Red Sonja (Dynamite Volume 4)
Background
Red Sonja
Aliases: The Hellion of Hyrkania, The She-Devil With a Sword, The Red Sonja
Nicknames: Red, She-Devil, Sonjita, Crazy Bitch, Big Red
Height: 6’0
Occupation: Warrior, mercenary
First appearance: Red Sonja #0 (December 14, 2016)
Likes: Ale, New York, hot baths, Max
Dislikes: Kulan Gath, his followers, sharks, uncertainty, magic
Aliases: The Hellion of Hyrkania, The She-Devil With a Sword, The Red Sonja
Nicknames: Red, She-Devil, Sonjita, Crazy Bitch, Big Red
Height: 6’0
Occupation: Warrior, mercenary
First appearance: Red Sonja #0 (December 14, 2016)
Likes: Ale, New York, hot baths, Max
Dislikes: Kulan Gath, his followers, sharks, uncertainty, magic
Backstory
"Know also, O Prince, that in those selfsame days that Conan the Cimmerian did stalk the Hyborian king-doms, one of the few swords worthy to cross with his was that of Red Sonja, warrior woman out of majestic Hyrkania. Forced to flee her homeland because she spurned the advances of a king and slew him instead, she rode west across the Turanian Steppes and into the shadowed mists of legendry"- The Nemedian Chronicles
During what was otherwise a regular night, Sonja was approached by the messenger Ram of Shonkador with a mission: protect the people of Meru by slaying the Beast of Khauran. When she and the demon faced off, she also encountered its master, the sorcerer Kulan Gath, who used his powerful magic to send her to another time. Waking up in what seemed to be a cave, Sonja ventured out and discovered strange things she’d never seen in her journeys: metal beasts and bizarre weapons that fired lead slugs. Though she wasn’t aware of it at the time, Sonja had been transported thousands of years into January 2017.
With the help of a policeman named Max (who’d been taught Mongolian by his mother), the bartender Spike, and a Hyrkania historian named Holly, Sonja was able to learn more about the world around her, including Kulan Gath’s survival as the businessman Hank Gault. Sonja confronted Gath, and during their battle they’d learn Max was actually one of the surviving Meruvians, displaced into the future by another mage’s attempt at an escape spell.
This knowledge would prove vital in sending Sonja back to her time. After using a callout video to get Kulan’s panties in a twist, they lured him and his beast into an amusement park and opened a portal to Hyrkania. But even after being decapitated, Gath still wouldn’t go down, forcing Max to sacrifice his own freedom and tackle the sorcerer back into his own time.
Hoping to get him back, Spike, Holly, and Max’s partner Jay helped Sonja on a cross country trip to Livermore Labs, a research facility funded by Gault industries and the source of Max’s last flickering phone signal. On her way there she’d wind up killing a member of a high profile gang to avenge a bartender’s son. This death quickly reached the ears of the FBI, who began a manhunt investigating Sonja and her partners. Around this same time Sonja’s party discovered the head of one of the gang’s shell corporations and found an ally in Hyrkanian historian and mage Professor Wallace, who was the one that sent them Max’s phone signal. Unfortunately, his attempt to power the machine that would create a portal to Hyboria was instead used by Gath to send his forces through. After tearing through several of his followers, Sonja and Wallace- or rather, duplicates of them created by Wallace’s spell- would end up tackling Gath back into their original time, with the real Sonja following through.
With Gath’s magic corrupting the portal’s location, the displaced Hyborians were sent to Hell, but quickly crossed the River Styx back to the land of the living. After meeting Max’s partners Taya and Lera, Sonja made her way to Gath’s fortress and seemingly killed her duplicate that Gath swayed to his side. Sonja’s group then engaged in a final battle against Kulan’s army, joined by a reformed Beast of Khauran, which incinerated its former master.
With the battle won, Wallace and Max returned to New York, and Sonja continued her life of adventure in Hyboria alongside Taya and Lera. During a journey to return the legendary Blade of Skath to its rightful place in Cimmeria, the trio would accidentally wind up hired by its current ruler, Rusa Sandak, to clear out a nearby village so he could have more space for an upcoming festival. Her time in the village eventually led her to Skath, now a vagrant after he’d been usurped during a quest. Still eager for revenge, the disgraced lord teamed up with Sonja’s party to right the wrongs done to him.
Thanks to Lera’s impromptu inspirational speeches, Skath united his former subjects into a loyal battalion ready to help him reclaim his throne… but when he was found drunk and unconscious, Sonja led the battle instead. Skath joined in soon after and directly challenged Sandak to a duel and quickly defeated him. His kingship restored, Skath gave Sonja his blessing to carry his sword, but this joyous occasion was interrupted by Sonja’s duplicate, who exposed Lera’s possession of Kulan Gath’s amulet. The two Sonjas battled once again, with the original tricking her clone into falling to her death. Unfortunately, the knowledge of Lera’s betrayal caused Sonja to abandon their group, swearing that from this point on she’d work alone.
