Can the Queen handle the potential ramifications of her tournament. or is Hyboria doomed?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

When the tournament ends, will a world war begin? Will the victor claim his spoils? Will the assassin meet the Queen’s justice? Plots, within plots within plots are revealed and the future of Sonja’s rule takes shape.

It’s a tense situation, as the tournament draws to a close and the future of everything Red Sonja has built hangs in the balance.  To be honest, whether you’ve read about the She-Devil with a Sword before doesn’t matter here, as this release sums up who she is perfectly.  From the first to the final page, this issue celebrates her history in a way that will simply please long time fans while taking a solid shot at attracting new readers.

Luke Lieberman does a really good job with the script, as he maneuvers a somewhat mishandled arc to a logical place with some interesting plot strings.  The dialogue at times can be rather corny, but it’s the narrative control and the consistent pacing that ultimately saves this issue from flaws suffered in the previous few.  The series writer nails the world perfectly, as he offers-up an honest reflection on this character and the now vulnerable rule she has built.

Milton Estevam does a superb job delivering a consistently strong look that fits this comic book well.  Each line and proverbial pencil stroke works in a way that offers a somewhat detailed but believable atmosphere that’s chock-full of some very compelling action sequences   Though there were a couple panels that came off a bit rushed, as attention to detail and overall quality seemed to be a bit absent from their final rendition.

Queen Sonja #32 is an issue that establishes a very strong narrative footing while celebrating the history of its storied main character, and the art is good to boot.  Recommended.

4/5