Set Description
Red Sonja might be the most poorly utilized Marvel intellectual property ever. From her first full appearance in Conan the Barbarian 23 (yes, I will die on this hill - that is a FULL appearance), in early 1973, to her final appearance in Conan the Savage 9, in 1996, she only appeared on a handful of covers. This set excludes the 3 reprint covers in Conan Saga, the Marvel Feature price variants, Canadian price variants, and Marvel Treasury 15, leaving 64 issues where Sonja is somewhere on the cover.
I have included images of the three Conan Saga issues from my collection with the listings for the original printing of each cover, respectively.
Also - let's take the opportunity to discuss Marvel Treasury Edition 15, which I have made the image for the entire collection. Why? Because I really dig Ernie Chan, and for all the work he did on Conan, he only participated in two covers that include Sonja, and MTE15 is by far the better cover. Gotta give the man his due.
Speaking of MTE15, of all the covers of Red Sonja that Buscema did, the ones where he worked with Ernie are the better ones. And of those two, MTE15 is a real winner of a cover. To begin with, just holding one of these Treasury Editions in your hands is something special, and brings back special memories for me - but the art is so huge and dynamic on the big paper. It is really striking. That aside, this is still a great cover. Now - I'll speak elsewhere about Buscema's need to draw Conan with one shoulder way above the other and mistaking out of balance for power - but on this cover, Sonja isn't drawn like that. She contrasts with Conan, as she should. She's a trained swordswoman, he's a barbarian. Of course, one of the drawbacks of a huge cover is a lot of room for huge amounts of text. And they sure did it here - neither of those text blocks are needed. We know who Conan is. And we can see Sonja on the cover. She'd bloody well better be in the book. Given that Sonja & Conan aren't engaged in combat on the cover, I'm surprised with how dynamic it is. Viewed from a low angle, Sonja and Conan look larger than life. The blue sky with the burning behind the two of them is at a diagonal that creates some sense of motion, and the sweeping towers of the castle in the far back not only sets a scene, but finishes the motion for the eye to flow around the image. It is just glorious, and easily one of the best ten or so Red Sonja covers by Marvel.
How did Marvel utilize her? Weirdly. On the Conan covers, she is often in the background, or playing second fiddle - although if you read the stories, she's a solid match for Conan. On the Frank Thorne covers, well - let's be honest - Frank was a pinup artist. And the Mary Wilshire covers? with the blue bodysuit? What an odd time that was. I'm still not sure why it came about.
But, there's some awesome covers in here - from Conan 24 (which totally should be recognized as a classic cover - BWS is the best), to Savage Sword of Conan 23, to Red Sonja Vol 3, #1 - so let's take a journey down mammary lane.
As Red enjoys her 50th anniversary this year, here's a look back at what she had to deal with at Marvel, before her rights were picked up by Dynamite Entertainment in 2005 and someone finally had a clue what to do with her.
Set Goals
I just love a good sword & sorcery book. And I really love redheaded swordswomen. It's like a match made in heaven.
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| Classic Cover!
BWS for the win. |
Conan the Barbarian 24 Universal
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9.6
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"The Song of Red Sonja" Hey - what a unique title idea: no exclamation point. This is THE issue right? I know #1 is the first appearance of Conan & Kull, but really we're all about redheads with swords, amirite? Well, for me anyway. Heckers, I even married a redheaded swordswoman. Once again I am overwhelmed by the artistry that went into this cover - by now BWS knows this is the last Conan cover he's producing, and he's totally not mailing it in. The focus is on the use of color to make our protagonists stand out in this chaotic melee. Where are we? Inside a pub? That makes sense - very Conan, and we've picked a fight. The colors inside the pub make sense, and they're nice warm colors not cold & grey; there's bodies everywhere providing a sense of urgency and just so much inking detail that you can get lost visually in nearly any corner of the image marveling (haha) at the mastery of the inking. Yet our focus is totally on Conan & Sonja due to the use of color. Not even Conan really - it's Sonja's maille hauberk that is the total focus of this image. That's right the barbarian wench is wearing armor. But it's just here - she'll next appear on the cover of Savage Sword of Conan #1 in her chain bikini. Sad. That aside - she looks like she means business, and her business is death and destruction on a stick; standing on a corpse, wielding a dagger inverted in her right hand and swinging southpaw with a sword. Looking at it, it might be a little small for her - but hey - it's her first cover. So the hauberk, the shirt of maille, I know it looks like she shouldn't be able to get it over her head, but they can have a slot in the back or front that ties shut after it is pulled over the head, offering protection to the collarbone area. The only think I don't like about her armor is the large sleeve opening. If you have never worn a shirt of maille, you have no idea how heavy that is flopping around on the end of your arm every damn time you swing your sword. Its terrible and it will throw you completely off-balance. Not a win. Conan looks like his typical bada$$ self - he's got the big swing and follow through happening and once again, he's clearly using his hips to make a powerful swing.
Overall - who am I fooling - this might be one of the best 10 covers ever drawn.
Absolutely masterful.
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| The Birth of the Chain Maille Bikini.
Vallejo? More like Valle-NO. |
Savage Sword of Conan 1 Universal
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9.4
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Boris! And the first appearance of the famous maille bikini. Although in truth this one is more scales than rings. I'm going to go out on a limb here and just be honest. I'm just not a big Boris fan. I don't know, it just never clicked with me as a viewer. Like, why do the undead hordes have blood? Right? There's blood spraying from the neck of the dead-guy Conan just hit, as well as blood on both Conan & Sonja's blades. I can attest to it not being old blood, blood turns steel black really fast. Conan's whipping about a single edged blade, but the swing is all wrong for where his arm & his victim are located, and he's got a shield (an improvement really) but his hand extends beyond the edge of the shield - you know what that's called? Not having a hand to wipe with next week. Just a dumb way to expose yourself. I don't know what the hell is going on with Sonja's pose - but if both feet are pointing forward and her knees are both bent in that weird twisty position, she's going down hard. One good yank from axe boy and her top-heavy a$$ is in the dirt and probably dead. Really the two of them look incompetent, where they are supposed to be the badassess of all barbarian time.
Overall - you want a dollar based on this image? How about no.
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| I don't want a nap.
Gil Kane with Adkins |
Conan the Barbarian 43 Universal
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9.6
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"Tower of Blood!" If this is really featuring the long awaited return of Red Sonja - why would you show her unconscious in the background? Does this help sell Red Sonja as a badass? This is Sonja's third total cover appearance, and this is what she gets? She goes from what should be a classic over on Conan 24, to the introduction of the chain maille bikini on Savage Sword of Conan 1, to this, whatever this is, by Gil Kane. Just no. You want to know what's more insulting? this isn't even Sonja's worst Marvel comics cover appearance. Let's look at what we do have for a cover - well, we have a frightened Conan viewed the the crotch of whatever it is he's afeared of and behind Conan we have a pile of bones with an Sonja's body draped over them. All Conan has for a weapon is a broken piece of bone - which should be fine - he's Conan, who are we trying to fool with the scaredy-cat look on his face anyway? Conan's in a deep crouch, with a wide stance and one hand down for balance on the bone-strewn floor - and I'm down with that. That makes sense. The monster appears to have really long arms, so staying low and between the monsters shoulders and Sonja's prone body works as a defensive position. The rest of the image is pretty straightforward, we're in some sort of pit, we don't have our weapons, and the monster is looking for some chow. Obviously we have been dumped here since we don't have any weapons.
Overall? I don't know - it's hard to sell the return of a character with them snoozing in the background. Maybe I would not have picked this up from the spinner rack based on the cover.
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| Crusty Bunkers? Leap of Faith.
