Red Sonja (Volume 5/Mark Russell)

Background

Red Sonja
Aliases: Sonja the Red, Queen Sonja of Hyrkania, the Angel of Death, the Red, the Blood Red Fury, the Iron Queen, the Red Hurricane
Nicknames: The She-Devil, the Red Queen, the Devil Queen, Death’s darling
Occupation: Warrior, Queen of Hyrkania (formerly), warmaster of Khitai (formerly)
First appearance: Red Sonja #1 (February 6, 2019)
Likes: Domo, Kryon, massages, protecting her people
Dislikes: Dragan the Magnificent, Jo’Khan, being Hyrkania’s queen, being called “Lady Sonja,” the sound of hoofbeats in the distance, bondage, rituals, sorcery

Backstory

"Know then, O Prince, that the warrior known as Sonja the Red was styled, not for the scarlet of her hair, but for the blood of all who challenged her. A sword of such renown that, to this day, songs are sung of her in the great halls and feasting tables go quiet at the mention of her name, which haunts memory like a ghost of terrors ancient. Her victories are without number and the tales of her adventures remain but dim reflections of her true valor. We know but legends of her, glimpses of times past, caught in the reflection of sharpened steel and illuminated by the flame of her fury.

Know also, O Prince, that Red Sonja did leave the realms of the Hyborian Age to serve as acolyte to the legendary Master of War, Domo of Khitai. But death and treachery are two strangers who stalk the fates of all. So it was that Khitai did fall, the master was slain, and flee Sonja did, back to the lands of her birth. A fat and desolate and oft-ravaged realm known alike to mapmakers, exiles, and men of fortune as ‘Hyrkania.’"
- The Nemedian Chronicles

The land of Hyrkania, a nation whose people are often regarded as unintelligent, backwater farmers, so poor they can’t even prepare their meat properly. Despite its poor reputation, this land was home to a young girl known only as Sonja. Raised in one of its villages by two loving parents, Sonja’s idyllic childhood would come to an abrupt end when the village was invaded by a group of raiders who set fire to her home.

With her home destroyed and her parents slain, Sonja hitched a ride onto the nearest cart, unsure of where she was going and uncaring toward her destination. Now on the streets of Zamora, she was forced to steal to survive, and it was there she met Jovan, who quickly became her partner in crime and her boyfriend. One day, as his father- the architect who’d built the royal treasury- lay dying, Jovan learned a secret from his father in his final moments: the location of a loose stone in one of the treasury’s walls that led to a secret entrance. Using this knowledge, the two continually stole from the treasury, only taking as much as they needed at first, but slowly becoming more greedy. This eventually reached the emperor’s notice, and after having the current treasurer executed, he appointed a new one: a crafty man named Dragan who announced that anyone caught stealing from the treasury would be executed alongside 3 generations of his family.

This news left Jovan spooked, but Sonja’s impulsiveness and persuasive attitude ultimately convinced him to give it one more try. This would end in disaster when he picked up a nearby lamp, activating a booby trap that left him completely enchained. Despite her best efforts, Sonja was unable to free him, and desperate to save his family from execution, Jovan ordered her to kill him and flee Shadizar. Left with no other choice, Sonja did as he asked, abandoning the city to aimlessly travel the land.

Her journey eventually led her to Domo, the war master of Khitai and greatest strategist who ever lived. Under his tutelage she learned about strategies and became not just a warrior but a military leader. Despite their productive relationship, it would meet an unfortunate end when Sonja failed to retrieve a scroll that indicted the prince of Khitai in plans to assassinate his own father. Realizing his death was imminent, Domo implored Sonja to leave him to his fate and head to the country of Kosala. Left with no other choice, Sonja fled Khitai and traveled to Kosala, but she’d soon find herself wrapped up in a completely different situation.

Unbeknownst to her, Dragan had risen to emperor, now calling himself Dragan the Magnificent. Having finished his seize of Stygia, he’d now set his sights on Hyrkania. Through sheer coincidence, his troops arrived at the exact moment Sonja was passing by her homeland. When the horse she’d been riding suddenly died, Sonja was forced to defend herself from Dragan’s passing troops, catching the attention of Hyrkania’s other defenders. Inspired by the legends they’d heard (and hoping to use her as a scapegoat), Hyrkania’s council of elders hastily appointed Sonja as their queen within earshot of Dragan’s messenger. In only the few seconds of being queen Sonja was offered an ultimatum: agree to join Dragan and the Zamorans or she and her people would die in battle.

Though she initially didn’t care either way, her disposition changed upon learning her cousin Kryon had survived her home being sacked, and that yielding to Dragan meant he’d be taken prisoner. Hoping to protect the only family she had left, Sonja sent Dragan a letter that refused his rule and gifted him a skull filled with horse shit.

Dragan was naturally offended and went to meet her on the battlefield, but his men were quickly slain and his baggage train stolen. The emperor would soon get his revenge when his men captured Kryon, threatening him with death unless Sonja agreed to his demands and married him. Unsure of what to do, Sonja weighed in with her council, but before they could make a decision Kryon commited suicide so Dragan couldn’t use him as leverage.

