Queen Sonja #1 – Review

by Joshua Ortega (writer), Mel Rubi (art), Luke Lieberman (executive editor)

The Story: We are introduced to Sonja, the warrior queen of Sogaria, whose realm is being invaded by the Emoran army. Then, flashback to four months earlier, when Red Sonja was hired to help a small territory defend itself against Sogarian raiders. She takes the job, but her first encounter with the enemy turns out to be far different than she expected.

What’s Good: I can’t say enough about Rubi’s art. The action sequences are dynamite, the jewelry, clothing and weapons vivid, the “camera angles” varied and interesting, the faces expressive and the settings evocative. The first page is a great example of the draftsmanship that Rubi brings to the table, with an intricate crown, expressive posture and grip, smooth, but textured skin and shining gems. Rubi treats us to a several splash pages, and it’s worth mentioning that the actual dialogue and text-box writing is quite sparse. Most of the story is told through the art and this was a wise choice by Ortega.

In the parts where we hear Ortega’s voice more directly, the individuality of each character shines through the dialogue. One of the brigands she deals with in the first part of the story doesn’t use pronouns. Another says “prolly” instead of “probably”, which says a lot more about him in one mispronounced word than most writers and artists could show us in a page. Ortega gives Red Sonja a few one-liners, in part because she makes at least three dramatic entrances in this first issue.

There is also a back-up story by Roy Thomas, Estaban Maroto, Neal Adams and Ernie Chan from the mid-seventies that has been recently been re-colored by Jose Villarrubia. It is an excellent story and the new colors and printing on better paper really outshine the pulpy paper and give the story more power. It was also a real treat to see some Neal Adams work re-colored as if it was new.

What’s Not So Good: Very hard to complain about such a great book. For the record, I might have criticized Sonja’s state of occasional or partial undress gratuitous in other settings, but the fact is that this is part of how she was conceived by Robert E. Howard and how the setting perceives her.

Conclusion: You get a whole lot of quality story and first class production for only $2.99 with Queen Sonja #1. I started reading Red Sonja because of podcasts I’d heard from Dynamite, but I’d felt a little lost jumping in mid-story. This is a great issue to get on board.

Grade: A-

–DS Arsenault

The Immortal Iron Fist: The Origin of Danny Rand #1 – Review

By Matt Fraction, Roy Thomas, Len Wein (writers), Kano, Gil Kane, Larry Hama (artists), Dick Giordano (inks), A. Crossley (colors)

I was wondering if or when Ed Brubaker or Matt Fraction would take it upon himself to retell or retcon the origin of Danny Rand. Looking back on their run it’s surprising how Danny Rand was left out of their series of big origin stories. After all, he is the star of the series. But after reading this issue, it all makes perfect sense: why ruin a good thing?

For those looking for a fresh story, look elsewhere. This book is essentially a reprinting of Marvel Premiere #15 and 16 with a few pages of new story by Fraction which acts as little more than window dressing. What impressed me is how well the origin of Danny Rand still holds up. Sure, some of the dialogue and thugs are cheesy (the guys who ambush Danny in New York look like a bunch of frat boys), but for the most part it’s a pretty entertaining story with just a tad of Marvel 1970s goofiness thrown in for good measure.

Reading these two reprinted issues, it becomes very obvious how these stories inspired Brubaker and Fractions run on the books. If you’ve read their run, the narrative will be all too familiar; you’ll feel right at home. Another thing I enjoyed is how the old 1970s art by Gil Kane and Larry Hama has been completely recolored with computers. Normally, I would be against this sort of thing, but the coloring work by A. Crossley isn’t intrusive. Instead, it enhances the artwork in a subtle and respectful manner. If Marvel wants to do more of this stuff in the future, I wouldn’t be against it.

Sure, this book may just be a reprint, two stories for $3.99 ain’t a bad thing these days. (Grade: B+)

– J. Montes

News: X-Men Omnibus Coming!

Amazon.com is now taking pre-orders on the X-Men Omnibus from Marvel. Magneto and the Sentinels may be the X-Men’s deadliest enemies, but there were plenty more in the mutant team’s earliest adventures! Lucifer! The Maggia! The unstoppable Juggernaut! Plus: See the first appearances of Ka-Zar and the Banshee! The tempestuous X-Men tenure of the Mimic! Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch’s journey from evil to good… and vice versa? Guest-starring Namor the Sub-Mariner, the Human Torch, and the Avengers! Collects X-Men #1-31.

Personally, I’m dying to get this!

Conan #50 – Review

Timothy Truman (Writer), Tomas Giorello (Art), Jose Villarrubia (Colors)

Don’t let the $4.99 cover price scare you off, this book is worth it. This is the conclusion of the “Hand of Nergal” story arc which has run for the past few issues and it’s a fine, action-packed conclusion.

The reader is quickly brought up to speed on the situation and away we go. You’ve got all your standard Conan elements here – a damsel or two in distress, no shortage of undead swordsmen for Conan to hack at, an oversized Lovecraftian beasty and a wicked schemer, Atalis, with a sinister lust for power. Conan and his small band find their way into Atalis’s lair whereupon they are immediately imperiled by the foul beasty. Just as Atalis unfolds the nature of his plan Conan and his band rally and after a touch of sorcery and much swordplay, emerge victorious.

While this may sound like stories you’ve read before it really is worth the read. Tim Truman shows a real facility with the character and the genre as he delivers a forty-page story that moves along crisply to a satisfying conclusion. The artwork throughout is superb and wonderfully colored as well. One of my complaints about many modern comics is that the colors are so dark that they obscure the art. Jose Villarubia uses a muted pastel palette that captures the mood of the story while letting Tomas Giorello’s art shine.

Not only do you get this fine story but Dark Horse reprints “The Hand of Nergal” from Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian #30 by Roy Thomas and John Buscema with an introductory essay from Roy, himself. The reprint has been recolored and relettered for the Chronicles of Conan Vol. 5 and provides an interesting contrast with the main feature. Top it all off with a beauty of a cover by Tony Harris and you’ve quite a nice package here.

This issue marks the conclusion of Dark Horse’s series of Conan as a wandering thief. At the end of the issue Conan sets off for home where his tales will be picked up in June with Conan the Cimmerian #0. I’ve been reading this Conan series for the past year and look forward to the new series, especially if the quality is up to the level of this issue. (Grade: A)

– Arthur Cooke