During her solo journeys, Sonja would again cross paths with Gath and kill him, casting his amulet into the ocean so it could never be found. Though this seemed like a good idea at the time, it wound up ensuring doom for the entire world as Mistress Hel, goddess of the underworld, used the amulet’s power as incentive for many other beings to spread chaos and destruction, eventually culminating in the amulet being destroyed and the timeline going with it. Hoping to prevent this, Sonja and the modern day dhampir Chastity teamed up to retrieve the amulet and begrudgingly revive Kulan. And thanks to the carelessness of Evil Ernie, Gath was revived using the demon Purgatori as his host.
Though they initially struggled against Gath, Ernie was able to transfer the last of his power to Sonja’s sword, allowing her to injure Gath enough for Purgatori to reclaim control of her body. However, Gath would still be revived when Sonja placed his amulet on a nearby corpse, leaving him weaker than ever and restoring the timeline. But this time, rather than kill him, Sonja allowed Gath to leave on foot, challenging him to regain his full power if he managed to survive the desert. Then she would kill him.
Personality
Sonja is a fierce warrior whose thirst for battle is only matched by her love of ale, to the point where a tavern is usually her first stop when entering a town. She can drink enough to rack up an $837 bill, downed a strong moonshine with no issue, and her price for slaying a giant demon was a lot of ale and a Shamballan dagger.
Despite initially being confused by the modern day, she soon came around after learning English, tasting beer, and discovering hot baths and motorcycles. She considered New York amazing and wanted to stay there. She also seems to have a natural charisma around her, since early on in New York she was able to befriend an entire bar despite barely speaking any English. Her other ventures into modern times gave her a love of football.
She has a tendency to swear by the gods, usually invoking Tarim, Mitra, or “the goddess” when surprised, Crom when excited. Among her invocations are “Tarim’s blood,” “Mitra’s milk,” “Dagon take thee,” “Od’s blood,” and “Bel’s beard.”
She believes the gods watch over everyone and has occasionally prayed to them, asking Mitra for help during stressful situations or begging him and Scathach to lend her strength.
Sonja’s occasionally been shown to be impatient when people or situations annoy her or try to impede her. Should this happen, she’ll respond by threatening or resorting to violence if it makes things move faster. She’ll get snippy and sarcastic when annoyed, and become furious to the point of lashing out if others speak for her and accept dishonorable work on their behalf. While she can be a bit thick-headed and often tries to solve problems with brute force instead of subtlety, there have been times where she talked her way out of potential conflicts. She’s also extremely cautious around sorcerers due to her natural distrust of them.
She’s willing to do anything to win in battle, even blinding enemies or ripping a demoness’s guts out.
She has no problem going around naked and takes pride in being called a crazy bitch. She’s occasionally referred to herself in the third person and enjoys fighting others.
She‘s sympathized with Wallace’s desire to reunite with his family.
Like all other versions of Sonja, she hates magic.
Experience
Sonja has a wide range of combat experience, with her body count estimated to be in the hundreds. She’s battled drug dealers, undead skeletons, Kulan Gath and his followers, the Beast of Khauran, a giant alien, and even a duplicate of herself with all her memories that was enhanced by Gath’s magic. While on weekly journeys she and her party battled threats like giant spiders, undead sorcerers, elite guards, and followers of Kulan Gath. She even held her own against the succubus Purgatori despite being weaker and slower than her.
She’s been to Hell before, sparred with an immortal swordsman, slew an entire army of marauders, later did the same to a squad of trained guards, bathed in the fountain of youth, forcibly tamed a wyvern, and killed mythical monsters like the sphinx, gryphon, and wolf men. It’s even shown in a flashback that she’s the same Sonja from Swords of Sorrow, which technically means she’d have the same experience as Gail Simone’s Sonja.
During the Vampirella/Betty and Veronica crossover, she wound up traveling to the past, battling robots and soldiers during the Vietnam war, then discovered aerial combat thanks to Dilton Doiley.
She’s skilled at improvising in unexpected situations, like turning a stick into a hunting spear while stranded in modern New York, hijacking a semi truck to destroy a drug trafficking base, using a bamboo stick against a troll, beating a vampire with an IV drip, and turning a drumstick and flagon of ale into impromptu weapons.
Strength
Red Sonja #0:
Severs the Beast of Khauran’s tail and cuts it.
Red Sonja #1:
It takes three policemen to hold her down and cuff her.
Overpowers a buff male nurse, elbows him, headbutts a doctor, and breaks through a window.
Red Sonja #2:
Beats a man at arm wrestling.
Flips a table with her hands and slams two guys’ head together.
Red Sonja #3:
Throws her sword to disarm a woman with a gun, then bludgeons one of Gath’s men.
Red Sonja #4:
Severs the Beast of Khauran’s tendrils.
Red Sonja: The Long Walk to Oblivion:
Cut a man’s nose off.
Amputates an archer.
Impaled some swordsmen and severs one’s hand.
Stabs a swordsman in the head, then kicks another and decapitates him.
Red Sonja #6:
Kicks the wire framing out of a ferris wheel’s window.
