Kurt Busiek, Cat Staggs, Mark Russell And More Sign On For ‘Red Sonja: Black, White, Red’ #1
by Erik Amaya
On Tuesday, Dynamite Entertainment announced a star-studded lineup for its upcoming Red Sonja: Black, White, Red #1. The series, starting in July, will “capture the legendary Hyrkanian hero like readers have never seen her before” via great storytellers and that red, white, and black color scheme for the artwork.
The first issue will feature stories from Kurt Busiek with Benjamin Dewey, Amanda Deibert with Cat Staggs, and Mark Russell with Bob Q. Busiek’s story, his first ever with the character, will take readers to the Mountains of Night, “a foreboding haunt that calls Sonja to it, in search of a precious artifact.”
“I’ve gotten to roam around in the Hyborean Age before, and even wrote Kulan Gath in Avengers. But the one part of those classic comics that I never got to write was Red Sonja,” Busiek said in statement. “So it’s great to have a chance to correct that, and do a full-on Sonja story, where we can showcase what makes her great — her quick wits, her anger and her unique way of dealing with the world’s rough edges. Plus, it’s always a joy to work with Ben Dewey, and we came up with a way to use the limited palette that I think will be very striking.”
Dewey added, “Seeing the element of full color stripped away lets me and Kurt emphasize what the Red in Red Sonja means; it’s her hair, spilled blood, and any other special feature we want to showcase.”
“I think most of us are drawn to heroes who fight for the underdog and at her heart, Red Sonja is a character who protects, defends, and gets revenge for those who cannot,” said Deibert. “That is deeply appealing to me as a writer.”
The issue will also feature a coda to Russell and Q’s time with Red Sonja. “She’s a warrior who’s been forced into violence because of her past,” Russell said. “I think of her as sort of being like Clint Eastwood in the Outlaw Josey Wales. Someone who didn’t choose this way of life so much as it chose her, but now she knows nothing else. When I write her, I try to make space for that sense of fatalism.”
In addition to the talent within its pages, the first issue will also boast covers in the black/white/red color scheme from Lucio Parrillo, Emanuela Lupacchino, and Phillip Tan. Lineups for future issues will be announced soon.
Red Sonja: Black, White, Red, #1 goes on sale in July.