Are there real consequences in this issue, or is this story arc a waste of your valuable time?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

Queen Sonja learns the price of breaking her vows to the Goddess, as the tournament turns to chaos and ruin. As enemies beset her on everty side, can Queen Sonja find the assassin who threatens to plunge her realm into bloodshed?

Red Sonja launched a tournament for her hand, but much to her chagrin an assassin has taken advantage of the situation, killing not one by two rulers from the visiting lands.  I admit I was fairly lukewarm about his story arc in my previous review for Queen Sonja #30, but the creative team steps up their game in this latest outing, delivering what can only be described as a very solid little romp.

Luke Lieberman hands in a script that takes the established narrative into some interesting directions that ultimately bring about an engaging cliffhanger.  The dialogue in this issue ranges from overly corny to honest, as each character attempts to carry a scene but ultimately fails to rise to the challenge.  However, the fun of this release is that the story itself plays with the audience, while slowly dropping clues before eventually revealing just who the assassin is.

Milton Estevam does an alright job with the art, delivering characters and backgrounds that are detailed enough to carry the story forward while not attempting to push the boundaries of comic design.  The panels themselves feel devoid of personality as the intrepid artist uses some rather awkward poses to show off our main character and her attributes.  But truth be told, it’s that lack of adventure and unnecessary form choices that drag down the work on display here.

Queen Sonja #31, is a fun and engaging read that improves on some old errors while attempting to dodge a few new ones.  Recommended.

3.5/5