Stabs the Beast of Khauran.
Decapitates Kulan Gath.
Red Sonja #7:
Knocks a gun out of a drug dealer’s hand.
Flips a gang member and later decapitates him.
Red Sonja #9:
Stomps on a man’s head.
Kicks two gangsters.
Red Sonja #10:
Punches a vulture.
Punches a man hard enough to make him spit blood, headbutts his partner, lifts him one-handed, and begins choking him in her grip.
Makes a man spit blood with a kick and sweep kicks two guards.
Red Sonja #11:
Knocks a man out with a punch.
Stabs one of Gath’s followers through the chest.
Lifts one follower and knees another.
Red Sonja #12:
Severs a skeleton’s hand and decapitates it.
Lifts a skeleton into the air and throws it.
Red Sonja #13:
Backhands a priest.
Cuts through and scatters several skeletons’ bones.
Bifurcates two zombies and stabs another in the chest.
Red Sonja #14:
Kicks one of Gath’s followers and decapitates two more.
Red Sonja #15:
Kicks a Gath follower in the face and stabs him.
Cuts a spear in half.
Snaps chains apart.
Kicks her clone in the face and kills her with her own sword.
Red Sonja #16:
Cuts a spear in two and kicks the guard attacking her.
Slashes a guard across the chest and decapitates him.
Red Sonja #17:
Stabs Adin the Unkillable in the arm.
Red Sonja #18:
Decapitates one of Gath’s followers, chucks her severed head at another follower, and stabs a third in the stomach.
Scalped a sorcerer and punched a Gath follower in the nose.
Knocked a man to the ground with a punch.
Red Sonja #19:
Chokes Lera for a bit before releasing her.
Slashes a Gath follower across the chest then impales another from behind and throws her off.
Slashes a follower in half.
Red Sonja #20:
Kicks Skath.
Red Sonja #21:
Punches a shark and later stabs it.
Punches her clone.
Red Sonja #22:
Beats Zercat with a bamboo stick.
Red Sonja #23:
Slices a sphinx’s throat.
Grabs a gryphon’s neck and throws an axe into its head.
Red Sonja #25:
Slashes a bandit across the chest and stabs another.
Punches a pirate, knocks another back, and kicks a third.
Red Sonja: Halloween Special:
Beats a man in an arm wrestling contest.
Decapitates a wolf man and throws his head through Kulan Gath’s ghost.
Beats some cultists with a drumstick and mug.
Severs an elder god’s tendril and hurls her sword into a cultist’s chest with enough force to send him flying.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #2:
Chokes a Russian guard out so hard that Vampirella thinks she killed him.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #3:
Chokes out some more Russian guards.
Shoulder tackled through a wall and kicked a steel door off its hinges.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #6:
Kills and skins a bear.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #7:
Lifts a gangster one-handed.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #8:
Pushes a door off its hinges, grabs a man, and throws him.
Pushes a police officer and his chair some distance.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #9:
Kills a giant alien.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #10:
Slams Vampirella into the ground.
Tackles Vampirella and kicks her.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #1:
Tackles a high school football player, keeps running after several others try dragging her down, and walks over them.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #2:
Throws a football into a dude’s crotch.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #5:
Knocks a woman out with the butt of her sword.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #7:
Decapitates a robot and cuts a vent cover open.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #9:
Impales, lifts one-handed, and kicks three soldiers.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #11:
Decapitates Jack Pulaski.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #12:
Decapitates a robot.
Red Sonja: Ballad of the Red Goddess:
Elbows, knees, and kicks two marauders.
Stabs through a scorpion-like monster and decapitates four men.
Slits her rapist’s throat.
Impales and cuts through multiple marauders.
Decapitates and severs the arms of several guards.
A muscular man screams in pain when she grabs his wrist, then she decapitates him.
Slices Thallos across the stomach, stabs him through the heart, and kicks him some distance.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #1:
Decapitates Kulan Gath and crushes his head with a stomp.
Decapitates some vampires and a sailor.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #2:
Cuts Lady Demon.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #5:
Impales and decapitates vampires.
Breaks Purgatori’s nose with a knee strike.
Slashes a zombified Chastity.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #6:
Severs Purgatori’s hand.
Cuts through Gath’s shield thanks to Evil Ernie’s energy amping her sword.
Slices Purgatori across the stomach and severs one of her wings.
Rips Purgatori’s guts out.
Red Sonja #0:
Severs the Beast of Khauran’s tail and cuts it.
Red Sonja #1:
It takes three policemen to hold her down and cuff her.
Overpowers a buff male nurse, elbows him, headbutts a doctor, and breaks through a window.
Red Sonja #2:
Beats a man at arm wrestling.
Flips a table with her hands and slams two guys’ head together.
Red Sonja #3:
Throws her sword to disarm a woman with a gun, then bludgeons one of Gath’s men.
Red Sonja #4:
Severs the Beast of Khauran’s tendrils.
Red Sonja: The Long Walk to Oblivion:
Cut a man’s nose off.
Amputates an archer.
Impaled some swordsmen and severs one’s hand.
