Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1 Review

 

Writer: Dan Abnett

Artists: Alessandro Miracolo, Emiliana Pinna & Luca Colandrea

Colorist: Ellie Wright

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artist: David Nakayama

Publisher: Dynamite

Price: $19.99

Release Date: September 20, 2023

(Previewsworld.com's stated Release Date: November 1, 2023)

 

Riding through a storm, Red Sonja spies a house in the woods. A wizened man carrying a staff offers to let her spend the night, but only if she tells him a story. The hitch? It must be true! Why did the man reject her money? Let's leap into Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1 and find out!

 

Story

Sonja has left Hyboria far behind. Compelled by a cursed shirt of chain mail, she has traveled to the land of Logres. She can't remove it until she finds someone to free the spirit from the cursed armor and let it live again as the reborn king.

 

Her host explains that the High Paindragons once ruled this land, and the last king was Arthr, son of Uthr. His nephew Mordread killed him with dark sorcery amid a devastating war. The kingdom fell, and the land became a cursed wilderness. Alas, only his house testifies to this once prosperous land.   

 

So begins Dan Abnett’s tale in Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1. The British author delves into Arthurian folklore as he pits the She-Devil With A Sword against ogres and giants, the Lady of the Lake, the Green Knight, and more. If she can find Merlyn, perhaps she can finally remove the armor shirt she’s worn for nearly a year. At the very least, she wouldn’t have to listen to the talkative spirit anymore!

 

Red Sonja action figure available at Entertainment Earth

 

 

Art

Alessandro Miracolo, Emiliana Pinna, and Luca Colandrea imbue Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1 with All Ages Appeal. Rough-hewn characters are expressive and undergo dramatic transformations. Haunting monsters wield weapons that will test our Hyborean heroine's prowess. Sonja's armored blouse suggests a night out with friends, but nightclub owners might confiscate her sword. While lacking in detail, landscapes and buildings draw you into English lands before invading Anglo-Saxons redrew its borders.

 

Ellie Wright loads her palette with a wide range of colors. Grey mist rises from the cursed land. Sonja's cloak and hair match her Chestnut horse, while the opponents she fights are often green. White haze often mutes battle and light sources, but objects and people glow at night.

 

Black uppercase letters inhabit white dialogue balloons in Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1. Smaller lowercase white words in black narrative boxes convey the cursed armor's conversation. While eye-catching, Jeff Eckleberry’s first three chapter titles demand concentration. But his colorful sound effects enliven clashes between monsters’ weapons and a sword that emerged from a pond. 

 

 

 

An extensive cover gallery featuring artists like Joseph Michael Linsner, Junggeun Yoon, and Jae Lee proves a treasure trove in Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1.

 

Final Thoughts

The She-Devil With A Sword hacks and slashes through the worst that Arthurian folklore can throw at her and learns the surprising nature of curses in Immortal Red Sonja TP Vol. 1.

 

Rating 8.3/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.