An All New Red Sonja by Gail Simone

I love the movie Red Sonja. It’s a hunt-through-bargain-bins treasure that has been with me since the ‘80s, yet I’ve never read or even been inspired to read the comics. Until I learned that Gail Simone was going to be penning this issue (Does she have a thing for redheads?). This means no more excuses not to read about the metal bikini adventures of Red Sonja. It’s only fair, after recently checking out the other pulp fiction warrior princess, Dejah Thoris.

The book was introduced this Wednesday with six fantastic covers by female talents in the industry. These are my favourites, by Fiona Staples, Amanda Conner and Jenny Frison:

In a recent ComiXology interview, Gail Simone explained that this reboot presents a Sonja that is no longer the ice queen of the past. She’s still the woman that will kneel to no one, but earn her respect, and she will keep her promises. Save her from a captivity of fighting for her life everyday, then she’ll be willing to train your kingdom to defend themselves against a pending attack from a deadly enemy.

In her re-introduction, the deadly swordswoman is clearly deadly, her sword poking menacingly from the ground, but she is also clearly drunk, something that the previously stodgy Sonja would likely never have allowed. Her stupor is interrupted by would-be thieves and the predictable display of her prowess, in spite of her condition is revealed. It’s a fantastic scene though, perfectly hinted at in the second cover above, by Amanda Conner. At the end of issue one, we also get a look of this scene through the revelation of Gail Simone’s writing process for the first few pages.

Now that I’ve checked out both pulp princesses, the differences between them really are striking to me. Despite the similarities in barely there metal costumes, Red Sonja has always worn hers with far more nobility than Dejah Thoris ever thought she did. The new Dejah Thoris comics seem to have tried to make her more of a warrior woman, but they still rely on the damsel in distress/every male wants to get with her storyline. Sonja has always denied men, believing them unworthy of her time. In the reboot, she seems to be less about the misandry, but she remains a woman that I can respect. As in, metal bikini and deadly sword aside, her demeanour is of a person who takes and gives no quarter, demands respect and expects you to earn hers. Just because she has impressive cleavage (which is praised by her admiring twin acolytes) and is comfortable with her body and blade, doesn’t mean it’s there for anyone else’s purposes but her own.

3.5 of 5 stars

Comic Review: Dejah Thoris vol.4 by Robert Place Napton

Warlord of Mars Dejah Thoris Volume 4: The Vampire Men of Saturn Tp by Robert Place Napton

My husband and I saw the John Carter movie and thought it was reasonably good. I didn’t expect the movie to hold true to the book, but I didn’t expect to dislike the book quite so much. Pulp fiction clearly doesn’t work for me, but apparently I’m as much a sucker for Dejah Thoris’ lovely face and jewel-covered pretty bits as John Carter and every male in her universe.

In fairness, the cover art for this series is really beautiful. Unfortunately, it stops at the cover. If you’re going to have a buxom woman run around in nothing but some carefully placed pieces of metal held up by hope and a smile, I’d have liked the artwork to help me overlook the ridiculous outfit. If I can’t have that, then at least give me an interesting character and story.

Eventually, I resigned myself to ignoring the attire, since no one else in the book noticed that she was almost naked. Even Dejah herself comments on how glad she is to have furry boots and a cape to keep her warm while she traipses through the ice and snow. The only person bothered by her almost nudity is me. The men and women (uh wait a minute… there weren’t any other women except for the three bloodslaves) of the story see beyond her T and A to the strong-willed, brave and noble woman behind them. Even the vampire who falls in love with her is in love with the passion and strength he tasted in her blood. Unlike John Carter in A Princess of Mars, he didn’t merely fall in love with her the moment he saw her boobies.

As the story goes, the Princess of Barsoom is on a self-imposed exile after being forced to commit murder under mind control. The guilt of her sins is mentioned initially, but eventually forgotten when she is kidnapped to Saturn by a race of vampires. At least she was able to get out of the snow. Edgar Rice Burroughs intricate political plotting and world building is sorely missing from this comic. The vampires are just evil creatures who subjugate the race of purple people and put Dejah in chains.

I suppose I was hoping that, in spite of the (lack of) clothing, the comics would take influence from the movie and make Dejah Thoris slightly more than just a trophy princess. Maybe a little more Red Sonja, perhaps. Dejah does get to be a self-rescuing princess, at least, freeing herself from chains that make her pose awkwardly not once, but twice (or was it three times?) in the story. But in the end, when the vampires threaten her kingdom of Helium on Mars, she is forced to unleash her ultimate power:selling herself to a man to save her kingdom.

1 of 5 stars