SONJAVERSAL #8 – Review

In SONJAVERSAL #8, available from Dynamite Comics on September 29th, 2021, Purple Sonja and her kaiju-smashing mech safeguard the remnants of humanity escaping to space after Hell returns the monsters to Earth… all at once.

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 A)
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: September 29, 2021

Wait! Don’t Forget To Sign Up For The Comical Opinions Newsletter.

Was It Good?

Oh, now I get it. Since the original arc concluded with Sonjas across the multiverse battling to be the last Sonja standing, the series shifted into a different direction by giving each Sonja a spotlight issue. What held each spotlight together is a cameo by Hell Sonja who clearly is up to no good. Now, we not only get a spotlight on Purple Sonja and her kaiju-killing mech, S.O.N.J.A., but we finally get a little hint of Hell Sonja’s plan.

What I like about this series is the merging of the familiar and the new. At the heart of each spotlight, Hastings captures the heart and soul of Red Sonja while placing that heart and soul in a decidedly different character.

Purple Sonja isn’t Red Sonja with different hair. She’s her own character that feels connected and native to this time and place in the multiverse. That said, her direct assertiveness, her cheekiness, and her unflappable warrior spirit are the same as you’ll find in any well-written Red Sonja story. It’s her but not her at the same time, and that dance on the fine line makes the overall premise fascinating when executed correctly.

To be clear, it’s executed correctly here. The story makes sense as a self-contained issue, and it fits into the over-arching story about Hell Sonja’s plan of manipulation. You can’t see what’s coming next, and that makes the series all the more valuable.

Qualano’s art works perfectly for the theme in this issue. The monsters look massive and alien. The spaceship set has a strong sci-fi edge that looks futuristic without getting too campy or unbelievably alien. Despite spawning from a sword & sorcery title, this is a strong sci-fi issue in terms of art and writing.

What’s It About?

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

If you want to know how Hell Sonja has influenced the mlutiverse so far, check out our SONJAVERSAL #7 review first.

We begin with a brief prologue about the fate of Earth in this corner of the multiverse. The outcome from the Sonjas battle temporarily allowed residents of Hell to escape back to their own points of origin. In this case, all the kaijus Purple Sonja had defeated in the last decade returned to Earth in one fell swoop.

Overrun and outnumbered, humanity was nearly wiped out within hours. The survivors had no choice but to escape in a massive ark ship with Purple Sonja protecting the survivors from attacking kaijus that also occupy the depths of space.

During the search for a habitable planet to colonize, Hell Sonja appears to inform Purple Sonja that a planet is close along their current path but they’re at risk of missing it. Through some shape-shifting deception by Hell Sonja and the attention of a Lieutenant with a crush, the ark heads toward a nearby planet surrounded by space-faring kaiju.

We conclude the issue with a risky monster battle in space, the reveal that the planet is inhospitable but still very valuable, and a hint that Hell Sonja wants the assorted Sonjas to win for a dark plan.

Final Thoughts

SONJAVERSAL #8 tells a proper science fiction story about the last remnants of humanity fighting monsters, time, and starvation to find a new home after Earth is devastated. While the setting is about as far from sword & sorcery as you can get, the creators do an excellent job of maintaining the heart and soul of Sonja in a completely different context. While this is a stand-alone character spotlight, it seamlessly fits into a broader story tied to the first arc.

Score: 9.5/10