Graphic Novel Review - Legends of Red Sonja Volume 1 - Gail Simone et al (Author)

Graphic Novel Review - Legends of Red Sonja Volume 1 - Gail Simone et al (Author)

Recommended for Adults/Older Teens

I received this eBook from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

It’s with great joy that I’ve finally gotten round to reading a collection of Red Sonja stories. As a fan of both fantasy and adventure, I've long wanted to read all about the red she-devil, and I found all these stories to be thoroughly enjoyable. Though, with Gail Simone as chief writer/editor, that shouldn't come as a surprise!

The main narrative of the story, a band of twelve despots wanting to avenge the death of their prince at Sonja's hand, gives a different approach to what you might expect. Instead of following Sonja throughout on a certain adventure, we really do see the 'legends' about her, as this vengeance group travel around the land looking for her and sharing tales of how she has wronged them, as well as hearing tales from others they meet in villages and towns along the way. It's like reading a collection of Greek myths, rather than expanding just one, and it works brilliantly. The writing is top-notch from everyone involved, and I finished it in no time flat. Part of me thinks that the glimpses of Sonja, rather than having her for present for the entire volume, almost leaves me wanting more. I'd love to see this 'legends' style applied to other fantasy and adventure heroes; Legends of Robin Hood, for one!

The illustrations are brilliant, with a great mix of styles. At one point, during a story about Sonja's youth, the illustrations change to become very cartoony, reminiscent of some of the DC comics for young children, which is a delightful change and works brilliantly with the idea of the younger heroine. I don't think there'll ever be an entirely satisfactory explanation for Sonja's...let's go with 'minimalist' armour (damn right it's distracting, but once everyone knows about her surely that's negated?), and it's certainly not a look that is ever going to win over fans who don't like how women are depicted in comic books, but as it doesn't personally affect my enjoyment of the story I'm not going to hold it against the artists to keep with her traditional look. After all, it's a fantasy story, and I'm not going to lie and pretend that Red Sonja's look wouldn't be on my approved list for my wife if she ever decided to become a fantasy warrior. Though only in a ceremonial capacity; I think she might choose a bit more armour for battle.

Overall, I loved these stories. It opened up a world of adventure that I'm looking forward to dipping back into, and gave me a great introduction to a fantasy icon. More of the same please!

5/5