Stabs a swordsman in the head, then kicks another and decapitates him.
Red Sonja #6:
Kicks the wire framing out of a ferris wheel’s window.
Stabs the Beast of Khauran.
Decapitates Kulan Gath.
Red Sonja #7:
Knocks a gun out of a drug dealer’s hand.
Flips a gang member and later decapitates him.
Red Sonja #9:
Stomps on a man’s head.
Kicks two gangsters.
Red Sonja #10:
Punches a vulture.
Punches a man hard enough to make him spit blood, headbutts his partner, lifts him one-handed, and begins choking him in her grip.
Makes a man spit blood with a kick and sweep kicks two guards.
Red Sonja #11:
Knocks a man out with a punch.
Stabs one of Gath’s followers through the chest.
Lifts one follower and knees another.
Red Sonja #12:
Severs a skeleton’s hand and decapitates it.
Lifts a skeleton into the air and throws it.
Red Sonja #13:
Backhands a priest.
Cuts through and scatters several skeletons’ bones.
Bifurcates two zombies and stabs another in the chest.
Red Sonja #14:
Kicks one of Gath’s followers and decapitates two more.
Red Sonja #15:
Kicks a Gath follower in the face and stabs him.
Cuts a spear in half.
Snaps chains apart.
Kicks her clone in the face and kills her with her own sword.
Red Sonja #16:
Cuts a spear in two and kicks the guard attacking her.
Slashes a guard across the chest and decapitates him.
Red Sonja #17:
Stabs Adin the Unkillable in the arm.
Red Sonja #18:
Decapitates one of Gath’s followers, chucks her severed head at another follower, and stabs a third in the stomach.
Scalped a sorcerer and punched a Gath follower in the nose.
Knocked a man to the ground with a punch.
Red Sonja #19:
Chokes Lera for a bit before releasing her.
Slashes a Gath follower across the chest then impales another from behind and throws her off.
Slashes a follower in half.
Red Sonja #20:
Kicks Skath.
Red Sonja #21:
Punches a shark and later stabs it.
Punches her clone.
Red Sonja #22:
Beats Zercat with a bamboo stick.
Red Sonja #23:
Slices a sphinx’s throat.
Grabs a gryphon’s neck and throws an axe into its head.
Red Sonja #25:
Slashes a bandit across the chest and stabs another.
Punches a pirate, knocks another back, and kicks a third.
Red Sonja: Halloween Special:
Beats a man in an arm wrestling contest.
Decapitates a wolf man and throws his head through Kulan Gath’s ghost.
Beats some cultists with a drumstick and mug.
Severs an elder god’s tendril and hurls her sword into a cultist’s chest with enough force to send him flying.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #2:
Chokes a Russian guard out so hard that Vampirella thinks she killed him.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #3:
Chokes out some more Russian guards.
Shoulder tackled through a wall and kicked a steel door off its hinges.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #6:
Kills and skins a bear.
Breaks through a wood door and a stone wall.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #7:
Lifts a gangster one-handed.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #8:
Pushes a door off its hinges, grabs a man, and throws him.
Pushes a police officer and his chair some distance.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #9:
Kills a giant alien.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #10:
Slams Vampirella into the ground.
Tackles Vampirella and kicks her.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #1:
Tackles a high school football player, keeps running after several others try dragging her down, and walks over them.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #2:
Throws a football into a dude’s crotch.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #5:
Knocks a woman out with the butt of her sword.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #7:
Decapitates a robot and cuts a vent cover open.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #9:
Impales, lifts one-handed, and kicks three soldiers.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #11:
Decapitates Jack Pulaski.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #12:
Decapitates a robot.
Red Sonja: Ballad of the Red Goddess:
Elbows, knees, and kicks two marauders.
Stabs through a scorpion-like monster and decapitates four men.
Slits her rapist’s throat.
Impales and cuts through multiple marauders.
Decapitates and severs the arms of several guards.
A muscular man screams in pain when she grabs his wrist, then she decapitates him.
Slices Thallos across the stomach, stabs him through the heart, and kicks him some distance.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #1:
Decapitates Kulan Gath and crushes his head with a stomp.
Decapitates some vampires and a sailor.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #2:
Cuts Lady Demon.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #5:
Impales and decapitates vampires.
Breaks Purgatori’s nose with a knee strike.
Slashes a zombified Chastity.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #6:
Severs Purgatori’s hand.
Cuts through Gath’s shield thanks to Evil Ernie’s energy amping her sword.
Slices Purgatori across the stomach and severs one of her wings.
Rips Purgatori’s guts out.
Speed
Red Sonja #0:
Dodges the Beast of Khauran’s fire breath.
Leaps away from an oncoming subway train.
Red Sonja: The Long Walk to Oblivion:
Cuts an arrow in half before it can hit her.
Red Sonja #7:
Grabs a knife from behind.
Red Sonja #13:
Dodges a mace swing.
Red Sonja #14:
Avoids a spear swing.
Red Sonja #15:
Blocks and dodges slashes from her duplicate.
