Red Sonja: Birth of the She-Devil #1 – Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Luke Lieberman
Illustrated by Sergio Davila
Colors by Ulises Arreola
Letters by Taylor Esposito
Cover by Lucio Parrillo
As fans, we all have those characters that we can’t believe don’t have a larger presence. In a world where comic book movies and TV shows are all the rage, there are still plenty of stories that are not being told. To me, Red Sonja is near the top of my list. Sure there has been some attempts at bringing the character to life on screen, to me, there should be more. Luckily, Dynamite has done a great job lately at making sure there are no shortage of Red Sonja stories being told on the page. Let’s dive into the latest, Birth of the She-Devil #1.
We find Red Sonja on a very personal journey in this story. She is looking for a friend, which might shock you, because you might be under the impression that she doesn’t have many. This first issue does offer some back story and helps you realize why this is so important to Red Sonja. You can also understand the depth of this by her actions. Yes she has always been ruthless, and a bit brash. In this first issue, we see a Red Sonja that is reckless and even a bit self destructive. We do get to see her meet up with someone from her past that is offering to help in her search. This might not make things easier for Red Sonja, in that it might force her to deal with some even deeper emotions. If that’s not enough, we get to see a new and vicious threat emerge at the end of this first issue. We’ll have to wait to see how these two pieces of the story are eventually brought together.
I might be reading too much into this, but I feel like this humanized Red Sonja in a way we don’t typically see. Even the issue references her reputation, and how she is seen by those who know her. This issue peels that away for us, almost as a reminder that there is still a human being in there and that she might actually care about someone. We also get to see her breaking down in a way that you don’t always get to see from a character like this. Don’t mistake this for her strength being taken away, far from it. There are still many examples of how she can handle herself quite well. At the same time, even she is self aware that there is something wrong here that she can’t just swing a sword at. It would be really easy to just write a story with a ton of action, and this new threat alone. Lieberman dared to give us more, and it really pays off. It also helps when each page is filled with the stunning work by Sergio Davila. This is especially evident in the final few pages, depicting a level of madness that could only be explained through these ruthless visuals. If you’re missing Game of Thrones, Red Sonja might just give you what you’re looking for. Don’t pass this title up.
RATING: PULL / BUY