Now infuriated, Sonja ambushed Dragan, but despite killing several of his men, the emperor still managed to slip through her fingers. Dragan’s subordinate Foghor then took matters into his own hands by mutilating himself and going to Sonja, pretending Dragan had tortured him in an attempt to gain her trust. She wasn’t convinced, but Foghor still managed to foil her attempts at an alliance with the Woodland tribe, allowing Dragan to take over and burn their forest to the ground.

Left with no other choice, Sonja turned to the Tower of Wigur-Nomadene, hoping to gain allies in its sorcerers, but she was refused and sent away. By the time she left, she found out her people had performed a coup, crowned one of her subordinates king, and he immediately surrendered to Dragan.

Though she lost her throne, a small group of her subjects still remained loyal, viewing her as their queen even without her throne even without her throne. In an event that would go down as the Battle of the Bridge, Sonja’s army seized Dragan’s supplies and bridge and slaughtered them by controlling the battlefield, while Dragan died by Sonja’s hand.

Despite accomplishing what she’d originally set out to do, there were no victors. The Hyrkanians were struggling to manage their remaining resources and set up new ones. To provide for her people, Sonja embarked on a journey to Khitai, leaving her council members Isolde and Cerkus to rule while she was away. There she came face to face with Domo’s murderer, King Jo’Khan, and with help from her assistant Hannah, she convinced Jo’Khan to aid Hyrkania. However, he wanted a favor in return. In exchange for enough food to feed her people for five years, he asked Sonja to serve as his warmaster and destroy Zamora.

While at first conflicted about serving her master’s killer, Sonja remembered Domo’s lessons of honoring the living over the dead and agreed to his terms. After abdicating her throne to Isolde, Sonja took her place at Jo’Khan’s side and got ready to lead his armies, only to be horrified when she learned the troops she’d be sending in were no older than 12. Her disgust with the nation only grew when she learned the origins of the Festival of Idra. Believed by its subjects to be a previous king memorializing a daughter who died at a young age, the truth was that Idra had poisoned herself after her father violated her in indescribable ways.

But even with these revelations, Sonja stuck to her word, and with the tactics she’d learned from Domo, she managed to conquer one of the fortresses of Vehndya after killing the opposing leader. However, her decision to spare the remaining soldiers and let them leave enraged Jo’Khan, causing him to take command of the army while she was away scouting. By the time she found out, it was already too late, and she promptly killed Jo’Khan, freeing her from her bonds of servitude.

As a showing of good will- and to apologize for how disappointed he was in Jo’Khan’s actions- his advisor, Tortoise, agreed to send Hyrkania its shipments of food. And it was just in time, as the death toll from starvation had nearly forced Isolde and Cerkus to disband Hyrkania as a nation. With their resources replenished and her new lover Zo’Ran by her side, everything seemed to be going up for her… and then Dragan’s son Cyril appeared.

Unbeknownst to Sonja, Dragan had raised a son who’d ascended to the throne after his death. But Cyril had no intention ruling his people and gladly abandoned them, leaving them in disarray while he embarked on a quest to avenge his dad. And in an unfortunate stroke of bad luck, he returned right as Hannah and Zo’Ran had arrived to make a peace offering. Eager for revenge, Cyril had Hannah arrested and Zo’Ran executed, sending his severed head to Sonja as a twisted summons.

She proceeded to do as he requested, infiltrating Shadizar and killing its guards over the course of several days until she finally came across Cyril. But before she could execute him, Cyril’s surprising mastery of dark magic forced her to flee. Her escape led her to Zamora’s treasury, now reconverted into Dragan’s tomb, where she was then tracked down by Cyril. But even after watching her kill his berserkers, the young emperor was still confident in his victory. He watched over Sonja as she fought prolonged battles with his greatest warriors back to back, winning them all at the cost of some serious injuries. And when he finally decided to step in and finish the job, Sonja used a nearby mace to topple a statue onto Cyril, leaving him crippled.

But just when it looked like Sonja was about to be overwhelmed by his remaining men, Hannah and her cell mates came to the rescue. One of them, the Bird Lord, would prove the most valuable, using her flock to gouge Cyril’s associates to death and blind the emperor.

After spending her time healing, Sonja decided to leave Zamora early, but she refused to head back to Hyrkania. Instead she once again relinquished her throne to Isolde and traveled back to the Tower of Wigur-Nomadene with Cyril in tow and convinced its sorcerers to take care of him and grant him a new life. She then set off on a new journey, now accompanied by Cyril’s talking boar.

10 years later, an old, dying Isolde assigned her heirs Kentaro and Tristine to find Sonja and bring her back so she could tell her goodbye. But things had changed in the decade since they’d last seen each other. Sonja had grown into an alcoholic, hedonistic thrill-seeker, and their search led to her latest destination: Sultan Kimuichi’s “Great Games,” a contest to crown the greatest warrior in Hyboria. After Kentaro wound up captured and forced into the arena, Sonja intervened after learning why they were sent.

Though she saved his life, Kimuichi just used her intrusion as a way to boost ratings by setting her and Kentaro against fighters from every corner of Hyboria. And against all odds, they survived. Even when he tried to have Sonja and her friends assassinated, she still prevailed and escaped with his jewel-encrusted crown, then forced him and his men into willingly boarding the ship back to Hyrkania.