Red Sonja #17:
Ducks under a sword swing.
Red Sonja #18:
Blocks a mallet swing.
Red Sonja #20:
Intercepts a sword swing.
Red Sonja #21:
Blocks her clone’s sword and dagger.
Red Sonja #22:
Dodges Zercat trying to crush her with a tree.
Red Sonja: Halloween Special:
Ducks under a wolf man’s claw swipe.
Red Sonja: Ballad of the Red Goddess:
Decapitates three men before they can recognize her.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #3:
Catches her dagger when it’s thrown back at her.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #4:
Dodges a sorcerer’s fire hand construct.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #3:
Blocks Chastity’s severed head being thrown at her.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #6:
Dodges fire breath and deflects a bolt of energy from Gath-possessed Purgatori.
Durability
Red Sonja #0:
Smacked by the Beast of Khauran’s tail, but gets back up.
Red Sonja #1:
Shot in the arm by a pistol.
Red Sonja #9:
At ground zero of this explosion when she crashes a semi truck into a Las Aranhas’ base. The next issue shows she came out completely unharmed.
Red Sonja #16:
Cut by her clone’s flaming sword.
Red Sonja #17:
Kicked by Adin the Unkillable.
Red Sonja #20:
Takes a punch from Skath.
Red Sonja #21:
Takes a punch from her clone.
Red Sonja #23:
Knocked back by a gryphon’s wings and survives a long fall.
Red Sonja: Halloween Special:
Smacked away by a wolf man.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #8:
Remains conscious after she gets crushed beneath some rubble.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #10:
Briefly put in a leg lock from Vampirella that chokes her.
Unharmed after falling from above the clouds to the ground.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #8:
She and Vampirella emerge unharmed after falling from orbit.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #11:
Punched by Jack Pulaski.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #2:
Blasted away by Lady Demon’s magic.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #3:
Withstands her arm being scorched by hellfire that burns her body and soul.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #5:
Slices her palm.
Slashed by Purgatori, slammed into the ground, thrown into a pillar hard enough to crater it, and slammed into it again.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #6:
Has Evil Ernie thrown on top of her.
Slashed across the face and punched by an enraged Purgatori.
Tackled into a rockside and choked by Purgatori.
Scaling
Kulan Gath
While she has admitted Gath is more powerful than her, Sonja has still managed to kill him time and again.
- His magic threatened to cause the Mayan prophecy, which would cause time to devour itself, tear Earthapart, and give him the power to remake the world.
- Destroying Gath’s amulet would break time and consume the entire timeline.
Vampirella
Sonja defeated Vampirella during her time as a vampire and has been depicted roughly on par with her as a human.
- Vampirella snapped a man’s fingers by grabbing his hand and can rip people to shreds.
- Moves at super speed and is a casual bullet timer.
- Throws a grenade back at some guards and seemingly tanks the explosion.
Chaos Comics characters
During the Age of Chaos series, Sonja crossed over with various members of the Chaos Comics line and held her own against them in battle. Given her prolonged fight with Purgatori, who demolished the other Chaos characters while weakened, it would make sense for Sonja to upscale from their feats.
- A weakened Purgatori:
Intelligence
Red Sonja #2:
Turns a stick into an impromptu spear for hunting ducks.
Red Sonja #3:
Learns how to speak English despite only being in New York for about one day.
Red Sonja #9:
Destroys a drug trafficking hideout by hijacking a semi truck and ramming into it at high speeds.
Red Sonja #10:
Tricks two guards into entering an elevator and ambushes them.
Red Sonja #20:
Identifies a vagrant as Skath based on his reaction to her sword.
Red Sonja #23:
Distracts a sphinx with a riddle and kills her while she’s trying to find an answer.
Feigns unconsciousness to lure a gryphon close.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #6:
Skins a bear and uses his fur for warmth.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #3:
Coaches Betty and Veronica in the use of weapons.
Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #12:
Trains the Drakulonians in aerial combat.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #2:
Recognizes Chastity is speaking English and switches over to talk to her.
Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #5:
Uses her cloak to blind Purgatori and attempt a sneak attack.
Abilities
Swordsmanship
Sonja’s sword skills have allowed her to completely sever a man’s head and decapitate three men in a single 180° swing. Lera, a skilled mercenary, has admitted Sonja has the best sword arm she’s seen.
Marksmanship
Sonja's shown multiple instances of hitting targets from afar. She's shot through several cans her first time using a crossbow, threw a severed head at another man, landed a bullseye with an axe, killed a gryphon by throwing an axe, killed a bandit by throwing a knife into his throat, and threw a knife into a demon’s eye.
Stealth
Sonja has snuck onto a wyvern without waking it, infiltrated the Las Aranhas headquarters unnoticed, and her clone watched her partners from the shadows without being seen.
Intimidation
Was so naturally terrifying that a sentry who killed countless men, women, and babies was unnerved just from the sight of her.
Hand-to-hand Combat
Sonja’s casually taken down trained guards with only a few punches or kicks and defeated a man with a chop to the throat and a punch.
