Spider-Man / Red Sonja #1 – Review

By Michael Oeming (writer), Mel Rubi (pencils)

The first thought that crossed my mind when I saw this on the shelf was, “Oh God, it’s Archie meets the Punisher all over again, thanks a lot Marvel!” Curiosity got the better of me though, so here we are.

The first issue revolves around the accidental release of an ancient being of the Hyborian age from his amulet prison. After changing NYC into a medieval city and its inhabitants into extras from Monty Python’s Holy Grail, the being sets out to kill the Man Spider (see if you can figure that one out). His explanation for hunting the man spider makes it seem like there was some prerequisite reading that isn’t mentioned as he goes from zero to kill in two panels. He chooses to resurrect a fierce warrior from his own age, Red Sonja, to accomplish this task. And where, pray tell, in the wide world of Spidey are we going to find a hot redhead to serve as a vessel for the spirit of Sonja? Mary Jane, of course! This book leaves the reader at the begining of a showdown between the two. Can you say cliffhanger?

Overall, I liked the book. It wasn’t the greatest thing I’ve ever read but it was decent. The art by Rubi is well suited for the Hyborian subject matter and he draws a nice Spidey, consistent and clean throughout. The writing is not bad. Frankly, I think this story could have been just as good if not better sans Spider-Man. Granted you would lose all of the Spidey characters but the story would be just as good with a less flamboyant male lead. Hell, Wolverine would have been a good choice (Marvel, you can have that idea). All that being said, I liked the book and thought the premise was cool. It’s good enough to warrant picking up the next issue. (Grade B-)

-Chris Williamson