My Rating
“Devil In The Sand – Part 02”
The race is on as Red Sonja and her companions flee from a host of cannibalistic bandits now in pursuit. Their only hope of survival is to reach the abandoned keep once ruled over by King Gresh the sullen. As the three riders crest up the embankment leading to the castle’s drawbridge, Sonja yells out to Lucian and Celia to destroy the rotting wooden overpass. It will take some work, but time has done most of the destruction for them.
Luck seems to favor the treasure seekers as the old planks begin to crumble one by one downward into the dark ravine. In moments the blood thirst mob of flesh eaters are upon Sonja and her young companions. As the fiends begin to rain down a storm of spear and obsidian tipped arrows, Celia, the young woman who reminded Sonja so much of her younger self, makes a fatal mistake. In a misjudge stomp of her calfskin covered foot, Celia loses her balance as a plank gives way.
Lucian’s lover begins to fall towards her death in rocks below, but Red Sonja lashes out with the speed of a cheetah and catches the woman by her wrist. Fate would not be kind to Celia this day, as a lucky shot from a cannibal’s bow would strike Red Sonja in the very forearm that holds Celia’s destiny in tow. Lucian screams out to Sonja not to let go, but her warrior’s strength quickly leaves her as a torrent of blood sprays forth from the fresh arrow wound.
Will Lucian survive the hail of arrows long enough to help Sonja retrieve his lover? What foul things lurk down in the dark cavern tunnels leading to Gresh’s keep? Can Sonja find the legendary Blood Ruby before her nightmares drive her insane? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
Wait, what? I don’t get it. Were Lucian and Celia truly there in a physical sense, or were they just dust in the wind? Cue the Kansas power ballad. You see folks, this is why you never build an empire in the desert wastelands. Yes you get seclusion from all the other ***holes in the world, but your sanity leaves quicker than southbound sh*t leaving through a northbound goose. Also, apparently a supernatural statue garden becomes your downfall.
The real draw of Savage Red Sonja #2 is the artwork. I will say it again, I do love the cel shading style, and in my opinion it should be used in even more books than it is now. I’m a little disappointed however in the shallow story development here. But hey, at least the art is awesome.
I did find one flub on the “Dynamite Dispatch” page at the back of the comic book. Under the “Next Issue” teaser we get the cover art for issue three, but the description is for issue two. I read it and thought the editor was playing mind tricks on me or something. Did the very story I just read even exist, or is Dan Panosian playing 4-D chess? I verified the description for issue three on CLZ Comics, and yes, someone dropped the ball.
I’m giving this issue of Savage Red Sonja three out of five stars. As a fan I surely hope the bugs get worked out sooner than later. We have to wait and see what the fates decide.
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