Writer Luke Lieberman Talks Consequences And ‘Red Sonja: Death And The Devil’
by Erik Amaya
In the upcoming Red Sonja: Death and the Devil, the She Devil with a Sword faces one of the toughest challenges yet: owning up to her own mistakes. The realm of Turan is in chaos after she killed its ruler (back in Red Sonja: Birth of a She Devil) and it is time for an adventurer like Sonja to face some consequences. Comicon.com Editor-in-Chief Erik Amaya caught up with writer Luke Lieberman to discuss the series, why sword-and-sandal heroes rarely face the music, the undead assassin causing trouble, and more.
Erik Amaya: About how long after birth of a she devil is the story set?
Luke Lieberman: Not long, Sonja’s regicide throws Turan into chaos in real time.
Is she inspired to go Turan on her own or does something make her recall the incident?
LL: Her conscience brings her back, when she heard what misery her actions had caused. She returns trying to make things right. Easier said than done.
Going in, does she consider it what happened there a big deal or “just a Tuesday?”
LL: She recognizes the gravity of it, what happened to her village is now happening all over the country. The story is about Sonja wrestling with death, both those by her hand and those that she loved.
How much of the chaos in Turan will readers see? Will the serpent cults and warlords populate much of the story?
LL: Yup. There is a living heir to the throne, both the Sons of Set and a warlord are after him. Sonja and Bloodless are in a race to catch him first.
What can you tell us about Bloodless? The “undead assassin” in the synopsis is such a provocative description.
LL: He sees dead people. Bloodless has a unique, mystical origin which makes him both lethal and intimately familiar with death. He can speak to the dead, but only to hear their last words. Often, this is enough.
One of the big themes in the tale is Sonja facing consequences adventurers rarely face. Why is it so many of them get to blithely move on? Is it part of the format of adventure tales or something more deeply rooted in the genre?
LL: Everyone likes to see a baddie gets what’s coming to them. Its an easy moment to root for, but real life is never so simple. Blood leaves a stain and part of taking these stories and the genre to the next level is to embrace this moral complexity.
On a similar front, introspection is also a seeming rarity among sword-and-sandal adventurers, but Sonja certainly has the capacity for it. Is it something she still fights against?
LL: Part of what I love about Birth of a She Devil, and now Death and the Devil, is the stories are set in her younger years, when she is still figuring out who she is and who she wants to be. Angsty, impulsive, unseasoned, and still learning from life; introspection is how she grows.
Can we expect any more elements from Sonja’s past to appear in the tale?
LL: Part of grappling with death is her feelings about deaths in her past.
How is it working with Alberto Locatelli?
I didn’t put pen to paper until Alberto came on board. I wanted a unique artist that fit the piece stylistically — particularly in introducing Bloodless, who is a character I hope will have real staying power. I needed the right artist to pull that off, and Alberto delivered.
Staying involved with Red Sonja all this time, what keeps bringing you back to her?
I never left, she is like sister from another mister.
Thanks, Luke! Red Sonja: Death and Devil hits stands this September from Dynamite.