By the time they arrived, Hyrkania was already under attack by a new enemy: King Zander VII of Turan, but thanks to Sonja’s wits, his men were quickly overwhelmed and he was forced to sign a peace treaty. With their enemy defeated, Sonja and Isolde reunited one last time and celebrated their victory. The next morning Isolde passed away right after seeing Sonja off, while the She-Devil continued her travels.

Sonja’s adventures would continue for years, and near the end of her life, a much older Sonja would find herself battling the Lemurians, subterranean monsters led by the sorcerer Kael Al-Ammon. Under the watch of the red goddess Scathach, Sonja led her men into battle, slaying many of Al-Ammon’s underlings and killing their leader. As the Lemurians fled the battlefield and retreated underground, Sonja finally succumbed to her injuries and passed away, knowing in her final moments that no matter what, she would be reborn.

Personality

Pre-Timeskip

In her younger days Sonja was a bold, impetuous, and mischevious girl who could be extremely impulsive and greedy. She enjoyed fighting even as a child. She loved rubbing victory in the losers’ faces because it showed off her strength, but this would cause her to forego strategies. On the few occasions where she did try it, she regularly tried to save any individual in a group and honored those that died by leading her men into battle to avenge them, which just resulted in more losses. However, this changed after Domo’s death.

By the time we see her in the series, Sonja is often depicted as incredibly serious and stoic, displaying a no nonsense attitude even when those around her act bombastic and over the top. She doesn’t believe in concepts like honor or revenge, viewing the former as an excuse to die for nothing and the latter as being for idiots. She can get somewhat philosophical and introspective when doubting her actions, which crops up a lot more if her people or family are threatened/captured. She'll do whatever it takes to keep them alive, even if it means potentially marrying their kidnappers. But even with the odds stacked against her, she’s still confident in doing what‘s right and has no qualms about dying in battle.

Where previous Sonjas took pride in her countrymen, this Sonja knows little about it since she left at a young age and considers leaving it her best memory. Her memories of her home being destroyed happened so early on that she can’t remember her parents’ faces, and the only thing she can remember about anyone she’s lost is how they died. Even years later visiting Hyrkania reawakens the memories of her home’s destruction fresh in her mind. Her opinions on Hyrkania and its people are extremely low, as she‘s acknowledged their reputations as deceitful liars and cowardly bandits.

Despite this (and admitting she doesn’t care about her crown), she still willingly served as its queen as a pledge to protect her people, even if it means putting herself at risk, and to show them they can be more than how they’re perceived. Her time on the throne also led to her gaining a code of honor and new standards. She’s refused to hire mercenaries and considers widows and barren women more worthy of being in her army, even showing them sympathy.

During her time as warmaster, she expressed disdain for the idea of conquering lands, believing it was pointless when all empires will eventually crumble. She was also shocked and disgusted by how Khitai employed child soldiers and forced girls to become concubines when they were under 12.

During downtime while preparing for a war she admitted the only thing that scares her is the sound of distant hoofbeats since it reminds her of her home’s arson. When it came time to meet the general on the front lines, she at first tried to avoid conflict by negotiating, and she showed regret upon killing him, but promised to let his men go free.

By the time peace had come over Hyrkania, Sonja grew bored of having to settle mundane arguments and problems. When it was thrown into war again, she came to regret becoming Queen, believing that ruling a nation meant ignoring the ghosts of your past and your people’s suffering in favor of protecting your walls.

She’s extremely disrespectful toward corrupt authority figures, to the point of sending them shit or dead animals and having no qualms about killing them. But if she’s in the presence of one she trusts, she’ll implore them to form alliances.

Like other Sonjas she’s occasionally used phrases or sworn using the names of gods. Some examples include “Bel and Mitra” when confused, “Erlik’s teats” when angry, “God’s lips” when annoyed; “Tears of God,” “Erlik’s bones,” “Mother of Mitra,” “Holy tits of Ishtar,” “Shades of Erlik,” and “Crom’s beard” when surprised.

Unlike other Sonjas, who are known for their love of ale, this one barely touches it beyond this scene in issue 17. That same issue also shows she’s way more open to the idea of having sex, though she prefers a man who can make her laugh instead of a muscular warrior.

Post Timeskip

Following the timeskip in issue 25, her personality changed significantly. Her alcoholism is now more in line with previous Sonjas, and she’ll actively complain if she doesn’t have it. But this isn’t to the extent of, say, Gail Simone’s Sonja, as she acknowledges there are times to be drunk and times to be sober.

She’s become a lot more rowdy, excited, and confident, to the point of bantering with people. According to Tristine, there are even reports that she began perusing brothels.

Issue 26 shows that she gets annoyed when others call her “Lady Sonja.”

Red Sonja vs the Super Powers reveals that while she believes sorcery is real, she’s skeptical about superstitions and dismisses most magicians as charlatans. She also hates magic and throws out some really strange, foul-mouthed insults when she’s angry.

Her standards of modesty are far different, as she sees no problem in stripping naked around company to put on and take off new clothes, or to lose anyone following her. It’s also shown that she’s still got a bit of that mischievousness left in her since she had her companions strip naked and follow her into a freezing river for her own amusement.

Near the end of her life Sonja began following the ways of Scathach, offering her sword in service to the red goddess. Even in her older age, she still retained her love of combat and didn’t fear death, actively battling waves of enemies without any worry.

