Down But Not Out: Red Sonja #10 Reviewed
by Josh Davison
Mild Spoilers Ahead
Hyrkania has fallen to Dragan the Magnificent and the Zamoran Empire. The new King of Hyrkania, Fyodr, surrenders to Dragan, only for Dragan to take his crown and give it to Foghor. Red Sonja now only has the Barrens and the Brothers of Misfortune to call upon, and that is not nearly enough with which to fight the Zamoran Empire. Sonja thinks back on another lesson from the Domo in Khitai, and she decides to think like the rabbit. Meanwhile, Minnas tires of his abuse at the hands of Dragan and thinks of a way to get back at the great emperor.
Red Sonja #10 finds Hyrkania on its knees and Red Sonja on the run from the Zamoran Empire. The forces of Hyrkania have no hope in a direct confrontation with the Zamorans, and they have no longer have allies to call upon.
However, Sonja will not surrender, and she will not give up hope that Dragan and the Zamoran Empire can be defeated. She merely needs to think like the rabbit.
Despite the dramatic loss, the structure of Red Sonja #10 isn’t unlike that of the prior issues. Dragan has the upper hand, Sonja remembers a lesson she learned from the Domo, and she decides upon a new tactic.
That said, this issue does have the difference of giving us the background of Dragan’s chief advisor, Minnas. We learn that Minnas used to be a ruler himself, and he tried to challenge Dragan before being badly beaten. As a result, we also get a glimpse of Dragan from before he was the most feared ruler in the world.
Magic definitely exists in this iteration of Red Sonja as of this issue. Mysticism was hinted at in previous issues, but we see true acts of sorcery in this issue. That does leave the comic a little less grounded in realism, but I won’t complain about a bit of surrealism.
Mirko Colak continues to be a great boon for this run of Red Sonja. His gritty and at-times gory style is just what a book about the she-devil needs, and his eye for detail is stunning. Dearbhla Kelly’s color art is dirty, yet vibrant and looks damn good too.
Red Sonja #10 is another great issue for our flame-haired heroine. It looks like Sonja and Hyrkania are down and out, but the she-devil never stops fighting. With compelling characters, a solid sense of humor, and fantastic visuals, this series earns yet another recommendation. Feel free to give it a read.
Red Sonja #10 comes to us from writer Mark Russell, artist Mirko Colak, color artist Dearbhla Kelly, letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, cover artist Amanda Conner with Paul Mounts, and variant cover artists Joseph Michael Linsner; Khoi Pham; Mirko Colak with Dearbhla Kelly; Andrew Pepoy; and Roberto Castro with Mike Spicer.
Final Score: 8.5/10