Buscema. |
Conan the Barbarian 44 Universal
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9.6
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"The Fiend and the Flame!" and there's some demand for this issue because *maybe* Neal Adams did some minor inking on the cover under Crusty Bunkers. Then again - maybe not so much, and if he did, he didn't help the rendering of the cover at all. You know - Red Sonja and Conan standing on a giant skull amidst a field of flames sounds like it should be the coolest cover image ever, and sadly it just isn't. It's not terrible (gods that's a low bar) for a Marvel cover with Red Sonja in it, but damn. As I will surely say again elsewhere, warm backgrounds, particularly bright yellow backgrounds are very difficult to do well. This is better than some, but still not great. The skull - looks weird to me - almost as if it was drawn by a completely different artist. It clashes with the style of the remainder of the cover art. Conan is featuring that weird growly face that Buscema loves so much and that's fine - that's his style, it just always looks weird to me. But Conan's footwork and legs - what is that? It's so bad that without the loincloth hanging in front of his back leg - you couldn't convince me his right leg was the forward leg. And with his left toe turned in like that and his weight on his feet, can we discuss the fact that Conan isn't typically depicted as neutered? That footwork is about to be really uncomfortable. Moving to Sonja. Ahh, Sonja, my sweet, sweet swordswoman - what has he done to your face? And more importantly - as Conan's equal in skill with swords - WHY DO YOU HAVE ZERO MUSCLE TONE? You poor thing - did they lock you up for 16 months and not let you do burpees in your cell? The contrast here just appalls me and you just know it is intentional. Ugh. I gotta stop writing about this - it's making me upset.
Overall? I was 9 when this came out and deep in my Conan paperback reading years - so maybe for the skull on the cover, I would have picked this up based on the cover image. But maybe not.
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| ORIGIN!
Woeful Whelan Work. |
Kull and the Barbarians 3 Universal
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9.6
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Last issue. I can't imagine why - OK maybe I can. So, I'm about to say some really, really bad things about the cover of a book that contains an exceptionally awesome story - the origin of Red Sonja, and undervalued key. Look I love Red Sonja, and I really dig Conan. But Kull just never hit that sweet spot for me and Solomon Kane is just not fun a fun read. I don't get the attraction. That's cool though - every book doesn't have to be for every reader. Just like art. And speaking of art - let's consider this travesty of a cover. How the hell did Whelan go from the cover of issue two, with the light colors and the skull in the sky TO this dark and hard to read cover? It's just a cluttered mess with no flow to the image. And the protagonists are backlit. Now - I appreciate that is difficult to do - to have a warmer color in the background and not have it look weird - but Whelan totally fails at the challenge in this cover image. Looking at Sonja - which is the reason I have this book - what the hell? Based on how her fingers are painted, she his gripping that weapon so it is twisted 90 degrees in her hand - is she going to swat somebody with the flat of the weapon? Two handed? and if so, where'd the damn blood come from? Then as she's advancing - charging into the fray - she's crossing her feet? Her footwork is atrocious. This is not a badass swordswoman. This is an inept tyro. And her leading arm? What's with that? It is as if her arm is resting on top of her boob-armor. News flash here boys and girls - maille armor is flexible, and oddly - so are boobs. So as long as she's not wearing a super-structure underwire bra beneath her maille, her leading arm should mush her boob out of the way a fair bit. And while that wouldn't help her grip, it would do something about how weird her right arm looks. Taking a quick review of Kull (I'm not wasting my words on Solomon) - that's about the worst position he could be in while charging forward. His shoulders are closed, his heavy axe in front of him, and then his hips are tight and his feet close together. That makes you easy to tip over - not the position of an experienced axe man.
Overall? I guess we know now why this was the last issue. No chance I'm spending my hard earned dollar on this.
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| Going solo!
Kane's back, with Romita |
Marvel Feature 1 Modern
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9.6
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Woohoo! Look at me! I have my own comic. Here, in only my ninth appearance - my fist solo appearance. Glad I got the same kind of traction as Kull. Oh wait, Kull's name is in the actual title of the book and Kull the Conqueror 1 is like his third appearance. At least I'm not Thongorr. Oh wait, he got his tryout series two years ago. And it was eight issues long. (ok - secretly I like Thongorr too - I'm picking on his 8 issue tryout in Creatures on the Loose; it's good stuff).
Let's take a look at this cover - it's a special one, most of the RS covers are by Frank Thorne, but not this one. Gil Kane & John Romita teamed up to create this image. We've got a pretty solid ant's eye view of Sonja leaping, I say leaping, into the fray; we've got a knock off Skeletor from the Spirit Halloween Store (occupying a former box retailer near you now!), a definite snake on the right, and a thing that looks like a snake on LSD on the left; and some sexless, cloven hooved, ape men? I guess. There's a damn lot going on here. I can't really say much about Sonja's stance, since she's surrendered any leverage of footwork in exchange for a mighty jump from the temple doorway high above into the ape men. One of them has clearly lost the battle trying to maintain his huge upper torso balanced on his wee tiny hooves and has fallen backward. The other two - one looks like they're trying to catch Sonja and the other is making the most ineffectual use of a spear of some sort. Try stabbing. It's a stabby weapon. Which can be braced against the ground even, if you duck your big, dumb head down. Although...I do have to admit, that Sonja's use of her sword at the moment wouldn't exactly inspire fear in my little simian brain. It's just in a really awkward position over her head with her elbow at a weird angle. Anyway - if she's leaping, she should be leaping beside her target of choice and swinging to intersect the soft tissue of the neck in the sweet part of her sword arc. I'm not sure what she's doing with her dagger either - in that hand the point should be directed right at the snake (not the LSD snake) to prevent it from striking. Really it's her best choice to make the snake work around the point to get at her. Like rapier work.
Overall, there's just so much going on in this image - but it does convey a sense of motion and a sense of urgency. Partly from the temple in the background being canted one direction and the line of the spearhead through Sonja's head being canted the other. Of course the word balloons are totally unnecessary to convey the image and should never have been added. The same is true for the "First Issue" blurb - no, really, it's 1975, we can see the actual issue number in the corner. It's a 1. Remove these two word boxes - and yeah - maybe it's a pretty good cover image.
And maybe that's enough to separate me from my hard earned cash.
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| I got a pony!
Thorne covers start! |
Marvel Feature 2 Modern
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9.6
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OK - let's talk about how you ruin a super-fun cover image with a word box. Really? No part of that word box is needed at all. Who in 1975 is looking at this cover and asking "Is this Stalker? - I thought it might be Rima, the Jungle Girl"
Well, this is a Frank Thorne cover with passion. Look at that horse - what a beauty; leaping, snarling, with that gorgeous bit & bridle. It looks like Sonja needs to fend off about a half dozen cave men - which should be easy given the advantage of having a horse - they look pretty incompetent and they have even less armor than Sonja does. We've got kind of a classic Thorne background - it doesn't depict anything, but there is color and shapes - this looks like blue lightning on a black field. Maybe it's supposed to imply a storm? Doesn't matter - the location of the fight isn't the focus of the image - the horse is.
Let's look at Sonja - okay - the last time I leaned that far out of my saddle with a weapon in my hand and attempted to swing it, I turned myself into a dirt-dart. Dented my helmet & bruised my face. I'm just not going to spend any time at all on her seat in the saddle. But, I do like that even on horseback Sonja has her heavier weapon in her primary hand. And it looks like maybe there will be an upswing with it, which would be correct. Torqueing her entire torso to get her secondary weapon on the same side of the horse's head, on the other hand, is a free trip to the medic's tent. Keep it on the other side where it belongs - or better yet - keep that hand on the reins.
Overall - I gotta love it - it's just sweet. Such a beautiful sense of movement, focus, energy. Yeah, I totally would have blown my hard earned quarter on this beauty if I saw it on the spinner rack
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| Chain me up!