Experience

Sonja has known how to fight since she was a girl and was trained by Domo, the war master of Khitai, in the art of strategy. While her stubborn desire to save everyone made her a slow learner, she would be seen posthumously as his star pupil.

She’s killed many soldiers during times of war and killed many trained guards during a several day search and remained hidden the entire time. It got to the point where she became rumored as an angel of death and the remaining soldiers refused to go out and find her, even threatening desertion. She’s slain some of Shadizar’s buff, bloodlusted berserkers without breaking a sweat, then went on to battle its greatest warriors back to back while enduring injuries like a broken arm, lacerations, or multiple shots from arrows.

Even 10 years later she could still take down an army without much trouble and slay a group of the strongest fighters from every corner of Hyboria. In her older age she could even take down waves of enemies one after the other, and death doesn’t slow her down either. The miniseries Black, White, Red establishes that Sonja has reincarnated countless times across time and space, with one of them living to be the elderly warrior known as the Iron Queen.

But her exploits don’t end at just fighting humans. She’s battled giants, tigers, wolves, invisible monsters, necromancers, demons older than the multiverse, and even the metahumans of Project Superpower. This includes Mr. Raven, a martial artist with precognitive acuity; The Sword, who has enhanced swordsmanship; and their leader, Captain Future, who she sliced in half. And after joining the Super Powers, she fought and defeated Vampirella, an ancient vampire who she admitted was stronger and faster than her.

She’s been known to use underhanded tactics like biting and throwing dirt or an enemy’s remains in eyes to gain an edge. She’s also occasionally been known to exploit her surroundings, like throwing a torch to burn one of her attackers alive, exposing an invisible monster by throwing blood at it, turning a series of thorned vines into a makeshift rope, or throwing a hornet’s nest into a giant’s ear.

Strength

Red Sonja #1:
Decapitates a man, throws his head at another man, then slices open the second man.
Decapitates a man in a flashback.

Red Sonja #3:
Carries a man over her shoulder.
Makes a man spit blood with a punch and slashes Vorgon.

Red Sonja #4:
Forces a trident to the ground, splits it with a kick, knocks its wielder out with a kick, and pulls a mace out of another man’s hands to hit a third guy. Then she slaps the mace user.
Stabs a horseman in the stomach.

Red Sonja #5:
In a flashback she punches a guy hard enough to make him spit blood.

Red Sonja #6:
In a flashback she stabs a man in the stomach.

Red Sonja #7:
Throws a sword into the side of a chariot and kicks a soldier into it to decapitate him.
Stabs one of Dragan’s men in the chest and slices another in half.

Red Sonja #8:
Hits one of the Woodland tribeswomen with the butt of her sword.
Cuts through a giant tree branch and stabs a tribesman in the back.

Savage Tales: A Red Sonja: Halloween Special:
Decapitates Jovan.

Red Sonja #11:
Decapitates a man.

Red Sonja #12:
Decapitates berserkers and stabs them in the back.
Kills Dragan.

Red Sonja #13:
Decapitates and amputates some swordsmen.

Red Sonja #15:
Decapitates, stabs, and slits the throats of enemy soldiers, then cuts through a massive rope.
Kicks an assassin in the face, flips a table onto him, and punches him.

Red Sonja #17:
Slices two soldiers’ throats and cuts a snake in half.

Red Sonja #18:
Cuts a man across the stomach and pulls her sword out of another’s side in the aftermath.
Punches Jo’Khan and stabs him in the chest.

Red Sonja #20:
Stabs a guard in the throat, rips it out, and stabs another in the back. It’s later shown that she killed many more.

Red Sonja #21:
Decapitates a guard and impales another.
Throws her sword into a man’s chest, then throws it hard enough to decapitate two more.
Kills an entire squad of soldiers.
Cuts through a mace’s chain, its wielder’s side, and stabs his partner through the stomach.
Throws her sword into a giant’s leg.

Red Sonja #22:
Bites a giantess and kicks her in the face.
Rips her sword out of the giant’s leg and amputates it.
Barely deflects a mace after Cyril magically extracts the air from her lungs, kicks him while her vision’s blurring, and breaks through a window.
Throws a torch at a man and decapitates another.
Cuts a berserker and knocks him back, slams her hilt into another hard enough that he spits blood, and throws her sword into one.

Red Sonja #23:
Breaks a woman’s leg with a kick, impales her through the chest, and lifts her into the air. Then she stabs a man through the mouth.
Slices a man’s head in half, sending the top half flying, then impales another man through the head and out his helmet.
Killed many other fighters beforehand.
Amputates an axe wielder and stabs him in the stomach.
Rips an arrow out of her leg and stabs a man in the eye.
Severs a man’s arm.

Red Sonja #24:
Performs a heavy slash on a monster.

Red Sonja #25:
Smashes a man with a beer mug hard enough that it shatters, then punches a man hard enough that he spits blood.
Smacks a man with her hilt hard enough that he spits blood, then fights several other patrons, punching one and slicing another’s fingers off.
Slaps a guy’s ass with her sheathe, then slices throats, decapitates, and impales some others.
Headbutts a man hard enough that blood gushes from his nostrils.

