Red Sonja: 1973
Written by Eric Trautmann, Roy Thomas, Luke Lieberman, Gail Simone, David Walker, and Cullen Bunn
Art by Jonathan Lau, Bilquis Evely, Kewbar Baal, Rod Rodolfo, Rich Buckler, and Ivan Rodriguez
Colors by Marcio Menyz, Arison Aguiar, Bilquis Evely, and Ivan Nunes
Letters by A Larger World Studios
Cover art by Ed Benes and Dinei Ribeiro
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: July 15, 2015
Cover Price: $7.99

Red Sonja: 1973 is a great anthology book featuring a stellar line-up of creators celebrating the 42nd birthday of the character! Sure, the book has some great writers and fantastic artists, but is it any good? Yeah, I think you all ready know the answer, but let me tell you what I thought of it…

Where to start? We’ve got stories by Cullen Bunn, Gail Simone, David Walker, Luke Lieberman, Eric Trautmann, and Sonja’s co-creator, the legendary ROY THOMAS!!!! Now, for me to review ALL the stories would take more time than you’ve got, so let me give you the short version. They’re all pretty great! I personally enjoyed Roy Thomas’ story the most. It’s a charming tale that’s classic, not super heavy of story, and doesn’t try to cram 20 pages worth of dialogue into an 8-page story. The other stories range from fun escapades to deadly serious, brutally violent, but they’re all exclusively Red Sonja tales and that’s what makes this issue great.

Something that contributes to the greatness of this collection is the artists that Dynamite lined-up for it. You’ve got Jonathan Lau, Bilquis Evely, Kewbar Baal, Rod Rodolfo, Rich Buckler, and Ivan Rodriguez all turning in some GREAT work here. Jonathan Lau’s artwork is particularly excellent. The story he’s able to tell with just his art is incredible, and if there’s ever been any doubt that he’s an “A-List” talent, this work will prove that he is.

Not only is this a great book for anyone who’s a die-hard Red Sonja fan, but it’s also an excellent JUMPING-ON point for anyone who’s been looking to try out the character. You can read any and all of these stories and you don’t have to know anything about the character to understand and enjoy them. Overall, I highly recommend this issue, it’s definitely worth you’re time and money!