Chasing Down Chariots With Red Sonja #4
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
The Zamoran chariots arrive at the emperor’s camp, and the chariots are sent to rout the Hyrkanians. Red Sonja’s scouts see this, and Sonja begins to evacuate the bystanders. She then teams up with her cousin and the Brothers of Misfortune to ambush the chariots. The chariots are only a major threat from the front, and Kryon has a plan to ride on the chariots from behind. Also, Red Sonja reflects on the time that she learned that sheer strength is not the answer to all challenges.
Red Sonja #4 finds the she-devil and her army taking on another challenge from the Zamoran Empire. The Zamorans keep taking aggressive measures that catch the Hyrkanians off-guard but give them an opportunity to outmaneuver. In this instance, it was pulling all the Zamoran chariots into Hyrkania.
This series’ brilliance lies in how simple each issue is and how quickly each installment gets to the main conflict. While every issue has focused on the Zamoran campaign against Hyrkania, each issue focuses on a specific battle or engagement. It also shows us how Red Sonja learned the value of each tactic she uses through flashback.
It also has a solid sense of humor, often shown through how sassy and petulant the Zamoran Emperor Dragan is, though one of the biggest laughs this issue has to offer comes from Red Sonja herself.
Mirko Colak once again makes the battle scenes both gorgeous and brutal, with Red Sonja being the impressive and powerful hero in the center of it all. That said, the battle scene with the chariots is pretty confusing at times. It’s hard to tell how many chariots there are or how Sonja and the Brothers of Misfortune take many of them down. That is the only major complaint with the art, but it was a bit of a problem. Beyond that, Colak and color artist Dearbha Kelly do great work in this comic.
Red Sonja #4 is another exciting and compelling issue in this relaunch of the red she-devil’s series. Sonja and the Hyrkanians continue to baffle and outwit the Zamoran Empire, and each stage of the story is more engaging than the last. This one gets a recommendation. Check it out.
Red Sonja #4 comes to us from writer Mark Russell, artist Mirko Colak, color artist Dearbha Kelly, letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, cover artist Amanda Conner with Paul Mounts, and variant cover artists Joseph Michael Linsner, Christian Ward, Kenneth Rocafort, Bob Q, and Conner with Mounts.
