RED SONJA (VOL. 7) #13, by Dynamite Comics on 9/4/24, wanders from town to town while the soul of Erik shows her how everyone dies. Now, the race is on to find Sonja and claim Erlik’s soul.
Credits:
- Writer: Torunn Grønbekk
- Artist: Walter Geovani
- Colorist: Omi Remalante Jr.
- Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
- Cover Artist: Lucio Parrillo (cover A)
- Publisher: Dynamite Comics
- Release Date: September 4, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Page Count: 24
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of RED SONJA (VOL. 7) #13:
First Impressions:
I’m not sure what happened in this issue, but Torunn Grønbekk took all the energy and intriguing threads from the last few issues and slammed on the brakes… hard. Red Sonja (Vol. 7) #13 isn’t great or technically terrible, but it accomplishes nothing, so the whole issue is pointless.
Plot Analysis:
When last we left the She-Devil with a Sword in Red Sonja (Vol. 7) #12, Kulan Gath struck a bargain with Erlik. The surly wizard would give Erlik his soul if he relinquished the army of the restless dead to Kulan Gath’s control. Erlik foolishly agreed, but during the exchange, the soul leaped into Red Sonja’s body. Now, Kulan Gath has the army to wage war with Ymir and Emberfall, but Erlik means to get his soul back, even if he has to rip it out of Red Sonja’s body.
In Red Sonja (Vol. 7) #13, we find Red Sonja wandering from town to town in the uncivilized lands of Southern Cimmeria. She makes do with fighting matches to earn coins, but the local townspeople don’t suspect that Red Sonja can see the time and circumstances of everyone’s death due to the soul of Erlik constantly speaking from within her.
The establishing scene that stars the issue is a bit odd. Torunn Grønbekk ended issue #12 with a frantic pace and high energy as war broke out in Emberfall, and Erlik desperately pursued Red Sonja to get his soul. Somehow, Sonja managed to get far enough and fast enough away from the God of Death to lay low, slowing the urgent pace of the story significantly.
When Rd Sonja settles into a tavern, she meets a local named Edwan, and the two make small talk when a fight between miners breaks out. The losing miner’s body speaks to Red Sonja in Erlik’s voice, asking for his soul back. The townspeople conclude a dead body would only talk to Red Sonja if she was a witch, so they chase her out of town. Edwan decides to accompany her against Red Sonja’s witches.
Labeling Red Sonja as a witch makes sense, given the circumstances. That said, the scene plays out briskly, with little fanfare or surprises.
Later, Edwan gets insistent about accompanying Red Sonja, and we soon find out he’s a wielder of dark magic who comes to claim Erlik’s soul. Sonja strikes him down, and Erlik speaks through the dead body to warn Sonja about what’s coming. Meanwhile, the war at Emberfall rages on.
Overall, Red Sonja (Vol. 7) #13 takes a big step back in urgency and momentum after the previous issue. Honestly, it reads like the main arc is pausing for a side quest that doesn’t have a specific goal, and the outcome of the issue doesn’t change anything about Red Sonja’s circumstances, so you could skip it and not miss anything.
Artwork and Presentation:
Walter Geovani’s artwork is solid sword & sorcery visuals with a mild amount of gore to keep you visually engaged. The figure work and panels are well done, and Omi Remalante’s colors are excellent.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Given the critical and commercial success of the Conan series and the Cimmeria in this issue, new readers may wonder where Conan fits into this series. He doesn’t. Conan is available via a separate license, currently held by a separate publisher. The chances of Conan showing up are close to impossibly small.
Final Thoughts:
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RED SONJA (VOL. 7) #13 puts the brakes on the urgency and the momentum from the last issue to show Red Sonja wandering from town to town to avoid capture. Torunn Grønbekk’s setup makes sense, but the journey goes nowhere, rendering the issue almost pointless.
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