In SONJAVERSAL #7, available from Dynamite Comics on August 25th, 2021, Yellow Sonja gets her moment in the dead of night as she investigates a new breed of vampire terrorizing the village new her castle home.
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The Details
- Written By: Christopher Hastings
- Art By: Pasquale Qualano
- Colors By: Kike J. Diaz
- Letters By: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Cover Art By: Lucio Parrillo
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Release Date: August 25, 2021
Was It Good?
It was a great issue through 90% of the pages, and then it took a jarring swerve at the very end that felt like the main story got cut short. I’ll explain.
Dynamite is continuing the trend of having a stand-alone issue that focuses on the multiversal exploit of one of the surviving Sonjas after the tournament in Hell. In issue #7, we focus on the Victorian-era, steampunk vampire hunter, Yellow Sonja.
Yellow Sonja has a long history of assisting her father as the valley’s premier vampire hunter. The father/daughter duo not only hunt the bloodsuckers, but they’re meticulous scientists who study vampirism as if it were a disease so that it can be combated as quickly as possible.
I like the episodic nature of this series by following the exploits of a different Sonja, and hey, who doesn’t love a good vampire story. This issue gives you both. On top of the setup, there’s also a bit of a mystery involving Yellow Sonja’s parents that takes an unexpected turn.
In all, it’s a fun vampire story that keeps the reader guessing with an “are they or aren’t they” mystery right until the end.
Where the writing falls short is in the jarring left turn right at the end. Rather than letting the mystery’s resolution unfold in a big way, it feels rushed to jump to the introduction of the next story with Purple Sonja. It’s only a page and a half, but the Yellow Sonja story felt like it needed a little more clarity and emotional impact for the final resolution to sink in.
Qualano’s art continues to impress with fluid lines and curves that imply movement in every panel. The work here perfectly captures a Gothic vampire story aesthetic, and it’s impressive when an artist can shift from one genre to another, capturing the essence of the genre so well.
The story reads like a proper vampire story with chilling art and a well-constructed mystery. However, it would have served the issue better if the story wasn’t cut short.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
Readers are re-introduced to Yellow Sonja from the previous arc. This version of Sonja is a steampunk vampire hunter of the highest caliber, and she’s been called down to the village to stop a vampire blamed fr the deaths of five people.
Yellow Sonja is a scientist as well as a hunter, and she’s disturbed by the realization that the vampire she’s captured is one she’s killed before. After some investigation, she concludes this particular vampire escaped from Hell along with many unsavory characters during the Sonja battle royal in the previous arc.
Unfortunately, a vampire escaped from Hell exhibits unusual mutations, and Yellow Sonja is unable to determine what to do about it. During her research, Hell Sonja appears (as she has to other Sonjas in the previous issue) to offer some assistance. The explanation Hell Sonja provides casts the health and safety of her parents in doubt.
One night, Yellow Sonja awakes to hear strange noises coming from the hallway. The captured, crippled vampire is loose and it’s a fight to the death for survival. We conclude the issue with a revelation about how the vampire escaped, confirmation about the deaths of the villagers, and the sad acceptance that Hell Sonja was correct.
Final Thoughts
SONJAVERSAL #7 continues to the series focus of unique, episodic stories about different Sonjas from across the multiverse with a tale about Yellow Sonja the vampire hunter. Qualano & teams art is top-notch and the mystery will keep you guessing until the end, but the hard shift to a prologue for the next issue cuts the main story too short at the end.
Score: 8/10
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