Thorne. |
Marvel Feature 3 Modern
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9.6
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Sweet - Sonja's all chained up. The book isn't noted as a 'bondage cover' - I assume because one of her ankles is free. Seriously though - as much as I do like CGC - their label notations are all over the place. Ignoring that - because we have a lot of other great stuff to consider - like why is only one of her ankles bound? That seems like a weird choice. And why are her chains so long? And why does she have a dagger in the sheath on her thigh (this is a recurring issue - see Red Sonja Volume 1) and have a dagger in her hand? Where, exactly, did she hide another dagger in that armor? Why is there a word balloon in the bloody middle of this beautiful (if nonsensical) composition? At least the text boxes are gone from previous issues. Balek, the Behemoth is pretty cool looking - hell, he's even got a robot arm on one side, plus he's wearing this supercool looking traditional Magyar outfit. I think. Looks like it to me anyway. He's kind of pathetic though - he's huge and he's cool looking - but he still needs his prey in a cave, chained to a giant rock. Even the Rancor didn't need his prey chained up. I guess the Rancor lost though. I mean, not that Balek is going to win - but we're supposed to believe he's capable of winning on the cover anyway. Finally we have the dude who is responsible for all the word balloons. I want to shoot him just for that crime, but really he looks pretty good. He's got a solid creepy looking dude vibe. Almost Wrightson-esque. Maybe that's what Frank was channeling the day he drew this - a little Bernie action. Lets take a quick look at Sonja. Yeah - her weight is too far back - particularly her shoulders, and that's gotta be hard to do with those giant assets on her chest weighing her down the other direction; and then she's up on her toes? Nope. Wrong. Unbalanced. Certainly not throwing a convincing backhanded blow with that sword with her weight that far back. I'm just not convinced from this cover that she has a clue what she's doing. But it's still a fun cover.
Overall - yeah - this is nice. Sonja stands out with her light skin tone against the blackness of the cave. And Balek is pretty cool. I think that Frank would have separated me from my quarter to take this home and add it to my collection. And at the end of the day - that's what the cover art is supposed to do.
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| Is my hair on fire?
Thorne. |
Marvel Feature 4 Modern
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9.8
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So...every so often there's a cover that would just be better if it was less. This cover could be so much better if it was less - less 100% of whatever the blue thing is going on in the background. I mean what is going on? It's a face, surrounded by shadows? like it's in a cowl? Is that what you see? Because. I. Don't. Know. But then it has snakes coming out all the way around like it's a medusa. But if that's a medusa, where the hell are all the deep shadows coming from? But eliminate that silliness. Hell, you can even keep the word balloons, which really serve no purpose. But eliminate the blue. Look at how awesome her hair is colored. The colorist knocked it out of the park - so "the demon with the flame colored hair." Sonja has this weird looking fantasy spear in her hand, which from a practical standpoint is kinda silly, but has some sweet details - unfortunately they're lost in the mess of blue lines behind. Very disappointing. But the rest of this; the stance, the dude clinging to her calf, the pile of bodies and weapons, even the random skelly, they all have great detail and look like a serious Red Sonja battle aftermath. Her stance is solid, with some weight back on the planted spear and her torso twisted to thrust the axe in the air, and that's pretty sweet too. For some reason, in addition to having a weapon in each hand, she also has a sword in a scabbard on her belt and a dagger sheathed to her thigh. In a moment of true cool artistic license - they're both curved blades. You know - like the kind nobody ever draws her using in the cover art. That totally makes zero sense - but that's ok, I'm sure we'll see that again before we're done with this run, and the three Red Sonja runs.
Overall - I just don't know. I mean, the cover is pretty and all, but it doesn't really tell a story to me. I'm not so sure this would have enticed me to part with 25 cents to take it home. Maybe - just maybe - I would have flipped through it quickly and put it back on the spinner rack. Certainly if it was the 30 cent price variant, I would have passed. A nickel was kind of a lot to me back then.
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| Unbearable.
Thorne. |
Marvel Feature 5 Modern
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9.6
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"The Bear-God Stalks the Night!" Now here we have a sweet piece by Frank. No word balloons, no text boxes except the title in the lower right corner. All in all a pretty solid start. And we have a Bear-God tangled with vines for some reason reaching out for Sonja and about to get a massive face full of backhand. That sword is cocked and ready. Sonja's footing looks good, her wind up, including her hips, looks like a real swing with a sword, and her dagger position is solid. The Bear-God looks like a badass, with some substantial claw action going on. The rain sets the scene. Really this is a solid, tension-filled composition and I like it.
Overall - this is one of the best of Frank's covers and I totally would've wasted my hard earned quarter to take this home from the spinner rack.
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| Lunch is served.
Thorne. |
Marvel Feature 6 Modern
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9.4
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"Beware the Sons of the Serpent God!" What an odd book to be difficult to find in high grade. I guess the people that own a copy don't really want to part with it. And looking at the cover, I can understand why. The Sons of the Serpent God are true Frank Thorne creations - with all the weird little squiggles and bits that make up Thorne's beasties. And Sonja - Sonja looks as good as she does on any cover - strong, competent, busty - but ready to throw down in the true RS fashion. I think if someone removed the text box and the word balloons, this might be the best of the 70s Red Sonja covers (excluding Conan 24) - certainly it is a toss up between this and Earl Norem's masterpiece on Savage Sword of Conan 23. This is just beautiful, and as much as I love Brunner's work, probably better than any of the other Frank's RS covers.
Taking a moment to look at Sonja's stance and weapons - she looks like a fighter. Her dagger is ready to stab or parry and the sword is properly indexed for a brutal swing at the beastie coming up from below. Her stance looks a little low, but not bad, and definitely balanced - all while still providing a dynamic image for the cover.
Overall? Damn, this is a fine looking book, and one I am happy to have in my collection.
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| A visit with Conan.
Thorne. |
Marvel Feature 7 Modern
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9.4
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The final issue and an excellent cover clash between Red Sonja and Conan on the cover. This is peak Thorne art - and this might be my favorite of the short run. Skulls and spiders and the weird ibis headed guy - total Thorne awesome, and it really sets the scene. Look at our couple on the cover, their legs intertwined. That seems weird, but it is totally something that happens mid-combat. More than you'd think. I really like that Frank's got Conan committed to that two handed stop block on Sonja's overhead strike - it implies that her strike is strong enough that he has to give it his full attention, a fierce blow, if you will. I don't like that he's got the dagger in her off-hand as if she's going to overhand stab with it, it's just not a good move - but she's in that post to show off her body to the viewer, not to strike effectively, right? Really the blade should be low, held in a cupped hand, and being quietly thrust into Conan's liver or kidney or whatever is on his right, low on his torso. Particularly since he's looking at the sword blow and not the off hand.
Their footing looks terrible - which matches the uneven ground that they stand on and Conan seems off balance, with his weight in his heels - although that could be reacting the the strong sword strike. Sonja, on the other hand, looks pretty well in balance, although her right hip seems a little forced particularly if she's supposed to be pushing Conan back with the strength of her strike.
Overall - yeah man - we got both Conan & Sonja on the cover together, which hasn't happened since Kull & the Barbarians 3 and that awful cover by Michael Whelan, and it is one sweet cover - so yeah - This one is 100% worth the 30 cents based on the cover art alone
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| For Mark.
Thorne. |
Red Sonja 1 Modern
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9.6
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What the absolute hell is going on in this cover image?!? Seriously. Did someone say - hey Frank, do you think you can show everything that Sonja is going to fight over the first 5 issues on the cover of issue #1 and include a throwback to Conan #1? We've got a severed dragon-snake thing, a death-icorn, some weird looking goblin, a dead spider, a wizard Harry (Thulsa Doom, I hope), is the yellow supposed to look like flames? with green smoke? I am entirely unsure. I'm really bothered by the dragon-snake's tongue too; like it should be hanging limp if the creature is severed in two. And my brain just can't process the idea of the danger-unicorn of death. I don't know what it is or why it is. I feel a little like Drax "Why is danger-unicorn?"
Sonja - so...yeah, Frank buddy - I appreciate you have hopes and dreams here, but those breasts are going to murder her - shrink them a little bit. Funny thing - having taught female swordswingers, THEY GET IN THE WAY, and they throw you off balance. So...I'm actually ok with how she's holding the sword - the grip itself is correct, maybe a little too tight - you're not strangling it. I hate that her elbow is locked though, there should be a little bend in it, even with her sword fully raised. And that dagger on her hip. It's so tiny - far too small - like silly small, I'm not sure her hand would even fit in the grip.
