Red Sonja's Fight Versus the Undead Starts Soon!

Preorders Due for Empire of the Damned #1!

The She-Devil With a Sword is back in another exciting epic! RED SONJA: EMPIRE OF THE DAMNED pairs the Hyrkanian Heroine with the legendary writer Steve Niles, beloved for his horror magnum opus 30 Days of Night and several other tales intertwining horror, monsters, and mayhem alongside action. He’d never taken a stab at the Hyborean Age and now we’re rectifying that. He’s cooked up a thrilling tale for Sonja to take on an undead army and a great mystery, and we can’t wait for fans to check it out. Check out a sneak peek and don’t miss out on the debut!

Issue #1 is on “Final Order Cutoff” this weekend, so contact your Local Comic Shop ASAP and lock in your preorder! Subscribe to the series while you’re at it to not miss an issue!

RED SONJA MEETS STEVE NILES
THE COMICS MASTER OF THE DEAD (30 Days of Night)

Steve, you’ve worked with us at Dynamite in the past, on some Army of Darkness tales and even a Vampirella story. But you’ve never actually taken on the She-Devil With a Sword to date. The character is celebrating 50 years running right now. What drew you to the character and why do you think she’s resonated with readers so much through the eras?

Steve: She’s such a classic character, all the way back to her origins written by Robert E. Howard in the 1930’s. She was ahead of her time, an incredible warrior, pretty much unkillable and always ready to fight. In that way, she’s not unlike one of my most well-known characters, Cal McDonald, so writing a story for her was a blast.

What can you tell us about the title of the series here — “Empire of the Damned?” Where does that fit into the story you’re telling?

Steve: This series begins with an ancient story, and the setup for how Red Sonja finds herself on a new quest. There is a rumor of a lost valley where a war occurred. Both sides died at the hands of a warlock who used everybody to gain riches. Now Red Sonja is looking for the lost valley but there are all sorts of obstacles in her way.

Your work in comics is extensive, tackling characters like Batman, Spawn, creations of yours including Criminal Macabre, and gems like Simon Dark. Many readers are very familiar with the iconic 30 Days of Night. Many of your stories focus on elements of horror, and classic monsters like vampires and zombies. You’ve also frequently collaborated with artists of a similar wavelength like Bernie Wrightson, Ben Templesmith, Kelley Jones, and others. What is it that so often draws you in those directions, and how may that be interwoven with the Red Sonja story you’re telling now?

Steve: I grew up with classic monsters in movies, Frankenstein, the Wolfman all the way to Night of the Living Dead. Bernie Wrightson’s art was a huge influence on me, and all of that really steered me towards writing horror in comics. When I was approached about writing Red Sonja, I made sure it was okay to bring in some violence and great monsters for her to fight.

The Hyrkanian Heroine is set to be joined by a few companions on her latest quest. Can you tell fans about some of these supporting characters they’ll be meeting? Without spoiling who might live or die by the end of course!

Steve: She meets a myriad of characters on her travels in this series, from a powerful young witch named Luna, to an incredibly large and helpful Barbarian, Morgo, as well as an old man she must chaperone as he searches for his childhood home in order to die in peace. We don’t ever know who is who all the time, which made it a blast to play around with.

There are a bunch of powerhouse creators working on this book alongside you too. How has the collaboration been with artist Alessandro Oliveri so far, and seeing his pages roll in?

Steve: His work is incredible so far, his pages are amazing. His battle scenes are epic, and he illustrates Red Sonja perfectly. He adds all kinds of little details that I love. Every scene just comes alive.

Sonja’s Next Spooky Saga – Full of Action!
Preorder a New Steve Niles Classic