Dynamite is continuing to follow-up on the success of their Legenderry series with a few spin- offs. Last week was Vampirella, and now it’s Red Sonja’s turn.  She’s a sort of swashbuckling pirate/adventurer in this version, and the re-imagining works.  Sonja barely gets to The Big City (really, that’s what it’s called) before getting embroiled in a new adventure.  A scientist is being hunted by a mysterious group, and the hunters are not exactly normal. 

After some odd encounters and a major fight, Sonja meets someone else who is working against the group.  Her new friend is a character more from movies than books, but should be fairly well-known to the reader.  Seeing how they end up working together, and the reveal of who the bad guy is, has me really curious.

Plot: This is a fun adventure piece.  There’s not a lot of deep secrets or questioning characters here, and I find that a welcome change from a lot of what I’ve read.  I’ll give the plot a 3.5 out of 5.  Andreyko has written a lot of things I’ve really enjoyed, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he handles Red Sonja.

Art: Steampunk, as I understand it, is a lot about the look.  I don’t know who Aneke is, but he does a great job here.  Red looks sexy but believable as a fighter, and the bad guys are appropriately menacing.  I’ll give the art a 4 out of 5.

Positives: Swashbuckling swordplay and fun.  It’s a sort of older adventure piece, and I’m just fine with that.  The hero is a hero, not second-guessing herself all the time, and the bad guys are bad.  I like that kind of simplicity occasionally.

Negatives: I’m not sure about who they chose to be her ally at the end.  It seems like a bit of a weird call.  Still, I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I’ve never been a big steampunk guy, but these series are slowly changing my mind a bit.  I can’t wait for the upcoming Green Hornet one.

Legenderry: Red Sonja

Writer: Marc Andreyko
Artist: Aneke
Colorist: Impacto Studios
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Cover: Joe Benetiz and Ivan Nunes