Chaos! in Hyboria! Burnham & Lau Talk Red Sonja/Chaos! Crossover
Nov 23, 2019
The fight and fright-filled new limited series Red Sonja: Age of Chaos (NOV191003) is written by returning Sonja scribe Erik Burnham, with art by the one and only Jonathan Lau.
Read our interview with the creative team to learn more about Red Sonja meeting the badass characters of Chaos!
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PREVIEWSworld: Eric, welcome to the Chaos! Were you familiar with any of these characters back in the day?
Erick Burnham: I got to read some Evil Ernie at a friend's house way back in my high school days. I got a kick out of it - but I didn't have reliable access to a local comic shop in the hinterlands. But Wizard Magazine, which was everywhere, did show me all the new characters as they popped up. With help from my editor Matt Idelson, I've done all the research!He asked if I wanted to have some fun - and with a crossover like this, I aim to do just that.
PREVIEWSworld: While we're at it, how about a roll call. Who is in this book?
Erick Burnham: Funny story - the cast expanded while I was writing the synopsis, then expanded again while I was re-writing the synopsis to include the original expansion! You'll see...I think I may want to play it close to the vest. Given the mechanics of the plot, I don't want to blow any surprises. Astute fans can probably make a pretty good guess at who will show up on the final call sheet. (Check out Alan Quah's cover NOV191004 for some clues!)
PREVIEWSworld: We imagine that most of the Chaos! folks will not be fast friends with Red Sonja, but can we expect some to side with our heroine?
Erick Burnham: Oh, I think we can expect, yes, that Sonja's quest in this series will align with at least one of the Chaos! characters. A fight here, a common goal there...but I don't think we're going to get through it with Sonja as a "friend" to any of them. She's going to be ina bad mood anyway, given the mission she's on, and what success would mean...so we'll see if we even get into the ballpark of grudging respect!
PREVIEWSworld: How has it been working with the creative team, and especially getting to see Jonathan bring these scenes of horror and action to the page?
Erick Burnham: I'm psyched with what he's doing - Jonathan's work is top-notch, detailed, evocative and kinetic. I so can't wait to make him angry—er, inspire him with the forthcoming scripts! (He's going to knock this book straight out of the park!}
PREVIEWSworld: Jonathan, you've drawn the She-Devil with a Sword before, even with Erik not too long ago. Though you've never taken a crack at the Chaos! crew. Which one is your favorite to draw? We imagine fans can expect a ton of action, right?
Jonathan Lau: I remember on my first Red Sonja comic I decided to change her hairstyle. I wated her to look savage, like having a lion's mane instead of something out of a beauty salon. That has made it personal for me ever since. As for the Chaos! characters, honestly I've had to get familiar with them. Evil Ernie may be the most interesting to draw, especially that smoking rib cage of his.
Almost all the time, the writers gave me artistic freedom when it comes to fight scenes. "Hey Jon, I leave to you these 3-5 pages, as long as this guy wins but loses his arm in the last panel." My mission has always been to bring action back into comics which is sorely lacking in the dialogue-heavy style of comics nowadays.
