#IReadsYou Review: RED SONJA Black White Red #5

RED SONJA BLACK WHITE RED #5
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Jacob Edgar; Oliver Gerlach; Frank Tieri
ART: Jacob Edgar; Alex Moore; Lee Ferguson
COLORS: Giorgio Spalletta; Alex Moore; Kike J. Diaz
LETTERS: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Joshua Sway Swaby; Jae Lee; Lucio Parrillo; Rachel Hollon (cosplay)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2021)

Rated Teen+

Based on the characters and stories created by Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith, and Robert E. Howard

Conan the Barbarian #23 (cover dated: February 1973) saw the debut of a high fantasy, sword and sorcery heroine, Red Sonja.  Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith, Red Sonja was loosely based on “Red Sonya of Rogatino,” a female character that appeared in the 1934 short story, “The Shadow of the Vulture,” written by Robert E. Howard (1906-1936), the creator of the character, Conan the Cimmerian.

In 2005, Dynamite Entertainment began publishing comic books featuring differing versions of the character.  One of those is Red Sonja Black White and Red, an anthology comic book featuring stories from well known comic book writers and artists, with the art presented in black, white, and red.

Red Sonja Black White and Red #5 is comprised of three stories.  The first is “The Hunted,” which is written and drawn by Jacob Edgar; colored by Giorgio Spalletta; and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elahou.  The second is “The Chill Touch of Sorcery!,” which is written by Oliver Gerlach; drawn and colored by Alex Moore; and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elahou.  The third is “Erik the Black, He-Demon with an Axe,” which is written by Frank Tieri; drawn by Lee Ferguson; colored by Kike J. Diaz; and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elahou.

THE LOWDOWN:   Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department recently began providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Red Sonja Black White and Red #5, which is the fourth issue of the title that I have read.

“The Hunted” by Jacob Edgar, Giorgio Spalletta, and Hassan Otsmane-Elahou:
Baron Raaf wants someone to bring him the head of Red Sonja.  Is that “Yul, the Eternal,” called an immortal because no man has ever drawn his blood?  Are Wenyl and Fenyl, speedy and skilled with a dagger, the men who can kill the She-Devil?  Can an archer take her down?  Who is the hunted?

“The Hunted is a thoroughly enjoyable story.  Like many of the short stories in this series, “The Hunted” is for Red Sonja fans because they don't need the narrative to unveil Sonja's character as they know her.  Readers only need a clever plot, and this one is.

“The Chill Touch of Sorcery!” by Oliver Gerlach, Alex Moore, and Hassan Otsmane-Elahou:
Red Sonja is pursuing a sorceress across a treacherous, icy landscape.  It is a good story, but not a great story.  I do like the artist's use of page design here.

“Erik the Black, He-Demon with an Axe” by Frank Tieri, Lee Ferguson, Kike J. Diaz, Hassan Otsmane-Elahou:
In a bar full of assassins, pirates, thieves, barbarians, she-bitches, etc., everyone gives Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword a wide birth … except Erik the Black, He-Demon with an Axe.  He says that he is here to kick “the fine, metal bikined ass” of Red Sonja...

Writer Frank Tieri offers his usual meaty, violent storytelling, which I enjoy, but with a neat twist.  Lee Ferguson's art fits this story's “tale of” back-story aspects.  It all works.

It is not hard for me to pick a favorite story of the three offered in Red Sonja Black White and Red #5.  It is “The Hunted” by Jacob Edgar, Giorgio Spalletta, and Hassan Otsmane-Elahou.  However, “Erik the Black, He-Demon with an Axe” is a nice runner-up and would be my favorite otherwise.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Red Sonja will want to try Red Sonja Black White and Red.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can find these stories and more in the hardcover trade collection, RED SONJA: BLACK, WHITE, RED VOL. 2, which is available at Amazon.

https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/
https://www.facebook.com/DynamiteComics/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNOH4PEsl8dyZ2Tj7XUlY7w
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dynamite-entertainment


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

-------------

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

Review: JUGHEAD: The Hunger #1

JUGHEAD: THE HUNGER No. 1
ARCHIE COMICS – @ArchieComics @ArchieHorror

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Frank Tieri
PENCILS: Pat and Tim Kennedy
INKS: Bob Smith and Jim Amash
COLORS: Matt Herms
LETTERS: Jack Morelli
COVER: Francesco Francavilla
VARIANT COVER: Robert Hack; Michael Walsh
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (December 2017)

Rated Teen+ for Violence and Mature Content

“Run Like the Wolf” Part One

Over the past four years, Archie Comics has gone about modernizing its characters and comic books in terms of stories, characters, and plots, as well as in visuals and graphics.  This is a publishing initiative that can be called the “new look Archie.”

The first phase of the new Archie Comics was the  the “Archie Horror” line, in which Archie Comics characters were re-imagined in a darker world, filled with the supernatural – from forbidden magic to bloodthirsty creatures.  Writer Roberto Aquirre-Sacasa and artist Francesco Francavilla took Archie Comics to the dark side in Afterlife with Archie, placing Archie and his pals in the middle of a “zombie apocalypse.”

Earlier this year, Jughead Jones went to the dark and hungry side in Jughead: The Hunger, a one-shot comic book that revealed that classic pal of Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, was descended from a line of werewolves.  He started killing, and Betty Cooper, one of Archie's girlfriends and a werewolf hunter, started hunting him.  Archie and Betty could not save Jughead, and he skipped town after killing Reggie Mantle.

Jughead: The Hunter is now an ongoing series.  It is written by Frank Tieri; drawn by Pat & Tim Kennedy (pencils) and Bob Smith and Jim Amash (inks); colored by Matt Herms; and lettered by Jack Morelli.

Jughead: The Hunger #1 opens three week earlier at Riverdale Hospital where Reggie Mantle is declared dead... or not.  Moving forward, Jughead has run away and joined the circus.  He has found some sense of peace, although the circus' animals avoid him.  Meanwhile, Betty and Archie continue to follow Jughead's trail, but someone new is about to join their little hunt.

I think the original Jughead: The Hunger was published at a time when I was too busy to track the coming and goings of one-shot comic books.  However, because I really love Afterlife with Archie and also the second “Archie Horror” title, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, I was determined to get a copy of Jughead: The Hunger #1, and it is worth the effort and the decision to continue it as an ongoing series.

“Archie Horror” titles are steeped in the tradition of the best American horror comic books, from EC Comics and Warren Publications to DC Comics “Bronze and Copper Ages” titles and its Vertigo imprint.  Sometimes, it is in the tone of the narrative; other times “Archie Horror” comic books capture the spirit of classic horror comic books.  Jughead: The Hunger #1 has it all, and it is also an engaging supernatural teen soap opera, presenting scares and scary teens.

Of course, we are early in this series, but I see teen melodrama playing a big part in Jughead: The Hunger, probably as much as the monster side of the story.  Matt Herms' gorgeous colors capture and heighten all this story's moods – from the intensity of the emergency room to the loneliness of Jughead's secretive circus life.  Jack Morelli's clean lettering fits in like a perfect storyteller, knowing that it is all about the story.

I must say that I am surprised.  I did not expect Jughead: The Hunger #1 to grab me as the earlier “Archie Horror” comics had.  I ask myself, “Are these horror titles really as good as I think they are?”  Find out for yourself, dear readers.

8.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------