Book Review: Li'l Sonja #1 - One Shot

Book: Li'l Sonja #1 by Jim Zub with illustrations by Joel Carroll, color by Andrew Elder and letters by Simon Bowland

Cover by Art Baltazar and Special Two Page Activity Sheets by Roger Langridge and Andrew Elder


Edition: Single Print Issue

Description:

Li'l Sonja is a warrior girl who travels the lands testing her mettle against monsters big and small, a younger pluckier version of the famous She-Devil With a Sword.

When Li'l Sonja encounters a town plagued by eccentric bandits, she needs to figure out the pattern behind the thefts and bring the baddies to justice.

No task is too tough for our crimson-haired hero. And if that isn't enough, each Li'l book comes with a two-page activity sheet!



Rating: 4 1/2 stars

Review:

This Li'l Sonja one shot is a fun read, it shows why Red Sonja no matter the size is one of the best warriors around.

As Sonja was traveling through an unfamiliar village she found the townspeople dealing with a range of problems from thefts to kidnapping of several children. Sonja wasn't going to stand by and let these crimes go unsolved. From her investigation, it appeared that all the random crimes had a connection and she was going to set a trap to capture the thief.

Things don't go according to plan when she wound up being captured but it didn't stop her from fighting back. However she was no match for her opponent and was soon imprisoned with the other children.

Not being able to simply use only her fighting skills to save the day, Sonja was going have to outwit her captor if she is going to free herself and the other children. Can she do it?

Full of action, adventure and humor this one shot had me rooting for Red Sonja and laughing at the same time. Although this is a more kid friendly take on the character, Sonja is still fearless with the same fiery spirit and sense of duty to help those in need. I love the artwork besides being bright and colorful it has this energizing and animated feel to it.

I enjoy reading these Dynamite Li'l comics (the other one I read was Li'l Bionic Kids), I'm going to try to find the other one shots that were published.

If you have a young reader who likes comic books, please check out my All-Ages Comic Books and Children's Comic Books categories to see other books and reviews that might interest them.

365 Days of Books of Interest: Day #160: Red Sonja: The Falcon Throne

I never had a chance to pick up any of the current issues of this run of Red Sonja because they were always sold out whenever I went to the comic book store. But I don't stress out about it, especially since most comics eventually make it to the trade edition.

I can't wait to read this, I've been hearing a lot of good thing about this series.

Book: Red Sonja: The Falcon Throne by Marguerite Bennett with illustrations by Marguerite Sauvage and Aneke

Publication: November 1, 2016

Description:

Across the plains of Hyrkania, a message sweeps through the scattered peoples of the nation. Bells ring, horns blow, voices shout -- the King is dying! Red Sonja rides to save the King from his doom as the powers of Hyboria crowd around to strike when the kingdom is weakest. But a dread new power rises from within Hyrkania's own borders, bent on defending its homeland... no matter the cost, no matter what its people become. A defining chapter of the Red Sonja saga, dark, clever, vicious, and funny, as the She-Devil with a Sword must stop the rise of a brutal new regime: her own people!

Book Review: Swords of Sorrow: The Complete Saga

Book: Swords of Sorrow: The Complete Saga story by Gail Simone written and illustrated by various writers and artists

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review (Plus, I also read my own single print issues of Swords of Sorrow)

Publication: Available now

Description:

Dynamite's fiercest females appear in a massive genre-spanning crossover event featuring an all-star line-up of female authors, headlined by Gail Simone (Batgirl, Birds of Prey)! The ultimate pulp adventure features Vampirella, Dejah Thoris, Red Sonja, Purgatori, Lady Demon, Chastity, Jungle Girl, Jennifer Blood, Kato, Lady Zorro, and many, many more! Villains and heroes from a dozen worlds and eras face off against a legendary evil that threatens all their homelands. Written by Gail Simone, Mairghread Scott, Nancy A. Collins, G. Willow Wilson, Erica Schultz, and Leah Moore, and featuring artwork by Sergio Davila, Mirka Andolfo, Dave Acosta, Noah Salonga, Francesco Manna, and Cristhian Zamora!



Rating: 1 1/2 stars

Review:

I usually don't request a book that I already have, however, although I have all six issues of the Swords of Sorrow miniseries. I do not have all the additional issues of the one-shots and miniseries that tie-in with the main series.

This was not good, the writing was very clunky and felt like a total waste of a crossover with these amazing characters. Reading this felt like I was reading one big filler issue because the story didn't seem to be going anywhere. It was very random with no clear purpose other than good vs. evil.

