Red Sonja #9 Review

 

Writer: Torunn Gronbekk

Artist: Walter Geovani

Colorist: Omi Remalante Jr.

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Cover Artists: Lucio Parrillo, Bjorn Barends, Joseph Michael Linsner, Mel Rubi, Jenny Frison, Frank Thorne & Cosplay

Publisher: Dynamite Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: March 27, 2024

 

After taking Nordal Fortress, Kulan Gath killed Dorian Runebinder and awakened Ymir. The Frost Giant rode into the world, sowing chaos and reaping death.

Entrusting her aunt with her younger sister's life, Grace rides with Red Sonja toward Nordal Fortress. Can Red Sonja kill Kulan Gath before he ushers all the gods into the Hyborian world? Let's don our armor, ride into Red Sonja #9, and find out!

 

Story

The queen of Emberfall sent half her army to retake Nordal Fortress. A seer in the market proclaims that a man—or a woman—could protect her mountain city from the gods. Frostwind advises the queen against giving power to people in return for protection. But what else can Emberfall’s queen do? Spirits invade the land. The Frost Giant Ymir terrorizes the skies.

 

Runebinder, his mentor Frostwind, and Grace’s aunt formed a triad of sorcerers who guarded the woods and the mountains. Red Sonja and Grace have encountered wraiths, Tsjoko, and a Hulder in the forest. Frostwind is old. Runebinder is dead. Grace's aunt has fled. With the old order broken, gods prey on their worshippers. Men, women, and children: everyone's a target now.

 

In Red Sonja #9, the king of the underworld joins Ymir's Great Hunt. Erlik lacks a soul, so he hunts for one. Can someone without a soul exercise compassion and restraint?

 

Kulan Gath wanted back into our world. The sorcerer used Red Sonja, Thord Varg’s hunger for power, and Lady Alaberta's black diamond to return to life. But breaking the laws of the universe allowed the gods to enter the Hyborian world. Red Sonja freed Thord Varg’s army. So now Kulan Gath uses the gods to arouse fear. Killing Dorian Runebinder increased his power, but Gath wanted more. If rulers like the queen of Emberfall will not give him the power he craves, Kulan Gath will sit back and wait for the gods to cull the mortals. Who knows? Perhaps the gods will also kill each other. Either way, Gath increases his power and influence.

 

Torunn Gronbekk weaves blood sacrifice, mythology, and political commentary into Red Sonja #9. Kulan Gath's machinations propel the She-Devil in one direction and then another. Retracing her steps, she has trouble attacking the cause of the chaos. But can the She-Devil kill someone capable of enticing the gods to slay each other?

 

 

Art

While demons descend the cliffs beneath a ruined castle, the horned god Erlik rises to walk among brown-robed monks harvesting wheat. The souls of the dead surge around Red Sonja and Grace, charging on their steeds, as Ymir astride his wolf closes on them. The villagers defend their village, clutching shovels and pitchforks. Yet the horde of the dead swept in, toppling them like the wheat in the field.

 

Walter Geovani transports us from the underworld to Ludlow and the walled mountain city of Emberfall in Red Sonja #9. He returns us to the forest where the Tsjoko still haunts the blotring. Surrounded by flaming torches and burning candles, holograms sweep across a parchment map as Kulan Gath follows the gods’ rampages in Nordal Fortress.

 

Omi Remalante Jr. applies his loaded palette to Walter Geovani’s action-packed panels. Characters shine at night, their presence bold thanks to the light and shadow that emphasize their features, musculature, and clothing. Backgrounds enhance the historic feel of this bygone era thanks to rich texturing. Lighting and silhouettes amplify the stakes for Humanity while toning down the carnage in Red Sonja #9.

 

Jeff Eckleberry shares Torunn Gronbekk’s narration on beige parchment and dialogue in white balloons. Stressed words grow bold, and raised voices swell the large-size uppercase words. Energetic sound effects help us hear the Tsjoko chomp their teeth and shriek while swords cleave bodies and heads in the ferocious fighting.

 

Thanks to Dynamite Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

With Red Sonja torn between protecting the innocent and attacking Kulan Gath, the sorcerer waits for Humans to request his protection from the divine carnage he unleashed in Red Sonja #9.

 

Rating 9/10

 

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