Savage Red Sonja #1

Fending off the claws of loneliness and despair, the She-Devil With A Sword battles inhuman beasts and aids a prince and his consort while seeking a legendary gemstone in Savage Red Sonja #1. Read Full Review

Unfortunately, Petillos art is another weak spot. The action is depicted well and there are some panels that are just plain beautiful. The character designs, however, are very much the opposite. Not that everyone in comics should have model-good looks but the stylized designs are sharp and pointy in ways that border on unpleasant. Thankfully the colors by Francesco Segala are on-point, particularly in his use of reds and earth-tones that really give the illustrations a pulp paperback look, further accentuated by a grainy texture that makes the pages look old and tarnished. Its an effective technique, just a shame that the pencils dont quite match. Read Full Review

While this might take another issue or two to really solidify into something compelling, this debut issue shows great promise. Read Full Review

Savage Red Sonja #1 isn't a bad comic but it doesn't really stand out from the other Red Sonja comic out there and there's nothing so far that feels very “savage.” It's perfectly fine sword and sorcery it just doesn't go beyond much than that. Read Full Review

'Savage Red Sonja' is off to a good start. A familiar storyline with some supernatural surprises thrown in. It's hard to gauge after the first issue if the stakes are high enough or if seeing a smaller Sonja can be overlooked going forward. There's also this theme of loneliness hovering around her and it'll be curious where that leads to. If you're a fan of Red Sonja, 'Savage' is worth a look but it may take two or three issues to fairly assess the overall quality of the series. Read Full Review

SAVAGE RED SONJA #1 kicks off a standard red Sonja adventure to find a rare jewel. Dan Panosian surprises as a solid comic writer (instead of a notable comic artist), but the art is just passable at best. Read Full Review

It's not likely a comic I'd stay with beyond a single issue. Read Full Review

LeonReadsNRates

Nov 04, 2023

It's not often we get stories focusing on the lonely side of Red Sonja's occupation of being a bounty hunter of sorts. Dan Panosian does a well enough of a job finding Red Sonja's voice; she expresses deep thought and perhaps sorrow upon two wandering travelers to happened up on her camp. After dispatching the raider, Sonja couldn't help but notice that the two travelers aren't just looking for the same castle that she is but they are also an item; the woman also suspiciously looks a lot like Red Sonja as well. There's definitely some savagery to be had in this title as there's plenty of cutting down of desert badlands baddies and tentacled sand squids. Action panels looked great, as to be expected from a Red Sonja book. Had you asked t o read this comic two years ago, I may have rated it higher, considering I was all aboard the Dynamite train. Like many of Dynamite's titles, they usually have an entourage of gorgeous covers to choose from while the interior artist is left with scraps. Don't get me wrong, the art on the interior is "OK" by Dynamite standards, but I feel like if they ever want to escape the moniker of "that indie publisher with the booby covers" they should at least deliver the goods on the interior as well. Commit to the cheesecake bit, if you're a cheesecake company! more

Oddball12

Nov 06, 2023

The story starts well and we see a slight insight into Sonja's thoughts in her ventures. The issue is is short and could've used a few more pages to get more of a hook in it. Not a bad read at all, but wish there was more.