The story follows the mysterious Traveler who has gathered a group of female heroes to help her stop her evil nemesis, The Prince (as in Prince Charming from Snow White) who has also put together a team of female villains to carry out his plans. Unlike the villains in this story, the heroes had no idea what was going on as they were unknowingly thrown together and given special swords called Sword of Sorrow.

I was disappointed with this and not only for the bad writing, poor dialogue, thin plot but also because so many of the characters were written and shown out of character. There were only two things I liked about this, one was Jennifer Blood (in the Vampirella & Jennifer Blood miniseries), who was probably the only character in this book that was well-written and interesting to read about. And second was the artwork, which ranged from good to average with a few issues showing artwork that appeared slightly cartoony.

This crossover event had so much potential but it got lost somewhere in this muddled story.

Book Review: Red Sonja/Conan: Blood of a God

Book: Red Sonja/Conan: Blood of a God (issues #1-4) by Victor Gischler with illustrations by Roberto Castro and color by Alex Gumaraes

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

Red Sonja, the fiery She-Devil with a Sword. Conan, the relentless barbarian from Cimmeria. The two legendary heroes of the Hyborian Age are reunited once more, captains in a mercenary army drawn together to wage war on an evil sorcerer. With good swords at their side and loyal men at their backs, Sonja and Conan believe themselves more than capable of defeating Kal'Ang, an ambitious herbalist whose power resides in Blood Root experimentation. But little do they know, a shadow of the past has returned, a foe both familiar and fearsome... and whose secret goal is nothing short of divinity!


Rating: 2 stars

Review:

This was not exactly the best story. It was a very generic sword and sorcery story with Conan and Red Sonja hired to defeat a wizard but wind up unexpectedly fighting an old enemy they thought to be dead. I found the writing to be very clunky and the dialogue as equally bad with the artwork being okay.

The title maybe Red Sonja/Conan but Conan got the top billing in this story with more to do and a better portrayal. However, that doesn't necessarily mean it was a good one just better when compared to Sonja's portrayal. Meanwhile, Sonja appeared out of character, instead of being headstrong and intelligent, she constantly defers to Conan's lead. It wasn't until the end that she made a decision about something.

I wish this had been a better written and more interesting story. Conan and Red Sonja are two of the most fiercest warriors and they deserved a better story than this.

Book Review: Red Sonja: The Black Tower

Book: Red Sonja: The Black Tower (issues #1-4) by Frank Tieri with illustrations by Cezar Razek and color by Salvatore Aiala Studios

Cover Art by Amanda Conner with color by Paul Mounts

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

What is the Black Tower? What startling mysteries does it contain within its walls? And most shockingly... how will its very existence cause the death of Red Sonja?

When the Hyrkanian swordswoman rides into the city of Lur, she discovers that a mysterious ebon fortress has risen in the night, inspiring paranoia among the populace. While some fearful citizens are driven to murderous frenzy, others become fanatic devotees of the tower's unknown inhabitants. As the years go by, Sonja is always drawn back to this desperate place. Who are the Soulless, and what terrible fate will they bring to the red-tressed heroine?


Rating: 1 star

Review:

Oh, boy this was bad. Most of the story appears to be taking place somewhere off page and the rest was a jumbled and disjointed mess. There was like this weird sci-fi/Star Wars/Doctor Who element to this which only made this poorly written story worse.

Red Sonja: The Black Tower opens with Red Sonja riding through the town of Lur and end up fighting off some barbarians who had been attacking the people who came out of a mysterious tower. From there the story follows one brutal attack after another until strange robotic men emerge from the tower and start taking over the town. Later on Red Sonja mounts an attack but things don't fare well for her. Then Thraxis tells his story of who he was and why he was there. Then some convoluted time travel stuff happened that did nothing to improve this story.

This story moved far too quickly and didn't take any time to pause and let the reader in on the purpose of this story. It wasn't until the last issue that the futuristic plot was unfolded in this pitiful story.

This was one weird and poorly told story.

Art of the Day: Red Sonja

Artwork: Red Sonja by mansarali

Book Review: Altered States Red Sonja - One Shot

Book: Altered States Red Sonja - One Shot by Brandon Jerwa with illustrations by Juanan Ramirez with color by Rohvel Yumul

Edition: Single Print Issue

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

This opens with Red Sonja losing a battle against the wizard Kulan Gath and his army of monsters. But as she is dying, she says a prayer to Scáthach in the hopes that her will and desire for war will not be lost. In the end, all that was left of Red Sonja was her sword.

