Published On: 2021-08-25 by DynamiteComics
Artist: Justin Moritat
Colorist: Matt Carter
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
Catch-up on Last Issue
Red Sonja has been on bodyguard duty watching out for the Princess Zaria for a few issues. Taking up the wizard Breleq’s promise of reward, Red Sonja and her ally, Tuma, track down the crown thief just in time to discover a larger plot in action.
In This Issue of The Invincible Red Sonja #4
Red Sonja has always had a little ‘invinciblity’ to the character. Sometimes it was just her skill in battle. Depending on the series, she’s had goddess granted powers. In ‘The Invincible Red Sonja #4’, we learn why she’s called ‘invincible’ in this series, and it’s a great plot development on both the meta meaning and a literal one. If your enemy, Red Sonja, is a peerless warrior what could you do to them to turn their prowess to your advantage. In his grief, Brelaq curses Sonja making her might his to command.
The Comic's Themes
Like Conan, Red Sonja’s warrior outlook on life sometimes gets her into trouble. If she did a little more forward thinking and a little less devil-may-care-not-my-problem, she might not dig herself into a hole quite so often.
How's The Invincible Red Sonja #4's Writing?
The Dialogue
Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti understand how to write a Red Sonja comic. Jimmy’s plot is fast and action packed. Amanda’s dialogue is fantastic. In a period comic (or a sword and socercy comic like Red Sonja), how the characters think and what they say is critical to the success of the comic. Castles, warriors and demons require a different view of the world. Sonja does a fair amount of cursing, and it’s always period-correct words like ‘Tarim’s red blood’ or ‘Erlik grant me the reach…” Those words are important because they keep us in the scene and story. One modern word or thought breaks the world-building and pulls us out of the story. That never happens in Invincible Red Sonja #4.
Comic Art Review
At first glance, Moritat’s art didn’t grab me. The art style reminds me of Barry Windsor Smith’s Conan — loose lines but strong story-telling and character acting. After a closer read and review, Moritat’s artwork grew on me. His facial expressions go a long way to illustrating what’s happening in a scene like when Sonja and Tuma forgot to grab the crown. Their eyes tell us everything we need to know about the level of trouble they landed in forgetting the crown.
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- Red Sonja 4 Cover
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- Red Sonja 4 Cover Alt
On the Cover
Amanda Conner’s covers for Invincible Red Sonja have been great and issue #4 follows the pattern. Amanda’s covers featured a scene from the comic but doesn’t give away the entire story (which is always welcome) and focuses on Red Sonja (the entire reason I’m reading this issue).
The Comic Panel by Panel
There’s three scenes in Invincible Red Sonja #4 where Moritat used five or more panels presented in a single row. The arrangement allows for really quick action, and Moritat uses it to explosive effect in Invincible Red Sonja #4. In particular, the battle against the skeleton warriors stands out.
World Building
Consistency is important in world building. Much of this issue happens in the castle, and the interiors always look like an extension of the previous room. Sonja is using a sword with a very particular shape, and it’s always the same shape throughout the issue. That attention to detail can be found throughout the creative team (plot, dialogue, art, colors, and letters).
Who's In This Issue of The Invincible Red Sonja #4
Tuma (winged warrior)
Brelaq (wizard)
Naijel (Brelaq's son and thief)
Scathach (goddess)
The Big Question for Next Issue
How will Sonja break Brelaq's curse next issue?
"A curse to you, foul Brelaq! I will haunt your days and nights."
Who Will Like The Invincible Red Sonja #4?
If you are a classic Conan the Barbarian fan or like sword-and-sorcery in general, you’ll enjoy Red Sonja #4. Palmotti (@jpalmiotti) and Conner are including the right amount of swords, action, and magic to entertain all fans of the genre.
I Need More Content like The Invincible Red Sonja #4
Jump over to Moritat’s Deviant Art page for a few images of Sonja and Conan.- Previews World interviewed the authors about the current series
- Dynamite’s store has a lot of great Amanda Conner Red Sonja art available
As of August 19, Dynamite Comics commented that this series has been expanded to 10 issues!! - There’s a retailer variant cover by Rose Besch (@rosebesch) that looks spectacular.
Jump over to What was I missing?
There are a lot of second, third and fourth level characters in this issue. I could have used a recap of who’s who and where we are in the story.
Should You Buy This Comic Book?
Dynamite has produced a lot of Red Sonja titles over the years. They have a very solid hit with Invincible Red Sonja.