starting a new part almost in the middle of the issue. It’s as if the printing stopped and started in the wrong spot, and the whole issue feels off.
To be fair, the writing (dialog, pacing, and action except for the Baroness’s too easy defeat) is all well-done, natural-sounding, and moves the story forward.
Separately, the art also feels a bit off in this issue. Or more accurately, the art looks rushed in this issue. The opening battle between Red Sonja and Baronness Drang has several panels in it where a) you couldn’t tell what was happening, and b) the lines and colors look sloppy and unfinished. So far, we’ve enjoyed the art team’s work on this series, but this issue is a step backward.
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]
If you need a refresher on how Red Sonja wound up in the clutches of Baroness Drang, first read our RED SONJA (VOL. 6) #7 review.
We begin with Red Sonja and Baroness Drang in a pitched battle for survival. Drang quickly recovers enough from the mortal wound she received in issue #7 to go back on the offensive. Suddenly, Sitha unleashes more destructive fire to distract Drang long enough for Sonja to retrieve her armor and sword from the armory. With a single swipe, Drang is cut in half.
Later, Sonja and Sitha retrieve their belongings while lamenting they don’t have enough money to pay the stable master for keeping their horse. The thief then takes Sonja and Sitha to the underground cavern where they’re offered their share of Drang’s treasure to fund their journey.
Sonja and Sitha book passage on a ship headed towards Sitha’s homeland. The captain insists the women stay in their cabin and keep all weapons locked up… out of respect for the crew. Sonja and impatient Sitha wait in their cabin, but their rest is disturbed when they see a man tossed overboard. We conclude the issue with dangerous cargo, more dangerous captains, and even more dangerous pirates.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
RED SONJA (VOL. 6) #8 is a serviceable issue but it feels imbalanced in both the writing and art. The writing ends the big battle for this leg of the arc with barely any effort and in an odd place. The art waffles between clean and polished to unfinished and sloppy. This issue is, at best, a mixed bag.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com