REVIEW: 'Savage Red Sonja' #1 by Dan Panosian, Alessio Petillo, and Francesco Segala

 

SAVAGE RED SONJA #1

Writer: Dan Panosian

Artist: Alessio Petillo, Francesco Segala

Letters: Dave Sharpe

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

Release Date: November 1, 2023

Cover Price: $3.99

Prepare yourself for the savagery that only Red Sonja can deliver in this brand-new series that harkens back to the classic era of Robert E. Howard's original pulp tales of swords and sorcery!

Tasked with retrieving a long-hidden gem from a crumbled, ancient kingdom, the She-Devil With a Sword is traveling alone through a dangerous wasteland when fate intervenes, and her solo adventure is sidetracked by a wayward prince and his bride as they try desperately to escape from fearsome desert bandits - only to be attacked by a monstrous beast from beneath the sands!

Take advantage of this fast-paced tale of mystery, suspense, and the supernatural - written by comics superstar DAN PANOSIAN and illustrated by ALESSIO PETILLO, with colors by FRANCESCO SEGALA!

Score:

3.5/5

Dynamite has unleashed another Red Sonja title with the popular and talented writer/artist Dan Panosian as the scribe with Alessio Petillo's pencils and Francesco Segala's colors. 'Savage Red Sonja' takes the She-Devil with a Sword on a journey to retrieve a special gem from a lost kingdom. It's a pretty straightforward adventure story that puts Sonja on a quest with some supernatural obstacles along the way. Panosian is a born storyteller. He provides an informative and almost poetic narration throughout. However, the narration may be too much at times and it interferes with some scenes' ability to breathe on their own. It can be too much handholding for the reader instead of letting the scene unfold naturally. Typically, Sonja does her own narration as well, providing a peek at her inner monologue but not here. 

The art overall is very well-rendered and beautifully colored. Petillo's lines can be very angular and sharp and the action is well choreographed. The fight scenes are quick, clean, and easy to follow. Petillo's style has become a polarizing point to some reviewers but my only critique is the depiction of Sonja herself. The Sonja we see here is not imposing or very muscular. She appears small and frail but still a good fighter. It's quite the choice considering Sonja is normally envisioned as a powerful and strong Hyrkanian warrior but looks depowered here. 

'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.