The story then takes place in our modern time where a team at an archeological dig have unearth Red Sonja's sword. At some later time in New York, the story follows Sonja Majeure, a 26 year old museum curator who just so happens to have red hair had been examining the newest item on display, the sword of Red Sonja when she received a call informing her that her latest acquisition has now arrived at the museum. The item turned out to be a mummified Kulan Gath along with his spell book.

With plans to send the book to a translator, Sonja was thrilled by these latest developments. Once she was e-mailed the translations, Sonja made the mistake of reading them out loud near Kulan Gath's display. As the mummy came back to life he caused a lot of damage to the displays including the one that held Red Sonja's sword.

Thinking she needed to protect herself Sonja picked up the sword and immediately transformed into the legendary Red Sonja (well, appearance wise). Although she may look like Red Sonja, she has none of Red Sonja's skills which is what she's going to need to defeat the wizard who took off to find his spell book.

But Sonja wasn't completely on her own, Red Sonja's consciousness was there to guide her as Kulan Gath was trying to make over the modern world to suit him. The world was turning back in time and Sonja needed to right the world as soon as possible before it was too late.

I like this, it was definitely different. Yes, this story doesn't feature the usual ruthless warrior Red Sonja but it's well written and gives you a very interesting alternate reality that shows the strength and drive of this modern Sonja as she tries to save the world.

Book Review: Legends of Red Sonja

Book: Legends of Red Sonja (issues #1-5) by various writers and artists

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: Available now

Description:

In this unique collection, ongoing Red Sonja series writer Gail Simone hand-picked eleven of the fiercest, most talented, and most popular female writers from the worlds of comics, prose, games, and television, to help her tell the greatest legends in the She-Devil's long history! A group of savage mercenaries hired to hunt and kill Sonja come across campfire tales of her at every turn... and Sonja does not like to be hunted.

Tamora Pierce, Mercedes Lackey, Marjorie M. Liu, Nancy A. Collins, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Rhianna Pratchett, and many more tell fascinating bits of Sonja's legend, with a wrap-around tale by Simone herself, and art by the likes of Phil Noto, Jim Calafiore, Jack Jadson, and others.


Rating: 3 stars

Review:

The Legends of Red Sonja follows a band of mercenaries as they travel the land trying to track down Red Sonja to avenge the death of the King's son (this part of the story was written by Gail Simone). As the group travel around they are met by various people who tell various stories about the times they crossed paths with Sonja.

For me the best parts of this five part tale was the general story written by Gail Simone while some of the other stories for some reason made Sonja seem out of character. Their stories throw off the flow to the point I wished that Simone had written the entire miniseries. But don't get me wrong there are some good stories here too but it's the ones that are not good that really emphasis why they don't work.

Overall, you still get an action packed story that's easy to follow and has good artwork. From the different stories you get to see how and why Sonja is the way she is. You also to get see how her infamous chain mail was created.

This is a good read but I wish it was much better.

Book Review: Red Sonja: Unchained

Book: Red Sonja: Unchained (issues #1-4) by Peter V. Brett with illustrations by Walter Geovani and Jack Jadson and color by Ivan Nunes and Marcelo Pinto

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication: April 8, 2014

Description:

An encounter with a devil leaves Red Sonja, the legendary swordswoman, bereft of her signature chainmail and fleeing murder charges, but a change of clothes and venue aren’t enough to escape the guilt in her heart.

Penniless and under pursuit, she has no choice but to accept a dangerous mercenary job: to search for the tomb of an ancient warrior queen.

But the spirit of Queen Gheta lives on... a fierce and unnatural combatant who may be the only creature in history capable of defeating Sonja.

Meanwhile, the demonic entity Bhamothes wreaks havoc in her homeland of Hyrkania... and only the forgiveness of a murdered boy can end its killing spree!



Rating: 5 stars

Review:

This was great. It was Red Sonja at her best.

Only someone as bad-ass as Red Sonja can take down a demon while being topless (the demon damaged her armored top). I don't normally curse in my reviews but that's the only way I can think of to describe one of the most butt kicking women in comics.

Red Sonja is one of those characters my friends think I should be embarrassed being a fan of, I don't know why? She's smart, tough, confident and believe it or not has a heart and a code of honor. She's often under estimated due to her attire but they soon learn that she is not someone you trifle with unless you're looking for an early death.