Powers
Instinctive Reactions
Used her instincts to predict the actions of a vampire too fast to hit normally.
Arsenal
Scalemail Bikini
A set of bikini armor granted to her by the goddess Morrigan. Unlike previous Sonjas, this iteration is made of scalemail rather than chainmail.
Blade of Skath
Sonja’s main weapon. A legendary broadsword forged from pure Hyrkanian steel that was once wielded by Skath, the greatest warrior in Hyboria. It’s said to have been blessed thrice by priests of the great gods, though we never get any elaboration on what this means.
Scimitar
For some unexplained reason (probably artist’s interpretation), Sonja switched over to a scimitar in issue 22. She should use it to cut that hideous mess on her head.
Dagger
Sonja’s main side weapon. It’s useful in close range and makes for a deadly throwing weapon.
Axe
Sonja wielded an axe while fighting the Beast of Khauran in a museum and later dual wielded them when killing Kulan Gath.
Bow
Used while hunting food and during battle.
Horse
Sonja’s preferred method of transportation in the Hyborian age. They come in brown, black, and white. Some are even equipped with armor.
Crossbow
While getting used to the modern day, Sonja wielded a crossbow for long range combat.
Motorcycle
Sonja’s preferred method of transportation in America. She typically steals it from others.
Bamboo Stick
Used while battling Zercat the troll.
Wings
Invented by Dilton Doiley during her stay in Drakulon, Sonja used these mechanical wings to train the planet’s vampires in aerial combat.
Resistances
Extreme Temperatures:Sonja has no issue walking outside in the snow or enduring reentry speeds in nothing but her bikini.
Soul Manipulation:
Endured having her arm covered in hellfire, which burned her body and soul.
Forms
Vampire Sonja
After nearly dying from a club explosion, Sonja was saved from death when Vampirella bit her on the neck, turning her into a vampire. Unlike the previous time she was transformed, this time Sonja reveled in it… at least until her friends abandoned her. Then she became really mopey about it and eventually lost it when a sorceress retconned the series out of existence.
While in this state, she gains the following abilities:
- Superhuman strength, speed, and durability
- Heightened senses
- Night vision
- Flight
- Immortality: Her aging has slowed to the point that she lived to be hundreds of years old.
- Enhanced healing factor: Seemingly regenerated instantly when a giant attempted to crush her.
- Telepathy
- Vampirism: By biting another person, Sonja will transform them into a vampire.
- Shapeshifting: Sonja can turn into a bat and fly, and earlier Vampirella had grown wings and turned into a bat, complete with echolocation.
- Hypnosis: Vampirella was able to use hypnosis to lull people to sleep, force them to obey her commands, and forget what they were doing.
Feats
- Became a viral sensation after she beat several men in an arm wrestling contest
- Defeated her magically created clone twice
- Killed Kulan Gath
- Reignited Zercat the Troll’s passion for combat
- Killed Kulan Gath again
- Killed a zombie Chastity
- Held her own against a weakened Purgatori in a prolonged battle
- Revived Gath to restore the timeline
Weaknesses
Sonja may be a complete badass, but she isn’t perfect. Her sword has limits to what it can cut through since it bounced off Kulan Gath’s body armor, and excessively cutting through bone will damage its integrity and make its attacks off balance. And while she is extremely stubborn, it’s not to the extent that she can overcome hypnosis. Quite the opposite, in fact.
She’s also maybe a bit too trusting of people offering her food and drink. She once walked up to a house in the middle of nowhere, was only a bit suspicious when the woman inside gave her food without question, got knocked out by a spiked drink, and woke up completely robbed.
She’s also maybe a bit too trusting of people offering her food and drink. She once walked up to a house in the middle of nowhere, was only a bit suspicious when the woman inside gave her food without question, got knocked out by a spiked drink, and woke up completely robbed.
Conclusion
After a small break to focus on a few other side projects, Volume 4 is finally done, and this was a real improvement compared to Dynamite’s last two volumes.
The initial concept was enough to sell me. I’ve always been a fan of the “Conan in modern day” stories from Marvel, and seeing Dynamite do their own take on it was cool. Sonja riding a motorcycle was badass, Gath adapting to the times by becoming a businessman was a fun idea, and I liked Max as a character, but the reveal that he could use actual magic and was really from Sonja’s time felt a bit out of left field. When I read this my initial thought was that he’d turn out to be descended from Sonja’s bloodline or somehow connected to the Hyrkanians. The confrontation between Sonja and Gath was something I’m a bit mixed on. It had some good action and a decent ending, but at the cost of being too short.
And while I’m on the subject of complaints, reading through this arc and the next one in bulk made me realize there are a few plot threads that seem like they’re setting up future conflicts only to go nowhere. Issue 1 has Sonja notice Kulan Gath’s symbol on some doctors notice Kulan Gath’s symbol on some doctors and it’s implied he has some cabal of followers, but this never comes up again. He’s shown to have followers later on when he invades New York from the past, and the symbol shows up later on some Hyborian followers, but the modern ones from issue 1 aren’t followed up on. The next arc has a plot thread where Sonja has to take down Las Aranhas and gets the FBI on her tail, then after the gang’s taken down the FBI plotline is completely dropped!
