Staff Picks (May 13): Red Sonja # 1 — Queen of Plagues

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment

It’s a great time to be a Red Sonja newbie. Even readers who haven’t followed the She-Devil with a Sword will find a lot to enjoy in Gail Simone’s new take on the character, which gives her iconic battle prowess a shot of fresh energy and understated humor. Queen of Plagues understands Sonja as a character that synthesizes contradictions— she is beautiful and terrible, brutal but fair, a deft swordswoman and an inelegant drunk. Simone uses those elements to create a vital personality with relatable motives in a strange, dangerous world.

Readers are also treated to some great female supporting cast members in Red Sonja #1, including a pair of eager tomboy “bodyguards” (providing a little comic relief) and an impressively formidable nemesis (providing a little “holy $#&!”). With a plot that drives enthusiastically forward wrapped in beautiful covers from the likes of Fiona Staples and Colleen Doran, this is a winner. If you’ve never picked up Red Sonja before, why wouldn’t you make this your first time?

~ Kate Henning