Red Sonja #71 Review


Following last month’s stellar issue does the series enter a bold new direction or does it inadvertently take two steps back with this epilogue?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

First issue in a new story-arc! Red Sonja is back on the mainland. But with her clapped in irons and tossed into the Hyborian equivalent of a lunatic asylum, things could be going better for our hero!

It’s a somber and slow moving tale that’s slightly different from the usual fare associated with the She-Devil with a Sword.  Yes, this is still through and through a Red Sonja release that’s full of the usual adventure tropes, but it’s also an issue with a huge helping of emotional pathos that simply ebbs and flows within its pages.

Eric Trautmann delivers something really special with his latest script.  Not only does the series scribe employ action and suspense but also misdirection in order to sell his somewhat complicated but poignant plot.  It’s a beautifully handled story that won’t make fans necessarily smile, but it might make them proud that they decided to purchase it.  The only complaint I have with regards to the conclusion of this saga is that the narrator at times was a bit overbearing, and because of that it took a bit of the strength out of a couple minor scenes.

Edgar Salazar handles the art and he does a splendid job giving this ancient world some life.  He doesn’t get much of a chance to really stretch his legs due to the context of the narrative but the control the talent displays is extraordinary.  As his pencil strokes yield some lavishly detailed characters trapped within a rich looking world.  His depiction of our heroine is spot on but there were a couple moments where the well-suited structure attributed to her dipped a bit in quality with regards to her allies.

Great holiday shopping starts at TFAW.com!

Red Sonja #71 is one of the best issues I’ve read from this series and it wholeheartedly earns the score below.  Highly recommended.

4.5/5

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