Red Sonja #26:
Slices a man across the chest and kicks Kentaro.
Decapitates a bunch of warriors, with the final one sending his head flying through the air.
Knocks out a tiger with the butt of her sword.
Decapitates an assassin.

Red Sonja #27:
Pushes a man and kicks another off his horse.
Decapitates one of Kimuichi’s men and slices another’s throat.

Red Sonja #28:
Pushes two men off a cliff, grabs another by the wrist and flips him over, then disarms three swordsmen in one swing.
Chops one of Zander’s fingers off.

Red Sonja Valentine’s Special One-Shot:
Punches Kulan Gath hard enough to knock out his teeth, then beats him up offscreen.
Decapitates some of Gath’s cherubs, then does the same to him.

Speed

Red Sonja #21:
Slides under a slash and ducks under an arrow from behind.

Red Sonja #23:
Dodges two sword slashes.
Ducks before a mace can hit her again.

Red Sonja #25:
Casually dodges two punches.

Red Sonja #26:
Decapitates a bunch of warriors at rapid speeds, then leaps away from a mace swing.

Red Sonja: The Super Powers #1:
Stabs a bandit as he’s lunging toward her and dodges an axe.
Mr. Raven admits she’s really fast.

Red Sonja: The Super Powers #5:
Dodges a claw swipe from Vampirella and blocks some more.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #1:
Catches an arrow aimed at her from behind.
Barely dodges an invisible ape monster’s claws.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #4:
Ducks under a slash from King Ole.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #5:
Leaps away before an explosive can hit her, then ducks for cover while an expert archer is shooting at her.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #6:
Ducks under an axe swing.
Dodges a giant’s punch.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #7:
Ducks under a slash.

Durability

Red Sonja #1:
Thrown off her horse.

Red Sonja #8:
Survives being shot in the side by an arrow.

Red Sonja #22:
Endures a giantess trying to crush her and being choked by a spell that removes her air.

Red Sonja #23:
Knocked back by a mace and has her arm broken.
Shot in the leg by an arrow.
Struck across the back by a mace but still manages to dodge.
Shot by two archers and still has the determination to keep going, though this and the above injuries leave her in need of medical attention afterward.

Red Sonja #25:
Tackled by a soldier.

Red Sonja: The Super Powers #3:
Skarab Nor’s monster knocks her back by creating a shockwave when it stomps.
Shocked by Skarab’s electrokinesis and slammed into the ground hard enough to crater it.

Red Sonja: The Super Powers #5:
Backhanded into a car by Vampirella and tackled into a gate, then withstands being choked.
Endures getting beaten and scratched by Vampirella, then gets slammed onto a car hard enough to shatter its windows.
Knocked back by Vampirella’s wings, slammed through a wall, and smashed out of a window.

Vampirella vs Red Sonja #5:
Scratched on the side by a Netherborn possessed Vampirella.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #1:
Wades through freezing water naked with no problem.
Takes hits and scratches from an invisible ape monster.
Scratched by the monster despite wearing steel armor.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #2:
Punched by a giant monster.
Gets back up after being electrocuted by Kael Al-Ammon.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #3:
Hit by a dragon’s fire breath and knocked back by it charging.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #4:
Survived being shot in the side by an arrow and losing a lot of blood, though she’s left needing medical attention. She accidentally pulls some of her stitches when she wakes up and later reopens her wound during battle.
Shown via flashback to have taken two arrows to her leg, yet she can still jump toward the archer responsible with no issue.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #5:
Sent flying by Yul’s club, but quickly recovers.
Cut on the cheek by an arrow.
Scratched on the arm and bitten by wolfmen.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #6:
Thrown across a forest by a giant.

Scaling

Vampirella

Despite admitting Vampi was stronger and quicker than her when they fought, Sonja still managed to defeat her even while she was pissed off and bloodlusted. She even killed her in their rematch while Vampirella was amped.

Vampirella’s claws can tear through a car

Tackled Sonja hard enough to dent a metal gate

Kulan Gath

Sonja's beaten the shit out of him and killed him outright.

His magic threatened to cause the Mayan prophecy, which would cause time to devour itself, tear Earth apart, and give him the power to remake the world.
Destroying Gath’s amulet would break time and consume the entire timeline.

Intelligence

Red Sonja #2:
Tricks Dragan’s men into entering an ambush.

Red Sonja #4:
Has her men lay low then attacks a traveling band of mercenaries from behind.
Sets up decoy trails to distract Dragan and his men.

Red Sonja #5:
Has her men burn everything they can’t carry to prevent the Zamorans from using Hyrkania’s resources.

Red Sonja #7:
Distracts Dragan’s men by sending a small army, then uses a grass tarp to hide and sneak up on his chariot.
Throws a sword into the side of a chariot and kicks a soldier into it to decapitate him.

Red Sonja #9:
It’s mentioned that it would take at least a week for Dragan to find her army thanks to Sonja’s false trails.

Red Sonja #11:
Comes up with a plan to force Dragan’s army to cross a cramped bridge while preventing them from getting supplies.

Red Sonja #12:
Has her men burn the surrounding area to funnel Dragan’s men off a cliff and the ones that cross the bridge are stabbed from underneath.

