MY FAVOURITE COMICS CHARACTERS 4: RED SONJA
S&S or T&A?
With the recent release of the new Red Sonja trailer, I thought I’d take the opportunity to dive into one of my favourite comics characters.
This is the first non-British character to appear in this series, and there’s a good reason for that. I grew up reading British newsstand comics like 2000AD, Battle, Eagle, Scream, and so on. So, most of the characters I’m likely to write about will come from those anthologies. I’ve never lived anywhere near a local comic shop—in fact, I hadn’t even heard the term “pull list” until a couple of years ago! The closest comic shop to me has always been Forbidden Planet in London—first the original one back in the ’80s, and now the Funko Pop-tastic superstore (which, let’s be honest, feels more like an anime and gaming merch shop these days).
Because I wasn’t part of that scene, I only ever absorbed what was available to me locally. Sure, Marvel and DC comics appeared on the shelves at my local Forbuoys (an old-school newsagent, for those outside the UK), but I never really liked the artwork, and the gaudy superhero aesthetic didn’t appeal. I wanted war stories, sci-fi, and horror—preferably in black and white! I never saw a Conan comic until after the film came out, so naturally, my first exposure to Red Sonja was the notorious movie starring Brigitte Nielsen. I say “notorious” because it’s famously bad—though I maintain it’s a better film than the abortive Conan the Destroyer, which I now find unwatchable.
Bear with me, I’m getting to the point, I promise.
By the late ’80s and early ’90s, my taste in comics was shifting, and I started buying graphic novels. I think Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing was my first, followed closely by The Dark Knight Returns—my first-ever Batman comic. But that didn’t last long. By my mid-to-late teens, I had two expensive hobbies: Citadel miniatures and, a bit later, American football—trust me to pick the priciest team sport! All my spare cash went on lead figures, acrylic paints, membership fees, and shoulder pads—leaving little for comics.
By the 2000s, I’d stopped reading comics entirely and didn’t pick them up again for about fifteen years.
So, what does any of this have to do with Red Sonja?
Well, by the time I returned to comics, Dynamite Entertainment was publishing Red Sonja. They’re known for releasing multiple variant covers for each issue—especially for Red Sonja and Vampirella. And hey, I may be a middle-aged man, but I still have testosterone—those covers catch the eye, what can I say? I read most of my comics in digital format these days and Dynamite release dozens of free-to-read comics on Kindle Unlimited, so it’s easy to binge-read these characters.
Anyway, I finally took the plunge and discovered that Red Sonja comics are, more often than not, tremendous fun. Since then, I’ve probably read more Red Sonja than any other character—apart from Judge Dredd.
So, let’s talk about the flame-haired She-Devil!
ORIGINS OF THE SHE DEVIL
Red Sonja first appeared in Conan the Barbarian #23, created by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith and published by Marvel. According to Thomas, he wanted to introduce a female counterpart to Conan. Valeria and the pirate Bêlit had appeared alongside Conan in Robert E. Howard’s original stories, but Thomas wanted a new, original character to fit that role. He drew inspiration from a Howard story titled The Shadow of the Vulture, which featured a 16th-century, pistol-wielding swashbuckler named Red Sonya of Rogatino. Alongside artist Barry Windsor-Smith, Thomas reimagined the character—altering the spelling to “Sonja,” presumably for copyright reasons—and transformed her into a formidable sword-maiden to match Conan.
In those early appearances, Sonja’s look changed dramatically from the version in Howard’s work. Windsor-Smith drew her in a chainmail shirt and red hotpants. It was the early ’70s, and this was apparently a popular look in New York City—well, the hot pants, not the chainmail! Her origin story (illustrated by Howard Chaykin) was told a couple of years later—more on that in a bit.
(Notice how American comics artists can’t resist a cape.)
Roy Thomas felt the hot pants were too modern and requested a redesign before launching her solo adventures. It was Spanish artist Esteban Maroto who created the now-iconic chainmail bikini, and this became Sonja’s defining aesthetic going forward, with Frank Thorne picking up the art duties. Personally, I prefer Maroto’s European art style—inked, I believe, by Neal Adams—which feels more in tune with my own sensibilities, having grown up reading British comics full of Spanish and Italian artists. Thorne’s work always felt a little less refined, maybe even chaotic by comparison. Still, it’s Thorne who deserves much of the credit for developing Sonja’s world, and his storytelling is top shelf.