And finally - a word balloon. Yeah, I loathe them - they're so dumb most of the time. But - for this issue, I'm going to give a pass; why? Because it is an exact throwback to the cover of Conan #1, where he has the same line. Frank's no BWS, but the word balloon is a nice touch.
I think really - really, really - the only thing this cover has going for it, is the use of color. Even with all the weird elements trying to be tied together in a single cover image, the color - the flesh & the sweep of magnificent red hair, against the black & blue background really makes Sonja jump off the cover.
Overall - is it good? No. But it isn't terrible either. Would it have separated me from my hard earned 30 cents? Well, I was 12, so with that rack front and center - yeah probably. 12 year old boys are kinda single-minded.
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| Whip it good!
Thorne. |
Red Sonja 2 Modern
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9.6
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"The Demon in the Maze!" Okay - before I get into a long dissertation on the cover itself, can we have a discussion about the absolute most moronic word bubbles? Right? Over my dead body? That's the point. "Kill her" means you'll be dead. Okay maybe, just maybe, someone knew about this moronitude and clipped it for the Thor/Stormbringer scene - but I doubt it, and I don't see this being played for laughs. Editors - can't live with them, can't eat them for dinner.
I gotta say, the demon is pretty neat looking. Except the weird word blurb on his ass. But green and bulgy, and kinda gross - big tail, massive hands - and you know what they say about a demon with big hands, right? Anyway, Frank's done a sweet job of making this mostly faceless creature look like a threat. In the background, outside of the maze that has walls so short I could climb out of it and I'm short & fat, we've got ourselves a bad guy in rather classic Persian clothing - he looks like an evil sorcerer, if a fat one, and he's got himself another demon monster on his right and a griffon maybe on his left. So perhaps I was a little hasty on my chances of climbing out. Probably bite my hand off when I tried. I have to admit, I'm just not sold on the whip. Just like it's one thing too much. But it is well rendered. Colors are strong, and there is a lot of pattern built in to the wall of the maze, the sorcerer's garb, and the floor of the maze (are those eyeballs? - freaky weird) - and that feels right. Very in the style and flavor of the realm.
Now, Sonja. Seriously? What the hell are you supposed to be doing in that pose? Your knees should be bent deeper, lowering your center and your arms are flailing about stupidly - you're gonna die, ok? The light on the sword shows it to be twisted to the rear in her grip - it's all wrong, and she's got a weak-ass grip on the sword. Plus she's wearing that dumb-ass curved knife that is smaller than her hand again. Frank - you're better than this. It is nice to see Sonja in her shoulder armor. It's more noticeable later in the Loprestri covers for Dynamite, but you can see it here too.
Overall - I'm going to have to say the cover is more win than not. Although it has it's issues. Ha! Issues on an issue. I'd have to say it's pretty likely that this cover would separate me from my hard earned thirty cents.
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| Spiderwoman!
Thorne. |
Red Sonja 3 Modern
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9.6
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"Web of the Spider Queen!" Sure - Conan gets a Spider God (issue 13), but Sonja only gets a Spider-Queen/sorceress/shapeshifter. I don't know who decided that this cover needed word balloons, but they deserve to be drawn & quartered. Remove them, look just at the magnificent image of the sorceress shifting into a giant spider and tell me you can't figure out the story antagonist from just the image. Someone really undermined Frank on this one - the art was just about perfect all by itself. I am really enamored of how the sorceress is shifting - merging - blending into the giant spider. That part of the image might be absolutely perfect. And the spider itself is fricken' awesome - totally not a real spider, but totally Conanesque; garish colors, huge fangs, gleaming eyes - oh yeah. Also - big fan, of the way a couple of the legs wrap around Sonja, creating a sense of circular flow to the cover - those legs wrap down and right, then the eye follows the line of the merging sorceress up, follows the swoople from the sword to the left, and then comes down the fringed edge of the curtain.
As for Sonja herself? Well, she is holding the sword in a weird overlapping grip that you would only see from a beginner; her left hand should be below the right had on the sword hilt for power & control. It isn't quite enough to really annoy me - but it is wrong for an experienced swordswoman.
Overall - I just hate word balloons, and unlike issue 1 these don't get a pass - but I think if they were deleted, this would be an awesome cover. Since I am stuck with the words of dumbness - I'm going to say this is ok. Probably it would still come off the spinner rack and into my personal collection based on the cover.
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| Land of the Lost.
Thorne. |
Red Sonja 4 Modern
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9.8
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"The Lurkers in the Lake!" Specifically the normal looking guy staring at her a$$. Right. So we've got some Sleestak looking dudes - that makes sense. And they are pretty good looking in green against the bright yellow background. They look like they could have come from a lake anyway. Plus one of them has a sword and another has a double-headed axe with a spiked ball on top, which might be the dumbest fantasy weapon I have ever seen in my life. But just some Creature from the Black Lagoon looking bad guys wasn't enough, oh no. (sad Sleestak sounds). We also need a bat & a snake. Plus, the one creature front & center needs to have a skirt on to hide his tail? It's so incongruous I thought it was the headdress on a wizard from the rear - and it's dumb. And we still have the dude looking up Sonja's bikini - I guess he's supposed to be on her side maybe? I don't know.
Then we have Sonja herself. OK - so she's got her sword back like she's about to take a huge swing - except her grip is inverted, so either her hand is drawn upside down or she's in the most moronic position ever with her primary hand. She's got reach on these attackers if she holds her sword properly, instead she's holding it like she's defending with it and attacking with her dagger. Dumb. And not only does Sonja have her dagger in her hand - she's also got it on her thigh, in the scabbard. Now, her stance - it is a little bit aggressive, a little long in the forward step - unless she's really taking the big swing that her hand is upside-down for. You know, if her hand was right, I'd really love her pose. Instead it is horrible.
Last - but certainly not least - can someone tell me what the hell is happening in the background with the blue & black area? What is that supposed to be? I cannot for the life of me figure it out.
Overall - yeah, I'd probably have spent 30 cents on this from the spinner rack - but only because I was 12.
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| Tongue action!
Thorne. |
Red Sonja 5 Signature
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9.6
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"The Dragon in the Pit!" You know - no word balloons should be a win. And a Frank Thorne signature for my collection is 100% a win. But this cover. Wow. There's some stuff going on here. So...yeah, we have a dragon. A two-headed dragon, breathing a little bit of fire and evidently under the control of the wizard in the background, who also has a bodyguard. The wizard, not the dragon. I think; I mean, I could be mistaken. But that's not enough - two heads & fire-breathing isn't enough - the dragon also has some hentai level tongue action going on (side note - is this more or less hentai than Pat Broderick's cover for Marvel Red Sonja Vol 3 #5?). The cover is just a bit like your little brother's Dungeons and Dragons campaign. You know exactly what I mean - more is better. For atmosphere, lets add a couple of completely clean human skulls, and have them on the edge of a drop-off, as if nobody would ever knock them off the edge. It's just so much stuff. Still better than the cover to issue 1. The floor in the background has a nice pattern to it - very cool, very in the feel of Sonja.
As for Sonja - I can't even figure out what position she's supposed to be in. She's horribly off balance to the rear with her knee locked like that, and she's got her sword & elbows so far back she definitely going over backwards - right of the edge. Fortunately she's got a nice sticky tongue holding her up - until she severs it anyway.
As a treat, I've also included an image from my raw collection of Dynamite Entertainment's Red Sonja Vol 1 #2 - which is an Art Adams homage cover of this Frank Thorne masterpiece, and while I'm not sold on the changes in the 2-headed beast from having snake like heads to having tyrannosaur heads, it is a very impressive homage. Somehow Adams has managed to make Sonja's attributes even bigger. I've written about this elsewhere - under the Conan the Barbarian covers by Adams, but you can see here how much rounder and softer Sonja's face has become compared to those early 90s Conan covers. I do think that not having the tongue wrapped around Sonja makes for a less engaging image. But - artistic choice there. I'm sure many buyers prefer an unobstructed view of Sonja's midsection.