Red Sonja #13:
Uses a horse as a decoy and attacks a group of bandits while they’re distracted.

Red Sonja #17:
Has her troops infiltrate a fortress in Vendhya by disguising themselves.
Instructs her archers where to fire when facing an opposing army.
Breaks a 3 day stalemate by having her more experienced soldiers swap clothes with the inexperienced ones, then leads them into battle while the enemy is distracted.

Red Sonja #18:
Ambushes a group of soldiers after distracting their leader.

Red Sonja #21:
Ties a rope around her sword’s hilt to turn it into a ranged weapon.
Identifies a hidden trapdoor.

Red Sonja #24:
Sets up multiple campfires to ward off bandits.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #1:
Realizes a jester is actually the sorcerer of Shangara from how he tried to order her around.
Uses her blood (and later its blood) to expose an invisible monster and listens to its breathing to find where it will strike.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #5:
Immobilizes Yul after tricking him into standing in front of a tree he accidentally chopped down.
Uses a wizard’s corpse as a decoy to trick an archer.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #6:
Turns a series of thorned vines into a makeshift rope to strangle a giant, then throws a hornet’s nest into his ear to distract him.

Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #8:
Uses candle wax to make herself immune to Valik’s hypnotic voice.

Abilities

Endurance/Pain Tolerance

Sonja’s pain tolerance is insanely tough. She’s had her arm broken and taken shots to the side, leg, and boob, yet could continue fighting with little difficulty.

Swordsmanship

Sonja’s said to be undefeated in single combat. When battling The Sword, a metahuman skilled in swordplay, he praised her swordsmanship and called it superb and said she was a virtuoso.

Marksmanship

Has thrown her sword into men’s throats or chests, killed a mercenary with an axe to the chest, threw an archer’s arrow back at him, and accurately shot down several gremlins with archery.

Thievery

During her time in Zamora Sonja had to become a thief to make ends meet and was an expert at swindling people without their knowledge.

Battle Tactics

Thanks to Domo’s teachings, Sonja has become an expert at planning and executing strategies. She’s tricked armies into entering ambushes, distracted them with decoy trails or decoys of her, snuck up on them from behind or below using the environment, and even burned her surroundings to prevent enemies from seizing anything or to back them into a corner.

Her skills as a leader are so great that it’s said Zamora would crumble in weeks if she led Khitai’s army in battle. And when she did become Khitai’s warmaster, her first mission ended in her men successfully capturing a fortress.

Stealth

While infiltrating Shadizar, Sonja remained hidden among its streets the entire time. Despite searching for several days nobody was able to find her, and the few that did encounter her didn’t make it out alive. She’s also effortlessly snuck through Shangara’s castle, which is said to be the greatest dungeon in the world, without getting caught.

Powers

Enhanced Senses

Could hear bandits sneaking up on her for the last six miles.

Reincarnation

Upon dying, Sonja will reincarnate into a new body. While the specifics behind this are never revealed, she’s said by the narration to have reincarnated countless times across time and space, and her inner monologue reveals she‘s aware of her previous lives.

Arsenal

Chainmail Bikini

Sonja’s usual outfit while traveling and battling. According to her (via a botched translator machine), it’s light and strong, covers areas like the vitals and groin so she won’t bleed out, and lets her move around fast and supple like a snake.

Khitai Armor

During her time as Khitai’s warmaster, Sonja donned plated armor with the sigil of a rabbit to honor Domo’s memory.

Breastplate

Sometime in the future Sonja added a breastplate to her armor for extra protection. It’s durable enough to stand up to a giant’s punch, though a blast of electricity can unfasten it.

Broadsword

Sonja’s main weapon, a steel broadsword stolen from Shadizar’s royal treasury. It also works as a good ranged weapon, and she can tie a rope around its hilt to make it even deadlier. The steel blade is particularly useful against demons, as it stops them from regenerating wounds. Even if it’s broken, Sonja can still use it for devastating kills.

Scimitar

Another sword she’s depicted wielding in Black, White, Red #3’s story “SSSHHHHHH!” and 6’s “The Daring Rescue of Crown Prince Maximilian.” It’s able to hold up against a giant axe without breaking.

Dagger

A curved blade used during her time as a thief in Shadizar. It was primarily used to remove other people’s belongings by their strings.

Axe

As shown above, Sonja can kill others by throwing axes with expert precision. She also has a larger, two-handed version meant to be used up close.

Horse

Sonja’s preferred method of transportation. They're usually depicted as brown or gray.

Grappling Hook

Used to scale up walls.

Grappling Rope

A deadlier version of the above.

Shield

Used to block arrows from distant archers.

Prototype Armor

Created by Professor Supermind, this Mark VII Smartweave armor is created with maximum flexibility and defensive options in mind. To simplify its creator’s weird technobabble, this armor’s made of nanotech scales and equipped with a sentient core that manipulates the scales in response to Sonja’s emotions. This lets it instant create weapons or shields for Sonja whenever she’s in danger, and it can even bind opponents. The shields are particularly useful since they follow her every movement and automatically block attacks. The cloak has similar features, shielding Sonja from oncoming danger or helping her fly through the air.

Unfortunately, she no longer has access to it since she sacrificed it during a fight with the Netherborn.

