Red Sonja #8: Alliance With The Woodland Tribes
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
Queen Red Sonja and the Hyrkanian people are now in the woodlands, the jurisdiction of Lord Oak. Sonja knows that an alliance with the woodland people will be needed if Hyrkania is to have any hope against the Zamoran Empire. Unfortunately, Sonja recently killed Lord Oak’s nephew, Vorgon, whom had betrayed Sonja and Hyrkania to Zamoran. Sonja has a fruitful if indecisive council with Lord Oak, and, while Oak deliberates, Sonja finds Foghor has returned. He claims that Lord Oak schemes to betray Hyrkania. Foghor visited the woodland tribes earlier with bribes to convince them to do just that.
Red Sonja #8 finds Queen Sonja and Hyrkania trying to strike an alliance with Lord Oak and the woodland tribes in the hopes that they can beat Dragan and the Zamoran Empire together.
It’s a relatively less action-heavy issue compared to recent installments of Red Sonja, but there is still some action to be enjoyed. However, the main thrust of the comic is the negotiations between Sonja and Oak. It’s an interesting sequence, and it delves somewhat into how geography can help define a people and culture.
The Dragan scenes continue to be downright hilarious most of the time. This character’s maniacal tendencies mixed with his foppishness and dry observations make for a charming villain.
The ending to this issue undercuts some of its high points. The comic is still damn good, but the payoff is stifled.
Bob Q’s artwork adds a sleek and appealing aesthetic to the proceedings as well. It’s a fluid style that lends itself to the action scenes quite well. The design for the woodland tribe clothing is quite nice to boot. Dearbhla Kelly’s color work is strong, adding another kick of life to the visuals of this comic.
Red Sonja #8 is another strong installment for the series. While the ending is somewhat underwhelming, the main thrust of the comic is very engaging, and the artwork is damn good. As such, this series gets another recommendation. Check it out.
Red Sonja #8 comes to us from writer Mark Russell, artist Bob Q, color artist Dearbhla Kelly, letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, cover artist Amanda Conner with Paul Mounts, and variant cover artists Joseph Michael Linsner; Khoi Pham; Katie O’Meara; Andrew Pepoy with Jason Millet; and Roberto Castro with Mike Spicer.
Final Score: 8/10