Overall - I'm sure I would have bought this off the spinner rack - but, it isn't great. Oh, and the stupidly tiny thigh dagger is back.
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Conan the Barbarian 78 Universal
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| Calimari anyone?
Earl Norem is a god. |
Savage Sword of Conan 23 Modern
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9.2
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Hot Take - Earl Norem's covers are better than Boris' - period. They just are. And this book, this cover, is easily among the five best Red Sonja covers done by Marvel. The absolute chaos of the two of them fighting against the thing from the deep, is glorious. The use of pink! Look at that grossly fleshy beast with its green eyeball - it is something else, and I love it. The tension in both bodies is excellent - Conan has just severed a big old hentai tentacle with a massive two-handed blow and Sonja, while grappled, isn't helpless - no, gods no, she's obviously connected on more than one two-handed stabs near the eye of the beast. Her single edged blade isn't ideal for thrusting, but if you've ever used one, you'll know they often have a thick spine along the back edge, making them more than strong enough to thrust like that. Looking at this, I feel like Earl has actually handled a sword, and maybe even used some live models or photo references for people with swords. My only complaint with the swordwork is that Conan's weight is a little bit too far back in his upper body - but even that is minor, as we can see we are on the shore and waves are crashing in. Making that pink fleshy monster jump off the cover at the viewer is a wonderful combination of blue skies and greenish blue waters. The use of color doesn't leave the background undefined, we know exactly where this fight is taking place, and yet it is just soft shapes and color - with the cool background colors pushing the warmly colored fighters right in your face. In comparing the two prints of this awesome art - the reprint benefits from a lack of cover text, as "Now on sale monthly!" and "Three all new epics...blah, blah, blah" and "Featuring Red Sonja King Kull!" have been deleted. And damn, what a difference that makes - all those distracting colors - particularly the green of Red Sonja King Kull are gone and you can see the image free of clutter. Also the reprint has stronger colors. I don't know if that was an editing decision to crank up the color density or if it was just an improvement in paper and ink or even just a better color strike - but I'm not sure that is an improvement. I think loosing the really fleshy color of the antagonist brings the image down a little bit. But, then again, it still works and it is still an awesome cover.
Overall? For one whole dollar? Take my money - just based on the cover image.
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| Fairies Bad. Not Good.
Thorne. |
Red Sonja 6 Modern
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9.6
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"The Siren of the Singing Tower!" - or - as I like to call it "Fairies bad, not good" - and if you know where that quote is from you're officially old, but cool. So, the yellow stands out. It kind of screams at you, huh? I think that's intentional - the screaming; of course the yellow is. Frank did a nice job of making the fairy hideous, while still being 'fairily pretty'. Not super easy I would think. But yeah, kind of a cool cover here. The word balloons not too intrusive, although the "First Lady of Fantasy" blurb is really annoyingly visible against the black. I am having trouble trying to figure out the scale of everything - I think the big fairy is human sized and the little fairies are like - bird size (no, not like emus - like robins) - but there isn't really any scale in the image for me to confirm that. It's just a feeling. The images are weirdly interlocked too - in a way that makes it look like Sonja's free hand is holding on to the big fairy's arm. Then the pattern behind Sonja looks sort of like a hive - but round. It's all very confusing, yet it does manage to convey what the story inside is about: drugs. Okay, probably not. It's the attack of the Queen Bee - not the DC one.
Now Sonja - hey look, I think Frank got her breast reduction surgery - thanks Frank, they look a little less in the damn way now. So, she's holding her sword all wrong for the direction of her just completed swing, based on the swoople of the sword - she would have made a really weak swing with the false edge like that. Yeah, the finish to an upswing looks awkward if you show it right - but much less so than that dumb attack.
Overall - the cover has no flow, and no setting, and Sonja's positioning and swing are terribly awkward. I'm going to have to say that this cover fails to separate me from my hard earned 35 cents.
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| Trampled.
Thorne. |
Red Sonja 7 Modern
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9.6
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"The Blade and the Behemoths!" Elephants?!? Elephants! I frigging love elephants. Like, Sam Gamgee level love elephants. What amazingly cool animals. But enough of my fascination - let's check out Sonja's cover this month. Well yeah, Destination F*cked. No really, there's a lot you can do with a sword (and more you can do with a halberd - swords really aren't that effective against a bunch of stuff), but fighting an elephant isn't one of those things. And fighting seven (I think) elephants with archers on top of them, while wearing next to nothing? Yeah - that's not going to work out so good for Sonja. Looking at Sonja herself, she knows she's up a creek - look at her backpedal, weapons up trying to defend, and real fear on her face. But, we know she survives, right? there's an issue next month. I think one of the things that really tells here is the ground and her body are both canted backwards at different angles, I feel the unbalance of being overwhelmed and backpedaling. I think Frank did a really good job capturing that with the cover image. Plus elephants everywhere. If you've never been close to a group of them, it's hard to imagine what it's like, but it is very overwhelming, the sense of smallness. And several elephants is far different from one elephant at the zoo. Draftsmanship is solid and I like the bright yellow background and black cloud too.
Overall - yeah, absolutely - I'm buying this issue off the spinner rack for 35 cents based on the cover art.
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| Slytherin.
Thorne. |
Red Sonja 8 Modern
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9.6
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"The Serpent is a Sorceress!" Here's the thing with Frank Thorne Red Sonja covers - the focus is always on Sonja, where it belongs. But the rest of the image is often filled with pattern (I mean look at the pattern on those scales!) or little background dudes. This image is full of both. The patterning on the serpent is awesome, and the details of all the sorceress' minions watching the fight really pull the image together. The tension is strong, the serpent means business, the forked tongue and dripping saliva (or is that venom?) make for a credible bad guy even in one third profile. The focus is, of course, on Sonja. Depicted with large areas of flesh color and that huge swath of red hair, she's set aside from the rest of the image by color focus. The orange belly of the circling serpent provides flow to the composition and brings the eye of the viewer back to Sonja's face.
Sonja - well, her knees are bent deep, and her sword is back for a mighty two-handed blow - and I believe her intent there. I'd like to see her with a two-handed grip and the point of the sword at the serpent's mouth instead, but this works visually, and provides for a dynamic pose that isn't stupid for her to be in.
Overall - yeah, totally blowing my 35 cents to take this home off the spinner rack. This cover is a winner.
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| Thorne mails it in. |
Red Sonja 9 Modern
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9.8
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"Chariot of the Fire Stallions!" I'm not quite sure what that title is supposed to do? I'm I excited? fearful? I don't get it. Now the eight-armed beastie Sonja's tangling with? Yeah, he's freaky and a little intimidating. Although I might like him more if he had more than a single kris knife as a weapon - you know, maybe a couple of swords and an axe? I don't get the little tiny tongue hanging out either. It's not intimidating. It's actually kinda dumb looking. Honestly, this whole cover kind of feels like it was mailed in by ol Frankie boy. Lost interest? Didn't care for the art direction? In a damn hurry? I don't know, but it certainly isn't his best work. I might like it a little more if the stallions were better defined, but sometimes you just got to work with what you got.
As for Sonja - she's destination fckd. If the chariot is moving at all, she should just fall out, her position is untenable, she's half kneeling, but not sitting, on a single leg while blocking and with nothing under her off-side foot. It's just dumb. Just take the fall you earned.
Overall - I really can't say. The cover is pretty horrible from an adult standpoint, but I would have been almost 13 when this hit the spinner rack and Sonja does look pretty tasty. I'm going to have to give this a strong maybe for cheesecake factor only.
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| Moneshine.
