Gail Simone didn’t start off liking Sword and Sorcery, but after learning about Red Sonja, she became a fan. So, fans of Red Sonja are all the better for it, as Dynamite collects the entire Gail Simone run of Red Sonja.
This volume, consisting of 514 pages, is an enormous read, of course. And through the course of the 19 comic issues reprinted here, we get a real education on what makes Red Sonja tick, according to Gail Simone.
Collected here are the Queen of Plagues run in Red Sonja Volume 2, Issues 1-6; The Art of Blood and Fire, in Red Sonja Volume 2 issues 7-12; The one issue Ballad of Red Malek, in Red Sonja Volume 2 issue 0; and finally, The Forgiving of Monsters, from Red Sonja Volume 2, issues 13-18.
From Red Sonja’s beginnings to her sword-swinging, beer-guzzling, chain mailing (okay) later years, this volume is a testament to Simone’s consistent vision for the character. The majority of stories here are illustrated by the same team: Walter Giovani on art, Adriano Lucas on colours and Simon Bowland on lettering. On Red Malek, we have Noah Salonga on art, with Elmer Santos on colours. And there are additional colourists on Forgiving of Monsters.
Anyway, essentially the same team has produced 18 consecutive issues of Red Sonja, with Sonja battling slimy men (mostly), who entrap and enslave. Encircling her prey, Sonja metes out her own type of justice, then plunks herself for a few belches of ale.
All fun. In addition to these swashbuckling tales, there are literally dozens of variant covers reprinted here, all drawn by women. Women by women. And a special highlight are the original principle covers, tremendously striking and eye-poppingly rendered by Jenny Frison. Truly great visual work.
Dynamite The Complete Gail Simone Red Sonja $49.99 for 514 pages of content, Standard Edition, Teen +
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Buying time on sex slaves was a first for the character. Pretty much the only first Simone came up with. Brian Reed had done away with the vow and given Sonja a sex life back in the first series of Dynamite as well as having Sonja learn her fighting skills by choice rather than force in a gladiator pit. Fun, interesting definition of that in Simone’s work.