This story has Sonja reduced to no more than taking on menial jobs such as stopping mad wizards and rescuing people all for the sake of money. In Sonja's attempt to rescue Bregan a young man who was abducted by a wizard as a human sacrifice in exchange for the wizard gaining a favor from the wolf demon Bhamothes.

Sonja had no problem taking out both the crazy wizard and the demon to save Bregan but Sonja's victory was without problems first her chainmail top was damaged then (unbeknownst to her) she decided to wear the pelt of the demon she killed.

Even before she could get Bregan back to his town, they were approached by a bunch of idiots trying to rob them. The minute she told them she was Red Sonja, they should moved on but since she wasn't wearing her trademark chainmail the guys decided to go ahead with their plan.

Sonja's problems continued once she reunited Bregan with his mother (who had hired Sonja to find her missing son) the young man just couldn't get over Sonja's vow and thought he was both tough enough to go up against her so unfortunately for him he approached Sonja for a fight and although she was drunk, she's still one of the best fighters around.

Remember, when I said Sonja made a mistake putting on that demon wolf pelt, the minute she killed that young man the demon was re-awakened. She doesn't find out until later how that heartbreaking fight is set to change her life.

This is a action packed adventure story that has Red Sonja kicking butt and trying to stop a demon from returning. Although there is humor in this story, it's also a little sad because as long as Sonja follows her vow she continues to be alone and that's not at all what she wants.

For those who may not like the violence, gory and perhaps dialogue, this may not be the comic for you. But I thought this was a great read and the action packed artwork is also really good.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this.

Book Review: Red Sonja vol #1

Book: Red Sonja volume #1 Queen of Plagues (issues #1-6) by Gail Simone with illustrations by Walter Geovani

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication:  March 4, 2014

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

This may have started out a little slow but once it got past that it became a non-stop action packed exciting story that showed you why Red Sonja should be feared.

Initially, I thought Gail Simone had created a rare dud or stinker because it didn't start out very good. But I'm glad I didn't stop reading this because it's a wonderful take on the legendary warrior. This first group of stories show who she is and what motivates her. In a flashback scene the reader saw Sonja starting out as the daughter of a farmer who wasn't quite ready for hunting with her father and brothers. But if it wasn't for a group of murders and marauders laying siege to her village and killing everyone (including her family). Then Red Sonja would not have been created.

The story opens with a flashback scene of King Dimath freeing two prisoners who were once made to fight for the amusement of the once now fleeing King Bazrat, one of the prisoners was Red Sonja.

From there the reader is moved to the present, were Red Sonja while sleeping is about to be robbed by three bandits. The funny thing is she told them to take the food and gold if there was any but just don't touch her sword or her. But of course, some jerk didn't want to heed her advice and ended up paying for with his life as well as a second bandit. Not only did they not listen to her they also tried to killer two teenage girls who claim to be trying to protect Sonja as they were sent by King Dimath to be her bodyguards. They also tell her the King needs to speak with her.

After sparing the third guy's life she set off with the two teens to the castle to speak with King Dimath. He was in dire need of her help, his kingdom was being attacked. He needed her help with training what remains of his people against the fast approaching Zamorans.

Once they arrive, the Zamorans were being lead by Dark Annisia, who was the other prisoner that was freed by King Dimath (in the beginning of the story). As the two sides fight, Sonja is trying to stop Annisia but she notices that there is something not quite stable about Annisia.

In the end, the King is dead and Sonja is banished from the city. But that's only just the beginning. I truly don't want to spoil the rest. This was a well written re-take on Red Sonja, it's a good mix of drama and action but there is also humor infused in this. I also thought the artwork was really good, it was full of color and action.

This was a really good read.

Currently Reading: Red Sonja vol #1

Okay you can't hear my squeals of excitement about being happy to read this. I can't wait to start this. Red Sonja is such an amazing character and I'm interested in seeing Gail Simone's take on the character.

Book: Red Sonja volume #1 Queen of Plagues (issues #1-6) by Gail Simone with illustrations by Walter Geovani

Source: Borrowed from Publisher/NetGalley for an honest review

Publication:  March 4, 2014

Description:

Gail Simone (Batgirl, Birds of Prey) gives the iconic fantasy heroine a fresh new attitude!

Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword, intends to pay back a blood debt owed to the one man who has gained her respect... even if it means leading a doomed army to their certain deaths! Who is Dark Annisia, and how has this fearsome warrior accomplished what no god nor demon has been able to do: force Sonja to her knees in surrender? An epic tale of blood, lust, and vengeance, Queen of the Plagues takes Red Sonja from the depths of her own grave to the heights of battlefield glory.