Writer: Christopher Priest
Penciler: Alessandro Miracolo
Inker: Raffaele Semeraro
Colorist: Giovanni Caputo
Letterer: Taylor Esposito
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Artists: Stjepan Sejic, Stuart Sayger, Chad Hardin, Greg Land & Cosplay (Ani-Mia)
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $4.99
Release Date: December 17, 2025
Margaret Sutherland fell in love with her boss’s boss. She told herself that it didn’t matter that the Deputy Assistant to the Junior Adjutant of the HMG Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster was embezzling money from the British crown. Then Margaret discovered that Justin Brand was two-timing her with a coworker.
Anger consumed her. When two souls lay at her feet, Margaret hungered for a third. Instead, like Alice, she fell down a hole and landed in the Hyborian Age. How is Margaret adjusting to life as Red Sonja? And why is a red bird like a She-Devil with a Sword? Let's grab our swords, leap into Sonja Reborn #4, and see!
Story
Despite Justin Brand's infidelity and theft, what put Margaret's anger on turbo drive was his disdain for her feelings. When Justin was running late, he ordered Margaret to drive recklessly. When she struck a child on a bicycle, Justin told Margaret it was her fault.
In the Hyborian Age, Margaret struggles with who she is. Unlike Skye Ramsey, who arrived before her, Margaret's soul inhabits a different body in Sonja Reborn #4. Red Sonja's struggle with identity frustrates her squire Faolān. Worse, she displays classic feminine weaknesses in a world that values strength. Trevor, a Pict warrior, has pledged his loyalty to Sonja. But Gaeric the Gunderman is a slave merchant, and his only loyalty is to himself.
Christopher Priest tells his story across a sweeping tapestry. While portraying Margaret’s actions in the 21st Century and the Hyborian Age, he also highlights Kade’s dilemma and Skye Ramsey’s plight. All this takes place as Dark threatens to remove itself from creation unless Light returns its child. Like the gods, Margaret yearns for return also. She hopes that the cellphone or "Fire box" Trevor found will provide clues to return to the world and body she left behind.
Amid this story stuffed with players and moving parts, Margaret's dilemma is how she moves forward. Whether she stays in this world or returns to her own, Margaret cannot erase the result of her dangerous driving. But, as Faolān points out, Sonja inhabits a male-dominated world. Margaret still holds onto 21st-century perspectives on slavery, the rights of women, and the dignity owed to displaced indigenous people like the Picts. But if she is to remain a free woman and lead others, Margaret must act like Red Sonja. Ironically, that means hurting and killing others, something she seems more reluctant to do in the Hyborian Age than in the 21st Century.
Art
Alessandro Miracolo and Raffaele Semeraro’s detailed art imbues the Hyborian Age and the Modern world with depth and believability. Two splash pages convey incidents of otherworldly terror in Sonja Reborn #4. Yet even half-page panels have an epic quality. The characters express their emotions as they discuss their dilemmas or engage in rapid action. Margaret moved with surety past a familiar figure from the Dynamite Universe in New York. Yet in the Hyborian Age, Margaret looks out of place in her chain mail bikini.
Giovanni Caputo introduces what drives the Hyborian Age by showcasing Kade the Slaver’s love of gold. Scenes from New York inhabit a green world, reminding us how Justin Brand’s avarice altered Margaret’s course. Sepia tinges memories of killing and death. Yet red makes the strongest statement. Clothing, saddlecloths, curtains, and upholstery all showcase red. Trevor and Gaeric, two people from tribal communities caught between more aggressive nations, wear red body paint or tattoos. Sonja’s red hair makes an intriguing link with the avian avatars of the Light. And then, there is the red that occasionally splashes the pages in Sonja Reborn #4.
Taylor Esposito fills white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes with black uppercase text. The letters grow bold for inflection, swell for volume, and shrink for lowered voices. Panels featuring white letters locate readers in time and space. Sound effects accompany nightmarish attacks, and a condition that could prematurely end Margaret's visit to the Hyborian Age. Thanks to Dynamite Entertainment and Comic Book Dispatch for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Margaret's soul awakens in Red Sonja's body after the Battle of Venarium. Unlike Conan, who decided to leave his home country and travel the world, Margaret takes no joy in the slaughter. As the She-Devil with a Sword struggles to embrace her new life, a battle between the gods threatens to strip Margaret of the people supporting her in Sonja Reborn #4.
Rating 9.6/10
