A new Red Sonja mini-series begins here, but is it worth a pick-up?  Read on to find out.

The official description from Dynamite:

Know also O Prince, that Thulsa Doom did not go quietly into the night, his spirit endured, weak and horrible and viscous. Free of all humanity, hungering with a primal desire, all his thoughts were bent on but a single purpose, Thulsa Doom wanted to go Home.

Atlantis Ressurrection! When that which sank beneath the waves rises once more, and the Empire of Atlantis remembers its lost glory, can Sonja save the Hyborean nations from slavery and DOOM!

There’s something just magical about an epic scale.  You forgive the tongue-in-cheek moments, the narrative sidesteps, the somewhat questionable dialogue choices and you just let yourself enjoy a solid ride.  What we have here is an engagingly fun comic book that will both excite fans and set-up what looks to be a rather successful mini-series.

The She-devil with a Sword is about to face some powerful foes and the vile necromancer, Thulsa Doom, as writer Luke Lieberman guides her through these murky waters.  Quick narration and light inner-dialogue get the pace of the comic moving rather briskly, as our main character quickly becomes embroiled in what’s happening at and around the newly arisen Atlantis.  There are moments where the narrative fails a bit, offering story beats that rely far too heavily on pure happenstance.  But these minor missteps don’t detract enough from the overall plot to cause the story any issues.

Max Dunbar handles the art, and his style yields a visually interesting world.  His quirky characters move their unrealistic bodies in a dynamic fashion that informs the script well enough to solidify a cohesive structure.  What readers will get from this talent is solid line-work that can be both fun and engaging.

Red Sonja: Atlantis Rises #1 is not a perfect tale, as it suffers from some narrative set-backs but between the art and dialogue this issue manages to get the job done.  Recommended.

3.5/5