Red Sonja #15 Review

Is this the end for the red headed warrior from Hyrkania? Or is there still fight left in the She-Devil? Read on to find out. The official description from Dynamite:

The penultimate issue of Red Sonja’s epic quest to recover the six greatest artisans in the entire world leads her to single-handedly fight a kingdom to rescue a single Astronomer from execution for heresy! The acclaimed hit run from Gail Simone and Walter Geovani continues!

The She-Devil with a Sword hasn’t had it easy as of late, as ever since Kalas-ra cursed her to never show forgiveness, her life has been ruined by sudden bursts of rage, directed towards anyone who’s wronged her even in the slightest of ways. This spell of bad luck gets worse in this issue, as with Kalas-ra’s brother, Katharas-ra, looking for revenge, Red Sonja may very well be on borrowed time.

Since this series started back in 2013, Gail Simone has done nothing but astound me, with the way she’s built upon this already heroic figure, captivating on every level. As far as plots go, Simone has most definitely upped her game for this third arc, with the decision to turn Sonja into an underdog grabbing my attention in ways the first two never did. She also manages to generate fabulous suspense, and with the sinister tone of Katharas-ra, and obedience of Havan, there were some interesting personalities to play off of.

Just as Simone’s scripts have yet to fail to impress, so has Walter Geovani‘s art. Capturing the beauty of Red Sonja, in a way that doesn’t feel sexist, the artist certainly knows how to appeal to a wide range of fans. Geovani also manages to generate tremendous atmosphere, as between the dramatic tone and character depth, and suspenseful layouts, there’s a lot that catches the eye. There’s also a wonderfully chilling vibe to Katharas-ra, and with Sonja’s lack of confidence, this gets enhanced tenfold. The colours that Adriano Lucas, Alex Guimarães and Marco Lesko produce also allow for great texture, with their dark, yet sleek mixture of palette’s resulting in a sensational finish.

Red Sonja continues to be one of Dynamite‘s best current series, with this current arc being truly captivating. Delivering an exciting, yet dramatic set of events, this latest issue is a wonderful extension to this fabulous property, coming highly recommended.