REVIEW: 'Red Sonja: Black, White, & Red' #1 by Kurt Busiek, Amanda Deibert, Mark Russell, Ben Dewey, Cat Staggs, Bob Q

Three different creative teams take on the She-Devil with a Sword with three fun and exciting stories. 

RED SONJA: BLACK, WHITE & RED #1

Writer: Kurt Busiek, Amanda Deibert, Mark Russell

Artist: Ben Dewey, Cat Staggs, Bob Q

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

Release Date: July 7, 2021

Cover Price: $4.99

Dynamite proudly presents a prestige project by the world's greatest storytellers! Red Sonja, like you've NEVER seen before...all presented in beautiful black, white, and red!

KURT BUSIEK (Astro City, Marvels) and BENJAMIN DEWEY (King In Black: Namor) take you to The Mountains Of Night, a foreboding haunt where the She-Devil With A Sword seeks a precious, priceless item...

AMANDA DEIBERT (Wonder Woman) and CAT STAGGS (Smallville) wind you through a mysterious adventure of crimson and ebony...

MARK RUSSELL (Red Sonja) and BOB Q (Red Sonja) return to put their final stamp on their classic Red Sonja series, with a coda that will leave you breathless... 

Score:

★★★★☆ (4/5)

QUICK REVIEW: Full disclosure, I'm a big fan of Red Sonja and I'm pretty lenient in my criticisms of any new Red Sonja book. Unless a storyline goes completely off the rails or unironically sexist or gratuitously male-gazey, chances are I'll like the book. With a line-up of top-tier writers and artists, this new anthology series is bulletproof. 'Red Sonja: Black, White, & Red' is illustrated in just those colors with different creatives telling their own short story. It's quite delightful and a gift for Red Sonja fans. 

Let's start with the three stories:

THE SORCERER OF SHAGARA by Mark Russell, Bob Q, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and Nate Cosby

Sonja finds herself jailed in the dungeon of a powerful sorcerer where no one who enters is ever seen again. Not everything is as it seems as she tries to free herself and the people under the influence of the sorcerer. Mark Russell is known to inject humor in his scripts to great effect and his nod to classic comic strips that feature two prisoners bound to the wall talking to each other is uproarious. Bob Q's designs are great and full of fun expressive over-reactions of the kingdom folks juxtaposed with Sonja's sincere duty to free them. It's a fun adventure with some nice surprises. 

THE HUNTED by Amanda Deibert, Cat Staggs, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, and Nate Cosby

Sonja comes across some young lovers in the woods and has to protect them amidst an approaching army. It's a test of survival and tactical gamesmanship. It's also a little sexy and a good showcase of Sonja's smarts. Cat Staggs' signature photo-realistic art style captures all the attitude and chaos in Deibert's script. It's a neat little adventure with blood and a wink. 

SEEING RED by Kurt Busiek, Benjamin Dewey, Simon Bowland, and Nate Cosby

On a fortune-finding mission, Sonja gets more than she bargained for. Kurt Busiek puts together an exciting battle scene that you have to experience to appreciate. Ben Dewey's colorwork with red especially is genius. 

'Red Sonja: Black, White, & Red' anthology is a dream for Red Sonja fans. With some of the best talent in comics, each story highlights a different aspect of Sonja's character. These are fun and exciting little nuggets of Hyrkanian goodness that are executed with the highest level of talent. It's a treat for old and new fans alike.