Dynamite announces ‘Red Sonja’ revival in 2019 with Russell, Colak, Kelly & Otsmane-Elhaou

by Clyde Hall. There’s just something about a She-Devil with a sword. A few creators who have already fallen to the Red Sonja siren include: Roy Thomas. Barry Windsor-Smith. Clair Noto. Frank Thorne. Wendy Pini. Boris Vallejo. Sal and John Buscema. Dave Cockrum. Al Milgrom. Frank Brunner. Tom DeFalco. Dave Simons. Louise Simonson. Gene Ha. Michael Avon Oeming. Amy Chu. Gail Simone. Walter Geovani. Jenny Frison. Now into the company of these and other top talents come Eisner-nominated author Mark Russell (The Flintstones) and artist Mirko Colak (Conan) with a new ongoing Red Sonja series, out in 2019 from Dynamite Entertainment.

Dynamite CEO and Publisher Nick Barrucci cited Red Sonja as a cornerstone character of the Dynamite publishing line, adding, “We’ve been very fortunate to tell so many of her stories. The passion that Mark brings to the character paired with Mirko’s art is perfect for this series.”

Russell, a self-proclaimed fan of ancient history, said he was drawn to the project because it allowed him to use elements from that misty era with no clear lines as to where the history ends and legend begins. “I really wanted to write a fantasy title that allowed me to work in some of the incredible stories and themes of ancient history, in particular, the story of Tomyris, the bad-ass Queen of the Steppes,” Russell said of the new title. “It’s hard to imagine a better character to tell that story than Red Sonja, the bad-ass Queen of Comics.”

The Massagetean ruler Tomyris defended her homeland in Central Asia around 500 BC with accounts of ancient historians varying on specific details regarding her defeat of Cyrus the Great, founder of the first Persian Empire.

Artist Mirko Colak admitted, “There is no special mystery why I accepted the offer from Dynamite. One name, basically, was enough: SONJA. In my country, Serbia, Red Sonja is very popular, and I have to say, I am very familiar with Sonja’s world.”

Cover A by Amanda Conner and Paul Mounts

Series editor Nate Cosby added that Russell’s approach to Sonja is one steeped in “greater-than-fiction history, with a humongous worldview.” He said, “The rest of the creative team is in perfect harmony with the approach… Mirko Colak is drawing grandly scaled perspectives, color artist Dearbhla Kelly is bringing a bold painterly palette, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou is styling beautifully rugged balloons and effects required for a fantastic fantasy comic.”

And the tapestry they together weave sounds like classic adventure for our amazing Hyrkanian amazon. Amidst a fatal prophecy and the vengeance of a bastard sorceress, a would-be world conqueror sends unstoppable armies to subjugate any who dare offer resistance. One targeted homeland responds by selecting a mysterious wartime ruler to defend their people. None know where she was born, nor how she became a warrior without peer. She’s a scarlet-tressed swordswoman called The She-Devil of The Hyrkanian Steppes. But the people call her simply Red Sonja!

We’ll have to wait until February 2019 to fully sample the latest chronicle in Sonja’s exploits, but the Dynamite Entertainment team provided some early looks at issue #1’s cover variants by Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn), Joseph Michael Linsner (Vampirella), Christian Ward (Thor), and Frank Cho (Hulk), as well as a cosplay photo cover! How’s that for whetting your pre-holiday appetite?

From Dynamite: In Red Sonja, Russell and Colak bring forth the tale of Tomyris, a world conqueror possessing a massive army and a fatal prophecy. A bastard sorceress craves revenge. And a fearsome red-haired warrior is made wartime ruler of a homeland set for decimation. No man knows the place of her birth, nor where she learned to wield a sword to shame many a male. They know only that she is called The She-Devil Of The Hyrkanian Steppes. That, and RED SONJA.