My Rating
“Devil In The Sand – Part 01”
Red Sonja had learned over many years of treasure hunting that the legends regarding such wealth typically originate from drunken tavern hearsay, mendacious seerers peddling their fortunes on a mark, or flowery narratives seeded by bandits who then lay in wait for ambush. However, when a map is acquired by a tried source unrelated to the original messenger, the validity of the information has to be taken seriously. For Sonja, the legend of King Gresh and his elusive Blood Ruby always piqued her interest no matter what the context.
Destiny, for those who believe in such things, has a way of showing us just what we wish to see. It would take a random conversation with an affable innkeeper for Red Sonja to procure a map leading into the northern desert region. According to all of the legends, there in the Red Dune wastelands Sonja would find the abandoned keep of the spectral King Gresh. Somewhere within those stonework towers resides the jewel worth more than several kingdoms’ treasure rooms combined.
After thanking her new found benefactor, Sonja mounts her horse and races off towards the place most treasure hunters refuse to travel. She would soon learn if all tales of cannibalistic tribes and sand burrowing tentacled demons were bona fide. It would be there, in the red sands of the north, where Sonja would find her next adventure.
Reviewer Notes
Maps! Dynamite Entertainment representatives, for all that is good and holy, please give us maps. I’m a fan of Robert E. Howard’s world of Hyboria, and I know there are a ton of finely drawn maps out there for consumption; however, when a new story begins with vaguely described locations it would be of interest to all readers to know where our heroes are in the grand scheme of things. Other than that…
What a great start to another chapter in the Red Sonja saga. I’m currently reading the main Red Sonja series, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the art style in Savage Red Sonja is very different from Walter Geovani work in Red Sonja Volume 07. Alessio Petillo and Francesco Segala bring the cel shading art style to the Savage Red Sonja series and I think it’s wonderful.
I would compare the artwork to recent cel shaded video games I’ve seen advertised for Xbox and Playstation. It’s also nice to see anything that distinguishes two comic book titles released by the same publisher which features the same hero or heroine. I can’t wait to dive into the future editions of this series.
Dan Panosian’s writing seems solid for issue one. If he keeps within the parameters of the original source material I think this story arc should be a fun adventure. Keeping my fingers crossed. For this issue I’m giving Savage Red Sonja four out of five stars. Just remember Dynamite, we need maps!
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