Shock Baton

A modified M646 shock baton that delivers high powered but nonlethal electric blasts. Despite its blunt edge, she can still use it for impaling or wield it as an impromptu staff. The long grooves are also useful for binding an enemy’s limbs.

Resistances

Possession:
Sonja‘s determination and sheer force of will made her completely immune to the Netherborn’s planet wide possession.

Feats

Became Queen of Hyrkania, albeit unwillingly
Repeatedly foiled Dragan’s attempts to conquer Hyrkania
Freed Dragan’s hostages and killed him
Became Khitai’s warmaster
Killed King Jo’Khan
Obtained a reputation as the Angel of Death from killing so many Zamoran guards
Killed many of Zamora’s best fighters
Crippled Cyril and later gave him a better life with the sorcerers at the Tower of Wigur-Nomadene
Freed Kentaro and the slaves of Sultan Kimuichi
Has slain many demon kings and sorcerers
Defeated a pissed off Vampirella
Killed Kael Al-Ammon and drove away the Lemurians in her final moments
Became the Iron Queen of Hyrkania and made its armies unstoppable
Killed Erik the Black, He-Demon with an Axe
Rescued Levkoy’s crown prince (and cat) Maximillian
Forced Morgona the Crimson to halt her business and return her stolen goods

Weaknesses

Sonja might be an incredibly dangerous and tenacious warrior, but she's not without her flaws. While her broadsword is incredibly strong, it has limits to what it can cut through or endure. It failed to cut through thick, gold chains and was shattered by Kael Al-Amon’s lightning spell, though she could still use it even in that state.

And despite the shock baton having massive reach, a smart enough opponent can turn this against her.

Conclusion

While the story immediately hooked me in, my previous knowledge of Conan and Sonja stories had me a bit skeptical about some of the locations. Hyrkania’s usually a massive country of flourishing city-states and fierce warriors. Here it’s a backwater village of cowardly farmers who can’t even cook their meat properly. Zamora’s a city of distrustful, greedy thieves, but this series has them as a thriving empire of able-bodied soldiers. And the depictions of Koth and Kush are seemingly reversed from what they’re usually like.

Some of the dialogue felt weird for some reason, and I can’t pin down why. These scenes stuck out as the most obvious examples while reading, and Isolde’s use of “fuck” in issue 24 had me do a double take. The last time I remember that kind of language in a Sonja book was this, but at least that had the excuse of being a pissed off copyeditor trying to sabotage the book. This is just putting in some anachronistic swearing that feels really at odds with the setting.

In terms of what I’m more mixed on, some of the art could be hit or miss. The covers by Amanda Conner were gorgeous and some of the variants (particularly Joseph Michael Linser’s) looked cool, but the interior art at times looked too simplistic and sketchy at times. Then there was the humor. The amount of jokes early on felt slightly disruptive considering the tone Mark Russel was going for, but they still got some chuckles out of me. A lot of it came from Dragan‘s dialogue. I liked how vain, childish, and egotistical he was, and the casual, dismissive tone he spoke with really highlighted just how much of a scumbag he could be. His speech while he left Hyrkania under Foghor’s care was easily one of his best scenes, and I loved his death, even if the art left me confused where Sonja had sliced him.

The Savage Tales Halloween Special was a great one-shot that did an excellent job at fleshing out Sonja’s backstory and how Dragan got his start. The only really problem was the art looked a bit off in places.

Lord of Fools gave some interesting world building. I loved seeing how Dragan’s prophecy came to be and the Oracon’s backstory was interesting, and the scene where he meets Tymor the Creator felt like something out of H. P. Lovecraft. The second story was a similar deal for Cerkus, though his sense of humor and philosophical attitude really set his story apart.

Killing Red Sonja was honestly kinda disappointing for a spinoff. I like the idea of Cyril trying in vain to get revenge on Sonja and rising to power because of it, but I couldn’t get past how bad its interior art looked.

The story arc with Jo’Khan had a few moments that made me laugh, though the character himself feels like a poor man’s Dragan. While I liked Sonja struggling with having to serve one of her worst enemies, Isolde and Cerkus becoming corrupt so quickly had me do a double take. I get the idea “absolute power corrupts absolutely,” but are you seriously telling me that Sonja’s the one exception to this rule? Even her own allies aren’t immune. They get a sliver of power and instantly turn into tyrants, to the point of ordering a man be trampled to death just because he stole a horse during a famine.

It’s especially bad because this never comes up again. We don’t see them performing any other executions or resorting to similar measures. The worst that happens is when Isolde considers having to disband Hyrkania, and that doesn’t come to pass because of some last second food imports.

There was also a weird recurring error with Jo’Khan’s name. After issue 14 the following issues change the spelling to “Jo’Qhan,” but the recap for each one keeps the original spelling. However it’s supposed to be spelled, at least his death was a satisfying way to end his arc.

Sonja and Zo’Ran becoming a couple afterward was a fun concept even if the death flags were being raised insanely high. Seriously, how can you not get those vibes from this dialogue? And I was right. Their relationship ended one issue after being established for real. That has to be a record!

Cyril’s transformation into a cruel tyrant was fun, like when he ordered that anyone unfit for battle disarm themselves and had the remaining soldiers execute them. Or the time he burned the Theraphim to force an answer out of them. But even then, he wasn’t as good of an antagonist as his father, and to be honest the entire story was starting to drag at this point. It was starting to give me reminders of Red Sonja’s volume 3 under Marvel.