Thorne. |
Red Sonja 10 Modern
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9.6
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"Angels from Hell!" I guess hell-angels aren't all that talky, since we don't have any word balloons. YAY! I already love this cover due to it being clean, and uncluttered. No extra words, no cluttered images - everything we need to know is right there in the image; Sonja is going to have to fight things that fly even though she can't fly herself. And she's outnumbered. Frank does a nice job - the purple sky with orange near where the horizon would be (based on the building spires) lets us know dusk has arrived, plus that we are airborne. In a total Sonja/Conan moment, she's going to stab the flyer and glide his corpse to the ground. You know - this cover is so good in its simplicity, there isn't that much to write about it. Coloring is great and makes Sonja visually jump off the page. I do have to admit that the monster carrying Sonja looks more like he's carrying his newlywed wife over the threshold than hauling her off to be a sacrifice - I can almost hear him "Quit squirming sweetie, you're going to make me drop you before I reach the bedroom"
Somewhere along the line, Sonja has ditched the silly curved dagger that Frank usually draws on her thigh for a larger, straight dagger with a round pommel. And she's going to go all stabby with it. I'm not exactly sure what she's doing with her left arm, other than keeping it out of the way (hey at least its not around his neck, right?) - but that right arm - that baby is all about the stab.
Overall - it's one of Frank's better covers in the run; and yeah, I totally would have blown 35 cents on this.
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| Blinded by the Light.
Thorne. |
Red Sonja 11 Modern
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9.6
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No title blurb. That's unusual. Instead we get a lot of words. I don't know where you are Suumaro because I'm blind - pay no attention to the fact that I'm straddling your prone body. Like - let's discuss the absolute zero percent chance of Sonja getting in that position in comparison to the big Suu, and not being aware of where his prone ass body is lying. Derp derp derp.
The bikini sorceress chick in the background is mostly forgettable, but - the monkey dudes with weapons, yeah, they look like badasses. Not that I'd be too concerned if I was Sonja, I can't imagine that they are all that quiet with their weapons and ooks. Plus they probably smell worse than the big Suu. She shoulda aughta be able to handle this even blind. Not that I'd be telegraphing at the top of my lungs to the bad guys that I was blind or anything.
On the other hand, if Sonja doesn't get her center of balance down and her shoulders centered over her hips it isn't going to matter what she does - she'll be knocked over by a stiff breeze. And what's with the position of her sword & axe? Like, I've been photographed in some pretty silly positions in mid fight, but I can't say I was ever in this position. Plus the axe is heavy and shorter in reach than her sword, it should be in her primary hand.
Overall - I just can't say I'd buy this or I wouldn't. Between the cheesecake factor and the monkey dudes? Maybe. Maybe. It's really hard to say.
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| Stunning!
Brunner covers start. |
Red Sonja 12 Modern
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9.8
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Yeah - I got two copies of this one, I'm a sucker for a good signature from a cover artist, and Frank Brunner has one of the prettiest signatures in the business. And just like that - we changed Frank's in midstream, nobody thought we'd notice, but we did. Yep. Actually, the two of them have very different styles, so it isn't like they tried to slip that by unnoticed. One of the easiest things to key off on is Sonja's hair. Thorne always showed it as a single, huge area of red, and Brunner makes it smaller and provides details. Both are cool - I just like Brunner's better. Let's take a look at this cover, shall we? Kind of a two part deal here. Or the sky is a giant Sonja. I'm going with option 1. Focusing on the main image, damn she looks good. I particularly like that she's lit from the right - with the beautiful golden glow up her back - very dimensional. The dead barbarian looks good - well drafted. Sonja has more details, plus she's picked up a sword with a bit of a hand guard on it - definitely a one-handed weapon, but I like it. Probably faster and more in tune with her fighting style. I gotta say, I love the use of color and I can see where the sky might have been blue or purple in an original draft, before Sonja's face replaced the sky - making for a very powerful cover image. As for the sky of Sonja - it's totally gripping, like it grabs the eye and keeps it engaged. It's probably the direct eye contact. Like, there's no hiding from her if she's looking for you. It totally would have engaged me from the spinner rack.
Talking about Sonja herself - she's leaning just a little bit far forward, but she may have just killed the dude on the ground and her breasts seem to have shrunk to a more manageable size, so with her knees bent and her hips back, she's probably pretty well in balance. I have to say again - I really like the detail in all the weapons, hers as well as the dead guy's axe & shield - they've just got a nice texture to them.
Overall - totally a winner. 100% would have purchased this off the rack for my "still 35 cents"
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| The worst cover.
Buscema. |
Marvel Super Special 9 Universal
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9.4
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John Buscema just shouldn't have ever done painted covers. This cover painting is so bad, it actively repels me - like I don't want it in my collection due to how unappealing it is. Easily the worst Red Sonja cover in all of the Marvel covers - and she's unconscious on one of the covers, and a background line drawing in another - they're still better than this shite. But - well, let's break it down and see if it has any redeeming elements. Both the background and the focus of the image are in warm colors, so there use of color doesn't do anything to help. The background is just formless color - so it *could* have been any color. Conan has the face of a monster and the stomach of an undead. The shield on his arm is twisted in an impossible position when combined with the position of his shoulder. For some reason John has decided to go with massive foreshortening for Conan's axe and axe hand - not to mention he's fighting left handed - what the hell? Conan is hugely off-balance with his oddly straightened left leg combined with the gigantic backswing and the heavy steel shield. Moving to Sonja - I just can't even with that pose. What the actual F*ck is that? And, excuse me for asking, but where is her a$$? If it is tucked that far under, she might as well just fall over now with that big old sword behind her head. Sonja is also using a left-handed grip, and has her parrying dagger on her right hip. The blade of her parrying dagger appears to be bare. No scabbard. Um - it'd take me too long to discuss how stupid that is. Suffice to say that the one time, the one singular time, that my scabbard slid off during a fight, I almost immediately stabbed myself in the leg with my own dagger. The two beasties crawling up to attack Conan and Sonja could be interesting. The one attacking Conan looks like he could be kinda badass from the back - but the one attacking Sonja is shown in side view and is clearly not very badass - more "I'm going to wave my claws kinda threateningly" but my face isn't scary, I don't have big fangs, or sharp teeth, or a forked serpent-like tongue.
So, in review, the cover has zero redeeming features.
Overall? Gross, no. Do not do this again. It is horrid.
Oh, and reprinting it? still horrid. Bad Marvel - no donut.
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| Skranos > Thanos.
Brunner. |
Red Sonja 13 Modern
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9.4
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"Swords Against Skranos!" First off, can we just all agree that Skranos is cooler sounding than Thanos? Because it is. Big issue 13 - and a huge step down for Brunner. Last issue's cover is notably good, and this one is pretty terrible. Which is sad, because I dig Brunner's work and I adore elephants, which - by association - includes some love for mammoths and mastodons. But Sonja's proportions are all wonky, her head looks completely detached from her body, her arms foreshortened terribly, and with her right leg forward and her scale mail crotch flap hanging flat she's cramming scale edges place you never want armor scales crammed. Just trust me on that one. All of that really is a bummer, because the composition is solid, and the mammoth & dudes in the foreground have awesome details which should make this a solid cover.
Normally, this is where I would discuss RS's use of weapons, footing, balance, and fighting position - but she's so bad in this cover art, I don't know exactly where to begin.
Overall - I don't know that a young me would have been as uncomfortable with how Sonja is portrayed on this cover to not purchase it, but I also hadn't developed my elephant fetish yet, so probably, I guess. Probably this cover convinces me to part with my hard earned 35 cents in exchange for this beast from the spinner rack.
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| Spiderman.
Austin. |
Marvel Team-Up 79 Signature
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9.6
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"Sword of the She-Devil!" Red Sonja (and Kulan Goth) make their only real modern era appearance in Marvel Team-Up, although I have to admit an appearance in Marvel Two-in-One with The Thing would have made excellent sense. At least to me. Can we discuss how amazing this cover is? Byrne & Austin combine to create a really gripping image with Kulan Goth being all in white - like an, an I don't know what. And I think that's what is the most interesting about it. I do not know what is going to happen to Sonja (and Peter) but I just know it isn't going to be good. As the foreground, it is so striking against the busy and colorful rest of the image. And then, when I had Terry sign it - he nailed it with the signature. Perfection. As for the remainder of the image? It's super busy - Sonja is beheading a serpent/dragon thing, Peter is getting mauled by some beastie and we're I don't know where - a temple? An observatory? I don't know and I guess it doesn't really matter, as that doesn't detract from my desire to know what is going on inside the book - and that's what a cover image is supposed to do, amirite? Sonja's stance is interesting. She's wielding two-handed, which is fine and she's just completed a blow and had time to turn the blade over at the end of her swing to initiate her return swing - but she's left shoulder forward, right hip forward - which is a squared off, defensive stance - even while attacking, so she's not 100% in aggression mode. This makes sense, she's a smarter fighter than Conan. Less smash, more style.
