Title:
Red Sonja: The Black Tower. (US link.)
Author:
Frank Tieri.
Contributor: Cezar Razek
Genre:
Graphic Novel, Fantasy.
Series: Red Sonja.
Release Date: 29 Dec 2015
A
few starting notes:
I
received a free digital review copy of this book via NetGalley.
NetGalley provides review copies from publishers in exchange for fair
and honest reviews.
For any of you who have not heard of Red Sonja, think Conan the Barbarian in female form with incredible red hair and, if possible, even less clothing.
Premise:
A threat comes to the mythical land of Hyboria - one that Sonja has never seen the likes of before. Prepare for The Black Tower, and the day the door opens.
Best
bits:
OK, this was mad as a box of frogs. A lot of people won't like the whole 'screw it, let's just blow up this sh**' attitude that this storyline seems to have. It's like an adventure story on crack. And I actually kind of liked that - but I guess it appealed to my bizarre sense of humour.
Undeniably, the art is good - and the cover-work is stunning. And it turns out that Sonja can pull off white highlights very well, who knew?
Of course, Sonja kicks butt and takes no sh** - as per usual.
Not
so great bits:
Like I said earlier, a lot of people will be completely bemused and/or irritated by the amount of random cr*p thrown into this story with very little regard for things like sense or...plot. It's not going to appeal to everyone, and those who take Red Sonja very seriously aren't going to like it.
OK, onto the other galumphing elephant in the room: Sonja is one of the most over-sexualised female characters I have ever come across in comics and graphic novels. That is no small achievement, but it's not one to be proud of.
It continues to annoy me that a character that could be so freaking awesome, complex, and admirable, is degraded in terms of (lack of) clothing, non-ending emphasis on breasts, and physically questionable/impossible poses.
There's also a bunch of swearing, violence, and some pretty damned shocking gory moments.
Verdict:
It's a bit 'out there,' and there are some issues that it's a little difficult to skirt around, but overall it's a quick and enjoyable read - just don't go trying to take it too seriously.
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