Fortunately, the very next issue helped make up for it with that brutal fight with Cyril’s men. I might have to recheck, but that was easily one of the bloodiest, goriest Sonja fights I’ve seen in a while. Last time I remember something like this was in the Oeming run and its spinoffs. And the way Cyril’s men went out is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I just wish Cyril had died too. The actual ending he got felt disappointing and undeserved. I also thought the talking boar was kinda boring (no pun intended), and he was so forgettable I don’t even remember his name.

The timeskip and Sonja’s rapid shift in character in issue 25 felt weird. I guess you can see how she’d get to be like this if you put the pieces together, but still. The art also took a bit of a dive at points. Like with Amy Chu’s run, these last few issues feel shoehorned in, though in this case I’d argue it’s even more blatant. Issue 24 felt like it’s where the series should have ended. These last four feel like the higher-ups wanted more comics and demanded it at the last second. It would probably explain why Mark Russell got replaced as the writer and how aimless this arc felt.

I’m not even sure why they end Kimuichi’s final appearance with him swearing revenge. The next issue’s advertised as “The End,” and despite what you might think from the final page, the army attacking Hyrkania isn’t his. It’s another guy called King Zander who was just introduced. And yes, this series actually introduced a new villain in its last issue. He isn’t even a good villain. He’s kind of lame. He shows up, gets misdirected by Sonja, is forced to sign a treaty with Hyrkania, then he trudges back home. The rest of the issue also felt like a really weak note to end on.

The Valentine's Special was stupid, but in a fun way. Seeing Kulan Gath desperately try to get Sonja to reciprocate his love was hilarious, especially when it ended with him dying again just to get back up.

Red Sonja: The Super Powers was a weird series. I’d never heard of Project Superpowers before this, so I had no idea what I was getting into. It didn’t help that the Super Powers’ dialogue referred to a bunch of terminology and events I didn’t understand, like when their Wonder Woman equivalent- Vana- says “Leave a metapower iteration to its own development? We don’t want another 4571.” Sonja’s dialogue also felt really weird since after Mr. Raven activates a translator, all of a sudden she starts speaking in the third person with broken English. And it only shows up when she’s talking to them. Otherwise she’s back to normal. Is it to drive home the idea that Project Superpowers think she’s a savage? Because just looking at it from the surface makes me think Raven’s translators suck ass.

I thought Sonja’s interactions with the Super Powers were entertaining, though she did come across as overly ignorant and kinda pig-headed. The new armor was cool, if a bit gimmicky, and I was kind of surprised by how involved Vampirella got. She’s referenced twice and even shows up at the end of issue 4. The fight between them in the final issue was awesome, and I like how close it felt, but the cliffhanger ending was lame.

Vampirella vs Red Sonja was a good continuation, but the major shift in artwork took a bit to get used to. The title was also a bunch of clickbait bullshit. Vampirella and Sonja interact once in the first issue, and their “fight” in the last one doesn’t even qualify.

That’s it. That’s the main event the comic was named after, and it ends in two panels. Even their fight later on in the comic is still lame because Vampirella’s holding back so she won’t get fully possessed, and Sonja kills her anyway. But even with all my complaints, this was still better than Vampirella/Red Sonja.

Black, White, Red was mostly great with some (usually) excellent writing and art. The “Proelium Finalis” story by Jonboy Meyers in issue 2 was easily a standout with its bloody fights and writing that reminded me a lot of the 2005 run. Issue 3’s silent stories were also really fun, even if some of the art in “SSSHHHHHH!” was a bit hard to make out. Issue 5’s “The Iron Queen” had some of the best art I’ve seen a Red Sonja book, on par with the old Savage Sword of Conan stories.

Though there were a few stories that didn’t really catch my interest. The mushroom story after “Proelium Finalis” was kind of lame, and the ending of “Cold Monger” felt like it was missing a page or two. Sonja beats King Ole and he touches her face, then her nameless partner shows up out of nowhere, apologizes that he can’t save her, she kisses him, then she dies. I’d understand if the intent was that Ole froze her like with this guy earlier in the story, but that’s not reflected in the art.

There were also a few stories where the art looked terrible, like issue 5’s “The Chilling Touch of Death” where Sonja looks like a dude in a red wig.

Issue 6’s ”Morgona the Crimson” was a weird one. The artstyle and humor were fine and made me chuckle, but they were too cartoonish to fit the Red Sonja universe. Its final story, “The Giant,” had some gorgeous art.

Issue 7 felt kind of lackluster with a first story that was only alright, a middle story that dragged with an artist that seemed unable to draw faces, and a final story from Amy Chu that was just weird in both artwork and story. The reveal at the end that it was all a dream sucked.

The last issue was decent, but it felt like it could’ve been so much better. Sonja going up against Valik was cool, as was the way she countered his hypnosis, and the story where she was a pirate captain sounded awesome in concept. Unfortunately, I wasn’t really a fan of the end product. It felt kind of rushed. And that last story with Sonja talking to a little girl was a bit boring, not helped by some weird expressions and unfitting anime-esque eyes from Sonja.