Overall? I do not read spider books, they do not appeal to me, but I would buy this issue off the spinner rack in exchange for my hard earned 35 cents.
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| Horror.
Brunner covers end. |
Red Sonja 14 Universal
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9.4
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"River of the Dead!" You know - I really don't think this cover needed a word balloon. And the dead shouldn't talk in complete sentences anyway, but at least they tied the word balloon to the title of the story. It's still dumb though. Well, we're just a couple issues in to Frank Brunner's covers and you sure can tell the difference: look at that fully executed background, super-cool columns, the highly detailed boat and horned skull masthead - even the flames from the torch are better executed. Even though we no the boat isn't moving that fast (poled boats just don't hustle), there's a huge sense of movement due to the entire image being canted, and the smoke trailing away from the torch. Color focuses our eye on Sonja - and really the only thing that distracts from that is the terrible white of the word balloon. I bet, based on what I can see of the water, that the image was outstanding before the words & the bar code. I don't usually complain about the bar code - it was just a way of life for so long, but this time its really intrusive with the cool factor of the cover art. I'm fascinated by how well the composition flows given that the image is really just a big X - it must be the curve of the bow & the curved roof of the cavern, between the columns, but there is a real sense of flow. I guess that's why Brunner is an excellent artist, and I am just a guy who does some paintings occasionally.
Looking at Sonja herself - her sword arm seems small and frail - now, I'm not a fan of huge, bulky fighters (more on that in my Conan 1-24 set), but it seems undermuscled for a swordswinging bada$$ like Sonja - particularly if she isn't going to use a sword like she has on the cover of issue 12.
Overall - hell yeah I'm buying this issue off the spinner rack - it nicely bridges the gap between Sword & Sorcery and Horror, and I like both.
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| Stiff.
Cockram. |
Red Sonja 15 Modern
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9.4
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"Tomb of Three Dead Kings!" Final issue of Volume 1, and for some reason with a Cockrum cover. Actually a kind of bad cover too. I have no idea what the alien-headed dude is supposed to be, but he's no Kulan-Gath that's for certain. Actually, he looks far too inane to be a Sonja style sorcerer at all. And then we have vampires. Oohh. Um no. Their faces and expressions are so wooden they look like the CGI from the Justice League movie. I'm not afraid. Or impressed. Or really interested. Somehow - Red Sonja, badass of Hyboria - is standing on a single tip-toe while moving backward, and is supposed to be frightened of these wooden morons? Pft. Just a big old badness sundae with a cherry on top.
Overall - muddy, cluttered, and uninteresting in the extreme. No, I can see why this is the last issue and likely didn't sell many units, I wouldn't spend my hard earned 40 cents on it based on this cover.
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| Just a thumbnail.
Buscema is better with Chan. |
Conan the Barbarian 115 Modern
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9.6
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10th Anniversary Issue! - Honestly - very cool. So, I have this only for the Red Sonja appearance on the cover - this is the only instance of Ernie Chan working on a cover with Red Sonja that is able to be slabbed. I don't know that there's a lot I can say about the Sonja image in this art with her just a greyscale drawing in the background - but the green on that vibrant chartreuse is really striking. So kudos to the colorist. And - in all honesty - she looks pretty good in that thumbnail image. OK - so I know Buscema is a lot of collectors' Conan artist of choice - but his stuff gets so much better when Ernie joins him. This image of Conan is some serious good draftsmanship. Conan's coloration jumps off of that background - and even though he's not standing on a surface in the image, his feet are planted. Maybe a little wide - but not overly so. My only complaint with his stance is his lowered shoulder, but with the point of the weapon trained on his imaginary opponent's face - there's no concern there either. While there isn't a lot to say about this image, and really there isn't enough Red Sonja for me to spew dozens of words on - it really is a solid cover.
Overall? Yeah - I probably would have spent seventy five cents on this beauty, right off of the spinner rack.
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| Birth of the blue bodysuit.
Buscema. |
Red Sonja v2 #1 Modern
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9.8
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Not even 4 years have elapsed since Red Sonja volume 1 ended and we are back! Sort of. For two issues. I mean, talk about series that never got a chance. We have managed to increase the issue price from 40 cents to 60 cents though. So there is totally 50% more greatness here right? Ehh, maybe not so much. Gone and buried in the past is the maille bikini, replaced with the one-piece blue swimsuit. Which isn't a bad look in a couple years when Mary Wilshire gets ahold of it, but just seems odd here where it first turns up. Like, why? Anyway - of the 37 Red Sonja titles this is the one Buscema cover - and really, he does okay making it interesting without the armored bikini. The cave setting is a little boring what with no background texture or interesting bits - but whatever, it's where she is examining a pile of loot. Maybe a burial chamber? Anyway, the entire image is carried by Sonja's side-eye glance at the reflection - allowing her to spot her quiet ambusher, snag a blade, and still look like the victim while holding the oil lamp aloft. Really some good tension in the image. I'm not as sold on the coloring - I just think there is so much more that could have been done with the skeleton's armor and gear than a monotone blue-grey. He's boring - which would totally make sense if there were ten of him, but when's he's the only adversary he should be impressive looking. He isn't. The same can be said for the pile of loot - no variation. Totally boring. Finding loot is supposed to be exciting. Not so much here.
Overall - I don't know, the LCS racks were packed in the 80s with so much cool stuff - maybe it gets my 60 cents based on the cover, but then again...maybe not.
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| We're gone.
Simons and Mitchel? Who? |
Red Sonja v2 #2
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9.8
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If there weren't other reasons this title ended with only two issues, then this gods awful cover would have killed it. It's boring, poorly rendered and generally looks like crapola. I don't know who the twiggy-armed woman with the red hair is supposed to be, but it sure isn't the badass barbarian woman I'm looking for. Everything is just a terrible jumble of colors and shapes with no focus. On top of that, Sonja and her girlfriend look nothing like swordfighters, their stance is too upright, their center of balance is way too high, and they look completely unsure of themselves. Like, seriously, who would buy this book based on the cover art? I wouldn't even pull it off the spinner rack to look at the interior.
Overall - awful, terrible, with no redeeming features whatsoever and certainly not worth 60 cents.
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| We're back again. Simonson is also a god. |
Red Sonja v3 #1 Signature
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9.8
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Simonson - easily the best cover of Marvel's volume 3. The portrait focus, the swords, the direct eye contact, the shading - 100% excellent work from Walt. This big $1.00 issue is oddly difficult to find without a weird cover wrap. So many of the issues I found I passed on just because the wrap was so bad. Obviously not much to talk about here as far as her sword fighting stance or her body position - but her grip is correct. Again - I am weirded out by her having a glove on her sword hand and not on her dagger hand. Her dagger hand - which is her parrying hand - is almost always going to be the hand that is exposed to the opponent's weapons. If I was going to only wear one glove, it'd be on my damn parrying hand.
Overall? Oh hell, I love this cover. Even for a dollar, when most books are 60 cents. So, yeah, take my dollar and let me read what RS is up to.
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| Dance by the fire with me.
Mary Wilshire covers start. |
Red Sonja v3 #2
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9.8
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The Mary Wilshire years - The armor is gone, the ridiculous sized boobs are gone, and long leather boots (which might just be sexier are in). Over the years, this is really our first opportunity to see a woman's eye on Sonja. And it is good. Viewed through an archway, Red is locked in combat with an antagonist. Sonja's weight is a little bit in her heels as she deals with the aggressive maneuver of her opponent. And it's a maneuver I've used before in a performance, grabbing the swordarm at the wrist during the downswing and moving quickly forward for a counterswing. Oh how the audience loves that. Mary has their individual positions good, although I would typically have my front foot planted by the time I made the wrist grab. Really my only complaint about the entire image is how high the antagonist has her blade. If you have long hair and your elbow is low, your sword should be low too to avoid entanglements. Trust me on that one - it happens super rarely but I understand it hurts.
