Dynamite Comics has recently started a new series titled Altered States. In this series they take some of their most iconic and well-loved characters and put them into an alternate universe and an alternate persona.
I recently reviewed the Vampirella edition of Altered States and loved it. You can see the video review of that comic here. This week we are doing a written review of Altered States: Red Sonja.
Red Sonja, for those who may not know, is the female barbarian counterpart to Robert E. Howard's Conan. Known as the SheDevil With a Sword, Red Sonja is a strong female character who knows how to take care of herself (despite her somewhat sexualized, less than protective chain-mail bikini armor, a staple of her character design and favorite of fans everywhere).
In this One Shot (stand alone) issue Red Sonja is actually just plain Sonja, a modern day museum curator with a love for medieval wares. When Sonja receives a new ancient mummy to the museum she accidentally awakens him with she reads some sacred occult inscriptions out loud. It turns out the mummy is a dark wizard and he is bent on transforming Sonja's world into a barbaristic realm of darkness.
Sonja quickly transforms, her mind melding with her past life, realizing she had once been the SheDevil With a Sword. Her past consciousness guides her to help fight the wizard and return her world back to normal.
I recently reviewed the Vampirella edition of Altered States and loved it. You can see the video review of that comic here. This week we are doing a written review of Altered States: Red Sonja.
Red Sonja, for those who may not know, is the female barbarian counterpart to Robert E. Howard's Conan. Known as the SheDevil With a Sword, Red Sonja is a strong female character who knows how to take care of herself (despite her somewhat sexualized, less than protective chain-mail bikini armor, a staple of her character design and favorite of fans everywhere).
In this One Shot (stand alone) issue Red Sonja is actually just plain Sonja, a modern day museum curator with a love for medieval wares. When Sonja receives a new ancient mummy to the museum she accidentally awakens him with she reads some sacred occult inscriptions out loud. It turns out the mummy is a dark wizard and he is bent on transforming Sonja's world into a barbaristic realm of darkness.
Sonja quickly transforms, her mind melding with her past life, realizing she had once been the SheDevil With a Sword. Her past consciousness guides her to help fight the wizard and return her world back to normal.
Between Vampirella and Red Sonja it is always a competition as to who is my favorite comic book heroine. Often times I see Red Sonja winning out due to her sheer brutish energy.
This edition of Red Sonja helps to show a softer, more normal side of Sonja's character. But, just because she is a modern day lady doesn't mean she doesn't know how to still handle herself. The characterization of her altered states is what really sells this comic. We get a taste of modern Sonja side-by-side with barbarian Red Sonja. This development really pays off when Sonja transforms.
As is usual with Dynamite's comics the art is phenomenal and sets the mood. It makes it all the more interesting when modern New York city slowly transforms into a more medival and barbaric state.
The one major downside to this story is that it felt too short. Obviously, writers can only do so much with a single issue comic book. But, I could have easily seen this particular character piece being written into a three to five issue run. While I enjoyed Altered States Vampirella more as the stand alone piece it was I enjoyed the development and ideas of Altered States Red Sonja more and wished for more story therein. for instance, how would Sonja deal with having to live in the altered world for longer than a single day? How would she train to survive the barbarian culture?
This edition of Red Sonja helps to show a softer, more normal side of Sonja's character. But, just because she is a modern day lady doesn't mean she doesn't know how to still handle herself. The characterization of her altered states is what really sells this comic. We get a taste of modern Sonja side-by-side with barbarian Red Sonja. This development really pays off when Sonja transforms.
As is usual with Dynamite's comics the art is phenomenal and sets the mood. It makes it all the more interesting when modern New York city slowly transforms into a more medival and barbaric state.
The one major downside to this story is that it felt too short. Obviously, writers can only do so much with a single issue comic book. But, I could have easily seen this particular character piece being written into a three to five issue run. While I enjoyed Altered States Vampirella more as the stand alone piece it was I enjoyed the development and ideas of Altered States Red Sonja more and wished for more story therein. for instance, how would Sonja deal with having to live in the altered world for longer than a single day? How would she train to survive the barbarian culture?
Summing it Up
I've really enjoyed all of Dynamite's Altered States comics so far. And while I enjoyed the Vampirella issue more, I think the concepts for the Red Sonja issue had more depth and potential to become something more epic and grand. The modern day Sonja is what really makes this issue pay off. So if you're a fan of Red Sonja or just a fan of Sword and Sorcery I'd encourage you to go pick up a copy of this issue.
Language: 1
Gore Factor: 2
Sex Factor: 2
Scare Factor: 0
Fun Factor: 5
Overall Rating: 4
Language: 1
Gore Factor: 2
Sex Factor: 2
Scare Factor: 0
Fun Factor: 5
Overall Rating: 4