Aside from those problems, the next arc was also pretty good. Having Sonja’s journey juxtaposed with Max exploring the Hyborian age made for some interesting scenes. My favorite was Sonja taking on an army of thugs with her crossbow and ramming a semi truck into their base, though I also appreciated the payoff in revealing that Max’s coin tricks were all being sent to his home village in the past. I got a ton of enjoyment out of seeing Sonja team up with Max’s partners and Kulan Gath being as big of a piece of shit as ever. Special mention to this scene, which actually got a chuckle out of me:
The initial concept was enough to sell me. I’ve always been a fan of the “Conan in modern day” stories from Marvel, and seeing Dynamite do their own take on it was cool. Sonja riding a motorcycle was badass, Gath adapting to the times by becoming a businessman was a fun idea, and I liked Max as a character, but the reveal that he could use actual magic and was really from Sonja’s time felt a bit out of left field. When I read this my initial thought was that he’d turn out to be descended from Sonja’s bloodline or somehow connected to the Hyrkanians. The confrontation between Sonja and Gath was something I’m a bit mixed on. It had some good action and a decent ending, but at the cost of being too short.
And while I’m on the subject of complaints, reading through this arc and the next one in bulk made me realize there are a few plot threads that seem like they’re setting up future conflicts only to go nowhere. Issue 1 has Sonja notice Kulan Gath’s symbol on some doctors notice Kulan Gath’s symbol on some doctors and it’s implied he has some cabal of followers, but this never comes up again. He’s shown to have followers later on when he invades New York from the past, and the symbol shows up later on some Hyborian followers, but the modern ones from issue 1 aren’t followed up on. The next arc has a plot thread where Sonja has to take down Las Aranhas and gets the FBI on her tail, then after the gang’s taken down the FBI plotline is completely dropped!
Aside from those problems, the next arc was also pretty good. Having Sonja’s journey juxtaposed with Max exploring the Hyborian age made for some interesting scenes. My favorite was Sonja taking on an army of thugs with her crossbow and ramming a semi truck into their base, though I also appreciated the payoff in revealing that Max’s coin tricks were all being sent to his home village in the past. I got a ton of enjoyment out of seeing Sonja team up with Max’s partners and Kulan Gath being as big of a piece of shit as ever. Special mention to this scene, which actually got a chuckle out of me:
The fight between Sonja and her clone was pretty cool. Last time something like that happened was when she fought Khala back in Trautmann’s run, and this was just as good of a fight. The aftermath with Gath getting really pissed from being flipped off also made me smile. And the final battle had some decent action, but it’s honestly a bit disappointing that Sonja and Gath never actually faced off. He just gets incinerated by the Beast of Khauran, Wallace demands his remaining forces surrender, and that’s it. Still, the epilogue was pretty solid, and it actually felt like a good point to end the series on. So it made me curious how they planned to follow this up.
If there’s one word I could use to describe the arc with Skath, it’s entertaining. Sandak was a fun villain, and Lera’s constant impromptu pitches got a chuckle. Skath going from a depressed drunk to restoring his position as king made for a nice arc, and Sonja’s clone coming back legitimately caught me off guard. Apparently she was still around! Sadly, while the fight between them was cool (albeit not as good as their first match), the way it ended felt a bit disappointing.
Issue 22 was also disappointing and honestly felt like filler. The change in artists threw me off at first, but Jonathan Lau still did an amazing job… aside from the hair for Sonja’s redesign. Why would you approve this? It looks awful.
The last 3 issues were just one off adventures, and each one was of completely different quality. 23 was a decent story and had that funny moment where Sonja killed a gryphon by distracting her with a riddle. 24 kinda sucked. Most of the issue is Sonja unconscious and tripping out on spiked ale while the annoying old bitch responsible taunts her. And why did this ancient hag spike the She-Devil of Hyrkania? Sonja’s horse nearly trampled her while she was in the middle of the road, and Sonja called her an old crone. Yeah, that makes sense. At least the art looked good. And issue 25 was decent, if a bit basic and not really final issue material.
In terms of spinoffs, Long Walk to Oblivion was a good prequel with excellent fight scenes and had a good showcase of Sonja’s more fun and brutal sides. The Halloween Special was decent, and the backup story by Tom DeFalco was a pleasant surprise, even if it was a bit short and the artwork didn’t really fit. The Holiday Special made for a fun return to the modern day adventures with Max, and its reprint of one of the old Marvel stories was fun to revisit.
Vampirella/Red Sonja was a series where I was cautiously optimistic before reading it. I haven’t read any of Vampirella’s solo series (yet), but I enjoyed the previous crossovers with Sonja and was hoping this could stack up, though the 12 issue length was confusing. I’m used to crossovers being one-shots or about 5-6 issues at most, and I had no idea how you could possibly stretch something out that long.