In those early stories, written first by Roy Thomas and later by Bruce Jones, Sonja’s wardrobe is a recurring topic. Characters—both male and female—often comment on her outfit (or lack thereof), usually in condescending or incredulous tones. Sonja’s stock response is that men too distracted by her curves won’t be focused enough to avoid her sword. It’s a flimsy justification for such a sexy outfit sure, but this is comics—but it’s not like Conan wasn’t running around in a loincloth and little else! Accusations that Sonja’s look was aimed solely at the male gaze may be valid (we have all heard the stories about the attitudes of many of the male creators in comics around this time so I’m prepared to accept that there may have been dishonourable intentions afoot), but women read these comics too. If the popularity of her chainmail bikini among professional cosplayers is anything to go by, the female gaze clearly approves. And let’s not forget queer women exist too—I’m sure they appreciate the aesthetic just as much as us mere men.
Another name worth mentioning is Clara (later Claire) Noto, who was Thomas’s writing partner for a significant number of issues. Roy co-credited her, claiming she wrote the plots and he wrote the scripts—although she claims she had a more hands-on approach than Roy credited her for, and she also did not like the chain mail bikini, preferring Windsor-Smith’s original ‘classier’ design (read her interview here).
In these early stories, Sonja is portrayed as a wandering loner, travelling across Hyboria, dishing out justice to corrupt aristocrats and battling strange mythical beasts. This version of her world features far more monsters than later iterations—and I’m not complaining. Also, it’s worth noting: all the baddies are really ugly!
Marvel cancelled Red Sonja in (I believe) 1977—without even informing Roy Thomas. Because, of course, why should the creator and editor of one of Marvel’s most popular female leads be told she was getting axed? Unsurprisingly, Thomas didn’t stick around much longer after that. And who could blame him?
THE CONTROVERSIAL BACK STORY
Right, let’s address the back story and why it’s so controversial. If you are unaware Sonja’s back story involves S.A. so, consider this your trigger warning before continuing.
According to Thomas the ‘vow’ she made was inspired Robert E. Howard’s ‘Song of Tarentella’ and the Warrior Queen Aife in Yeats’ ‘On Baile’s Strand’.
Let’s unpack this one.
In the original story we see a young Sonja—it’s not clear how old she is but it’s implied that she is still a child. Sonja’s mother insists on teaching her the essential skills need for her to eventually become a domestic slave—I mean wife for some bloke (any bloke) from the nearby town—typical for the time. Sonja, however, has other ideas. She watches her father and brothers practicing swordplay and sneaks out at night to practice on her own. She longs to go hunting with her father, something that eventually happens. Sonja, it turns out is a better hunter than her brothers, so a life of domestic servitude would not suit her.
So far so good.
But then one day, a gang of marauders ride through and ransack their humble home, rape and kill her mother and murder her father and brothers. Sonja attempts to defend herself but is overpowered and then subjected to a violent sexual ordeal.
The goddess Scáthach appears to her and offers a chance for revenge—granting her immense combat skills—but only if she swears a vow: she will not lie with any man who cannot first defeat her in combat.
I have two issues with this.
One: the sexual assault seems unnecessary and always made me feel uncomfortable, especially because she appears to be a child when this happens (Epstein and friends would approve). Sure, I know this kind of stuff happened and still does. But using it to justify her transformation feels lazy and is steeped in the outdated religious morality that still influences much of our society. Does it give her reason to seek revenge and fight? Sure. But how many popular male protagonists are subjected to sexual violence and humiliation as a means to develop their character? I can’t think of a single one.
Two: The vow. I get the literary and mythological roots, but it feels off. It strips her of sexual autonomy—something that’s central to many people's identity. She can only be with someone who first physically dominates her? Ew!
Why is it that Conan could be as sexually liberated and promiscuous as he likes but his female equivalent had to be chaste? A note to men; stop obsessing over virgins, it’s weird!
Of the two issues, it’s the vow that I have the biggest issue with here, it just feels so archaic, and is rooted in the same kind of psychology that led Catholics and Puritans to drown or burn women at the stake for witchcraft—the witchcraft they hated was, in fact, not dark magic but, female autonomy.
Look, I’m not suggesting for a moment that Roy Thomas is some kind of evil misogynist and, he did have a female writing partner for a long time. This was the early ’70s—when even the law denied women some of the basic rights afforded to men—and it was only in the early 60s when women in the US were able to purchase property, for the first time, without a male cosigner and that kind of thing seeps into the cultural consciousness. But still…
What do you think? Am I being too much of a lib-tard about this?
