Me, Red Sonja & Gail Simone

In comics there is no shortage of strong and capable female characters, in fact, that statement is the majority of the reason I fell in love with the comics medium in the way that I did. Most of my early comic collecting was because I would spend hours upon end digging through dollar bins, always bringing home a fat stack of comics with each one having a gorgeous and powerful woman gracing the cover.

It would affect my comic pulls later on (and still does to this day) and it would only be a matter of time before I discovered and inevitably fell in love with the She-Devil known as Red Sonja.

There she stood, giant sword in hand with hair that looked like fire. Even just donning a chainmail bikini the sense of power radiated off her. I couldn’t tell if I wanted to be with her or be like her (but we’ll talk more on that later)

It was Gail Simone’s famous run on Red Sonja, with those gorgeous covers by Jenny Frison (where’s my Wonder Woman/Red Sonja crossover!) and ridiculously powerful interiors by Walt Geovani that I had my first experience with the She-Devil of Hyrkania. Almost immediately, I fell in love with that warrior woman.

Red Sonja, was bold and brash, strong, unrelenting, and seemingly unstoppable when she put her mind to it. A likable and even loveable character from the first few pages alone. Gail Simone had twisted and transformed the warrior’s backstory. Removing the horrifying elements of rape from her origin story, in the 2014 run of Red Sonja it would instead be depicted that Sonja, the daughter of Hyrkania’s chief would be the sole surviving member after her village is slaughtered by vicious raiders. This would fuel her quest for revenge and her journey into becoming one of the most powerful warriors the world had ever known.

Yet as displayed in Simone and Geovani’s first arc when Sonja comes face to face with the self-proclaimed “Dark Annisia” a woman from Sonja’s past and someone whom she considered a sister, we start to see the warrior stagger displaying moments of relatable vulnerability. Throughout their conflict, we’re given glimpses into their past, as the women shared moments of pain during their time in a Zamoran slave pit as contenders for a cruel gladiatorial arena. These moments took Red Sonja, a punishing force to be reckoned with, and transformed her into a character, even a woman that I could relate to during times of weakness.

The She-Devil would be pushed even further during the first arc when it would be revealed that she was the carrier of an ill-omened plague in which no one could recover from. From there she would become an outcast, forced to live out her few remaining days as a mere shell of the warrior we knew. Believed to be on the doorstep of death Red Sonja was mere moments away from giving up entirely. Yet even in her worst moments, she persisted.

Without fail Red Sonja’s strength and perseverance became my own. I felt like no matter how many times I was knocked down I could get back up and continue.

At one point during the ongoing series a friend lightheartedly joked with me that the only reason I loved the series the way I did was because of how extremely reminiscent the ongoing plot was of Mass Effect 2, which was and still is my favorite video game series of all time. Now I know what you’re thinking. Mars, how could a sword and sorcery book like Red Sonja ever be comparable to a series like Mass Effect, a future bending sci-fi RPG adventure.

Well, I’m glad you asked.

In Gail Simone’s second arc of Red Sonja, compiled across issues #7-12 and entirely collected in the series second trade, Red Sonja is tasked by a dying emperor to track and bring forth six great artisans so that he may throw a grand celebration prior to his ill-timed and inevitable death. With the promise of freedom for over a thousand slaves, Sonja sets out to find and deliver a courtesan, a dancer, a stargazer, a swordsman, a beastmaster and a chef.

Over the course of six issues, Red Sonja does as promised, coming face to face with each artesian, tackling the difficulty at hand until they agree to return to Samala’s great feast. Each moment adds for some really great character development, and even at times helps to delve into the She-Devil’s past. We see instances of broken gender roles and stereotypes, religious influences questioned and more, taken on by the creative team. Without a doubt, if you’re looking to jump into Red Sonja for the first time without feeling overwhelmed by the literal hundreds of stories for the character, this is always the arc I recommend.

But back to Mass Effect 2 and more importantly it’s connection with Red Sonja.

In Mass Effect 2 a majority of the gameplay is spent jumping from location to location meeting and teaming up with various specialists to assist you in a suicidal final mission. So you see where I’m getting at.

Now I’m a sucker for found families, it’s one of my favorite tropes so you can see why this Red Sonja story is particularly special for me. Across these six issues our warrior slowly develops personal bonds with each artisan, and these characters even play a larger role in the series conclusion in its third arc. It’s one of the few times Sonja has ever felt rooted to a cast of characters whereas most one-shots and even extended stories featuring the She-Devil tend to feel undynamic and one dimensional as far as characterization is involved. Just let it be known that I would give anything to see Red Sonja make a return to her found family even if just for a single issue.

In the series third and final arc Red Sonja finds herself coming face to face with her greatest challenge yet. Herself. While aiding a small village, the warrior would soon find herself on the trail of the man she loathes most in the world. The sole remaining member of the marauders who slaughtered her family. Yet in her quest for revenge and inevitable mental peace she slowly begins to lose herself to the darkness.

Finding herself on the brink of death once more, this time Red Sonja finds herself in an internal battle for her life against the wickedness that had been stilled within her all along. It would be her greatest battle yet and all we as readers can do is watch in the hope that our warrior will prevail one last time.

These last few issues would be a fitting conclusion to our epic as key moments and elements from previous issues would return giving our red-haired warrior the ending she deserved. Few books can do what Simone and Geovani have done in giving us a satisfying finale after being along for Red Sonja's journey so long.

And of course, before I wrap things up don't think I forgot how I said I couldn't tell if I wanted to be Red Sonja or be with her. Well believe it or not there are more than a few panels that Sonja’s sexuality is questioned. While not bare-bones confirmed, it’s a little less than subtle when it comes down to the fact that the warrior falls somewhere on the bisexual spectrum. That brothel scene should be enough to make it obvious.

As a bisexual woman myself, it meant everything to see this come from a character who felt like she was originally created with the intention of the male gaze. In fact, throughout the entirety of Gail Simone’s run, it felt like a character we were taking back. Red Sonja wasn’t just a woman in a scantily clad bikini anymore, she was a warrior worthy of everyone.

Throughout the 18 issue series, there would be several transformative moments from the creative team. These moments elevated the character to something more than we had seen in the 40 years since her creation. It put the name Red Sonja on a lot of pull lists, and the front of people’s reading stacks. Suddenly it felt like everyone was talking about Red Sonja and with good reason and intention.

I love Red Sonja. I love the strength, passion, and perseverance she inspires. Sometimes I wonder if it wasn’t for Gail Simone’s transformational iteration on the character If I would have fallen in love with Red Sonja in the way that I did and I hate even considering as such.

But it’s probably true.

So with a final wrap up if you haven’t already read Gail Simone and Walt Geovani’s run on Red Sonja I implore you to do so. With 18 issues compiled in three trades, it makes for the perfect binge-worthy series to catch up on during the Corona Quarantine.

And Gail if by some miracle you read this. Thank you.