It had a good first impression with Vampirella acting as a detective in 1969 Russia, and while I enjoyed the first three issues, Sonja’s personality felt a bit off. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about her dialogue that doesn’t make her feel like herself. Issue 4 did alright with setting up the backstory for how Sonja ended up in the 60s, but it wasn’t really needed since issue 2 already explained how she got there. And everything afterward just drags my opinion down further.
Issue 5 was completely pointless. It had nothing to do with the overall story, Sonja doesn’t even show up in it, and the entire thing feels like padding.
Issue 6 only makes 4 and 5 even more unnecessary because the issue starts with Sonja and Vampirella seeing recaps of them. It doesn’t help the artwork took a bit of a nosedive and the rest of the issue goes by way too fast. Issue 7 has Sonja acting really weird, like trying to eat a rat (why?), and the supporting cast’s overuse of 1920’s slang is honestly kinda annoying. The Noir detective narration in issue 8 was fun, but having Sonja be the one to do it doesn’t fit at all. At one point I got so bored I started skimming the pages. The story was dragging its feet for way too long, the characters were written poorly, and I just wanted to move on to whatever was next.
Sonja becoming a vampire at the end of issue 9 felt like a lame retread of Prophecy, only instead of hating her transformation she’s immediately psyched out and enjoys it. That could have been an interesting plot line if the next issue didn’t have her do a complete 180 because her old friends deserted her. Now she suddenly hates that she met Vampirella, doesn’t want to be a vampire, actively fights her, and feels miserable. Issue 11 had a really bad fight scene between Sonja and a mind controlled Vampirella, then Vamp sacrifices herself.
And then the final issue came along. Good God, I haven’t been this annoyed at a comic in such a long time! Sonja’s side of this story is a montage of what happens afterward, then it cuts to her as an old lady and the sorceress from issue 4 decides to become relevant again by retconning the entire series out of existence! So not only does this series suck balls, it also ends up being a complete waste of time!
I never thought I’d say this, but I think I owe the Simone and Bennet runs an apology. I gave them a lot of shit, but Vampirella/Red Sonja made them look great in comparison. At least they didn’t end things by undoing their entire story.
And right after this there was another 12 issue crossover with Vampirella and Betty and Veronica. Weird idea, but like the previous series, I went into it with an open mind. I’ve also never read an Archie comic in my life, so I had no idea what to expect.
Issue 1 was decent, though there were a couple parts that made me tilt my head a little. Sonja and Vampirella call each other “sister” a few times, which they did in their previous crossover, but it doesn’t really make sense to do that here when that crossover was completely wiped from history and their memories. Another thing that didn’t make sense was Betty and Veronica trying to pass them off as high schoolers so they could investigate on campus murders. I don’t care if they try to excuse it by saying they’re European. Nobody in their right mind would see Sonja and Vampirella as teenagers. Issue 2 was alright, though the most interesting thing was the reveal that Sonja in this is the same one from Swords of Sorrow. I would bring up how that doesn’t make sense when those Sonjas have completely different personalities and backgrounds, but then I remembered Swords of Sorrow implied Gail Simone’s version is the same one that met Spider-Man, which can’t be possible for similar reasons. I guess I can just file those instances as more evidence for my “Each Red Sonja run is likely interconnected via reincarnation” theory.
Aside from those minor complaints, the Sonja/Vampirella/Betty and Veronica crossover was pretty decent. Amy Chu’s writing was as spot-on as before. A bit more comedic than her solo, but I should probably expect that from an Archie series. Not being familiar with Vampirella also left me a bit confused when Vudusol and Draculina showed up, but they were entertaining enough villains.
Sonja and Vamp traveling to the 70s was fun, especially with how they replicated the artstyle and cheesy tone of comics from that time. The last two issues were good, though Jack Pulaski was honestly kind of disappointing as a villain. The dude was barely relevant for this story, then he shows up as a cyborg after getting reconstructed by his own machines to fight Vampirella and the reformed Vudusol and Draculina. And as good as that final issue was, there was one big mistake. They ended it on a cliffhanger that, as far as I can tell, was never resolved. Still, I’d rather have an ending that’s unresolved than a massive reset button.
Ballad of the Red Goddess was great, but that’s to be expected when you have a book written by Sonja’s creator and original writer Roy Thomas. Esteban Maroto and Santi Casas did an excellent job with the art as well. The vibrant reds really stood out in the monochrome yet detailed panels. Special mention to the splash page at the end that recreates panels from a lot of Sonja’s Marvel and Dynamite stories.
Age of Chaos was cool, but much like the previous crossovers, I had no idea who any of these other characters were. I only vaguely remember Purgatori was in Swords of Sorrow, but they all seemed interesting. Evil Ernie was easily the best out of them all. Only complaint I had was the return of Sonja’s ugly issue 22 hairstyle.
Despite Sonja’s design not being as good as usual, the art from Jonathan Lau still looked great and helped show off some insanely brutal fights. The writing was solid, even if Chastity acted a bit weird at times and Sonja sparing Gath at the end felt a bit questionable. Still, it was a good finale for the Amy Chu iteration of Sonja.
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