All of the scene setting in this image is excellent - the blue twilight sky, the balcony with ivy crawling on it, and the overturned items in the foreground burning away, and providing a light source for the image. Yep, Mary nailed it. No words at all, and excellent draftsmanship add up to an excellent cover image.
Overall - it is the 80s and books are getting pricy - still, I'd buy that for a dollar
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Red Sonja v3 #3 Universal
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| Collarbone!
Wilshire. |
Red Sonja v3 #4
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9.8
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EXTREME CLOSE-UP!!! Ahhhhhhh! Anyway, totally sweet cover by Mary Wilshire before she took a short hiatus and we had to deal with a string of substitute cover artists - not that Broderick is bad, per se, but well...you can read my entries for his covers if you want. But this - this is sweet! Big ol rippy claws, big ol chompy teeth, and Sonja deflecting attacks with her sword and dagger every which way. Extraordinary use of color really makes this one pop too. I have to say, of the Marvel RS covers, this is one of the best of all of them (including Conan covers and others). Just pure, in-your-face combat with a sharp-toothed bitch.
As to her combat - there's not much to focus on here with the close up - but it does bring into focus a minor nit for me to pick, Sonja's sword and dagger are parallel to each other, and if you're going for maximum blocking power, they should be perpendicular. Even if not ninety degrees, at least 60/30 so that the dagger and the dagger arm support the sword arm for the strongest stop block. Otherwise - her grip is good and strong and she's ready to fight. ALTHOUGH, I do take issue with her only wearing one glove, but I think that's a colorists error on her off-hand.
Overall - are you kidding me? Damn - take my money. This is an awesome cover and I am totally enticed to buy this issue based solely on the cover art.
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| Octopussy!
Broderick fills in. |
Red Sonja v3 #5 Signature
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9.8
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Pat Broderick, Hentai Artist? Maybe - just a little bit anyway. This cover has a lot going for it - very dynamic in the depiction of the octopus. Great use of blues and purples for most of the cover to make Sonja's hair stand out. There's not much I can say about her swordfighting on this cover, as I've never been grappled by a giant octopus, underwater, while trying to stab it - but technically speaking, I think she's screwed. Obviously, she goes on to fight another day - as there is another issue next month, but I think this cover art really does do its job - I'm interested in how Sonja got in this particular fix and I'm interested in how the hell she's going to get out. Because damn.
Overall? Yeah, just take my sixty cents and let me read about Sonja and the Cephalopod of Doom. DOOM!
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| Pants? what?
Broderick. |
Red Sonja v3 #6 Modern
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9.8
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What weird body imagery we've given Sonja, like freaky little arms and giant, muscled thighs. I don't think I like it. Really the only thing about this cover that stands out to me is that Sonja's hair is allowed to flow through the box with the issue number in it. Okay - that's not fair. The zombies are ok. Are they zombies? I'm not sure. But they totally would have benefitted from some quality zombie artist - which Broderick is not. I don't know - I just don't think this is a very good cover - it feels crowded without word balloons and there's just no tension.
As to Sonja herself, I like the sword - clean, straight, definitely a working piece (not a wall hanger), no fantasy B.S. with the shape. And I like her solid, two-handed grip, it looks like it means business. I'm not sure that the handle and pommel shouldn't be visible behind her grip though, the sword grip seems shortened and that makes for poor control. Her weight is heavy in her right leg, and her left knee is almost straight - not a good ready pose, and totally giving up which way she might move. Again - zombies - so maybe they're not the most clever combatants.
Overall - yeah, there's just not a lot to endear me to this cover. It just doesn't work well, and it doesn't scream barbarian woman with a sword! I'm going to have to say - no, no chance this image parted me with my hard earned 60 cents.
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Red Sonja v3 #7 Universal
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Red Sonja v3 #8 Universal
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| Archery!
Wilshire & Kaluta |
Conan the King 28
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9.8
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A cover by Mary Wilshire AND Kaluta? How awesome is that?!? And with interior art by Silvestri and Isherwood - it really should be an awesome lineup. Even with the huge masthead and heavy borders on the cover - the image itself is a thing of glory, which isn't something I get to say often about the blue bodysuit era. Sonja is almost never shown as an archer, so this is really stands out - and she's handling that bow like a champ, with the next arrow held in her bow hand ready to do a release and draw combination typical of horse archers. The cover just has so much going on, without feeling overwhelming (that's a Kaluta influence). It is hard to figure out the scene though. I think Sonja and Conan are standing atop a crypt, which has an effigy on top and is covered in burial treasure, and which is lit by HUGE candles on every side - that doesn't appear to be a trick of perspective making the candles appear larger than life - and the two of them are taking on some haunt in this crypt. At least that what I think I see.
Overall? Very cool - but I think most everything Kaluta does is very cool.
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| Caw! Caw!
Wilshire. |
Red Sonja v3 #9 Modern
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9.8
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One of the things that I really enjoy about Mary's covers is that you never have to remind yourself that RS is a badass - a big, strong, sword swinging badass. Here she's assisting some burly dude to hang on, whilst simultaneously hanging on herself by one hand. Plus that cliff face is drawn like a little bit of an overhang, and if you go rock climbing you know that's all just arm work holding them up there. That's one strong bitch. And I like that. I think the overall rendering is good - solid, if not terribly dynamic work from Mary - but that's part of the charm of her covers too. Clean lines, full backgrounds, solid compositions - a long way from the absolutely crazy compositions of Frank Thorne, and far better than her peers are doing in the current Conan books (looking at you Isherwood).
Overall? Boy I don't know. There's a lot I like about this cover as an adult, but I'm not sure there's anything there to really entice me to part with my hard earned 65 cents just based on the cover art.
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| Crotch Shot!
Wilshire & Nichols |
Red Sonja v3 #10 Universal
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9.8
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Mary Wilshire and Art Nichols. You can really see Art's influence in this cover, it being substantially different in composition than Mary's other works. I don't know how much I like it. It's weird - Sonja's stance is too squatty, her left thigh looks far too long, and her weight doesn't appear distributed well either. The whole stance feels off. Plus - that's a LOT OF HAIR. Like Medusa of the Inhumans hair. Her grip on the sword is good, if a little stiff - and she does look ready to take care of business. Unfortunately, it looks like her business is me - and I don't want to get stabbed; but there isn't any antagonist in the image and she's making eye contact with me.
Overall? I don't know. The image is just weird, it doesn't tell me anything about the story inside, so I'm not engaged or interested in what's going on. As a result of that, I don't see this cover separating me from my hard earned 65 cents
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Red Sonja v3 #11 Universal
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| Red Sonja: The Movie 1 |
Red Sonja: The Movie 1 Universal
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| Red Sonja: The Movie 2 |
Red Sonja: The Movie 2 Universal
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| Lift!
Wilshire. |
Red Sonja v3 #12 Signature
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9.8
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Holy crap! Red Sonja & Mary Wilshire mean business. This is a pretty simple composition which focuses on Red's complete domination of some sword boy and highlights her strength. Not only is she lifting that man one-handed, left-handed, but he's armored. And let me tell you, that crap is heavy. So she's a total badass, the look on her face is complete murder and her stance is beautiful No bare midriff is needed to sell that she's strong & sexy or as feminine as she desires. The musculature in her legs really sells the stance, and her grip on her sword & backswing are perfect form for what I would teach. Very dramatic. One of the nice things about the "blue one piece swimsuit" years is how much easier it is to make Sonja stand out on a cover using color. The yellow background is perfect. And once again - no words!
Overall - 75 cents? yeah - I think this cover art does what it is supposed to. I'd totally buy this of the spinner rack for 75 cents.
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| Red Sonja Vol 3, 13 |
Red Sonja v3 #13 Universal
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