THE DYNAMITE YEARS
In 2005, Dynamite Entertainment relaunched the character, now under the stewardship of Luke Lieberman, owner of Red Sonja, LLC. Under the watchful eye of this team, ol’ flame-hair has gone from strength to strength. Unlike her original Marvel run, Sonja has been written by a multitude of talented writers (including Roy Thomas himself) and illustrated by more artists than I could even pretend to count.
The initial story arc was a lengthy run by writer Michael Avon Oeming and artist Mel Rubi. This re-established the character, her world, and some familiar faces from her past, including Thulsa Doom and the evil sorcerer Kulan Gath. In this run, titled Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword, Sonja embarks on an epic adventure that ultimately ends in her death at the hands of Gath. She then undergoes a Homeric journey along the River Styx, where she is shown scenes from her past and even an alternate timeline in which she turned evil—all designed to show her the consequence of her violent actions. At the end of this journey through the underworld, she is reincarnated—signalling the end of the old Sonja and the beginning of a new incarnation. I have to say this is one of my favourite runs and a story I highly recommend reading.
The Dynamite/Lieberman Sonja is a more layered, complex character who retains the essence of the original, now updated with a modern sensibility. Her stories are often brutal and grounded, typically featuring fewer fantastical beasts and a little less magic than the Thomas/Soto/Thorne era. We've seen Sonja as a pirate, a queen, a warlord, and even a mother.
In some of the early Dynamite runs Sonja’s costume changed regularly. I quite liked the leather armour and skirt look, but in recent years the chain mail bikini has become a constant, and why not?
In 2013, the team of Gail Simone and Walter Geovani produced a run that effectively rebooted the character. Simone’s Sonja was a sexual libertine with a tongue at-least as sharp as her sword—and that uncomfortable, backstory was finally retconned. This run doesn’t feel canonical to me, it’s such a departure from what went before that it feels like an entirely different character, but it remains very popular.
Since then, we've had Red Sonja stories written by Mirka Andolfo, Mark Russell, Dan Abnett, Lieberman himself, and most recently, Torunn Grønbekk—not to mention a myriad of talented artists.
Because Dynamite's publishing model includes multiple variant covers, we're often treated to some incredible artwork from the likes of Joseph Michael Linsner, Lucio Parrillo, and a host of cosplay covers. These covers tend not to depict anything from within the pages, but they always catch one’s eye.
Dynamite also loves a crossover, so we’ve seen Red team up with Vampirella and Purgatori from the Dynamite-verse and also Red Sonja vs Mars Attacks, Red Sonja vs Army of Darkness, etc. Personally, I’m not a big fan of crossover comics—they rarely do either character justice—but there’s clearly a market for them. So, what do I know?
Unlike Vampirella whose backstory has been rebooted so much it’s impossible to make sense of it now. Under the watchful eye of Luke Lieberman, Sonja’s canon is far less murky, although various writers have retold her origins and she has died at-least twice, you can pretty much pick up any story and start reading from there.
On a side note, I do have a cool idea for a one-shot story that addresses the various versions of her back story in a fun and entertaining manner, so if Luke Lieberman is reading this, hit me up (wink face).
FINAL WORD
Sonja is most certainly my favourite character from mainstream US comics and one whose adventures are almost always a joy to read. It doesn’t require a lot of mental heavy lifting and, you typically get to enjoy her sexiness, her badassery and her sharp tongue.
All you need to know is this: The She Devil With a Sword is a badass warrior who fights against oppression and injustice and loves a jug of ale! That’s pretty much all you need to know—oh yes, and she usually wears a tiny chainmail bikini, even in the snow—I dread to think how chaffed her nipples are!
With the new movie coming soon it seems that Sonja is here to stay—although I’m certain that the Manoshpere will be out in force to condemn the movie and give it a one star rating before they’ve even seen it—because depictions of women as anything other than obedient 1950s house wives is deeply offensive to their delicate egos.
Here are some suggestions for where to start your Red Sonja reading adventure:
The Adventures Of Red Sonja vol. 1: here
Red Sonja: She Devil With A Sword vol. 1: here
The Complete Gail Simone Red Sonja: here
(Apologies for the Amazon links but I couldn’t find them on Dynamite’s site. Just ask at your LBS if you don’t want to further line Bezos’s platinum plated pockets).
What do you think about Red Sonja? Who’s your favourite artist? Are you excited to see the film? Leave a comment and let me know.
Troy
My fave movie as well...
Wanted someone to make the movie of Slaine as well that would have been amazing