Meet the Creative Team Behind Killing Red Sonja
Jan 25, 2020
Meet the boy who will kill Red Sonja, as Dynamite announces a new companion limited series to Mark Russell's epic Red Sonja saga.
In Killing Red Sonja, fans will be taken on an unforgettable trip through the dimly lit corners of the Hyborean Age. Readers who've been keeping up with the series know the first year of the run has concerned Sonja the Red waging war against emperor Dragan The Magnificent. They may even recall in issue #2 when the warlord bid goodbye to his young son Cyril. Now with his family and birthright gutted, he will stop at nothing to exact his revenge on the fire-haired savage queen. Including dabbling in dark magics beyond his comprehension.
Writers Mark Russell and Bryce Ingman are joined by artist Craig Rousseau to follow this rage-filled boy's trail of vengeance.
PREVIEWSworld talked with the creative team to learn more about Killing Red Sonja #1 (JAN201089) from Dynamite Entertainment!
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PREVIEWSworld: So… is Sonja really going to die? That would be quite tragic.
Bryce Ingman: I can neither confirm nor deny the rumors that Mark invited me onto this book because I am a remorseless killer of fictional characters.
Mark Russell: Depends on what you mean by really... Reality is such a slippery concept, especially when you're a fictional character. ;)
Craig Rousseau: It’s the title of the book… so there’s at least a shot at it happening… right?
PREVIEWSworld: How will this companion series differ from the flagship RED SONJA? And how will it tie-in for fans following the whole tapestry?
Mark Russell: This is a vital piece of the main series in that it tells the adventures and tragedies of characters who become really prominent in the next and final arc of the story. So, while you could understand what happens in the main series without Killing Red Sonja, this gives a deeper, more Russian novel-like dimension to the main story, as I've tried to do with the Lord of Fools and Halloween specials. It's different in the sense that it's more of a fantasy-based story, with talking boars and monsters, that examines the role of stories themselves. It's a very different read than the main series, but with a similar goal: to explore how we are the sum of our stories, and yet, are also changed by them.
Bryce Ingman: As Mark mentioned, Killing Red Sonja is a more "fantasy-based" story than the main Sonja title. A lot of crazy stuff was going on during the Hyborian Age, and we're having loads of fun exploring the more extraordinary corners of Sonja's world. It’s deeply tied to the flagship title, and while you don't have to read it to enjoy the main book, you're probably going to be disappointed with yourself if you don't.
PREVIEWSworld: Bryce and Craig, what brought you to the Hyrkanian round table contributing to this book? What’s the collaboration been like among the whole creative team on this project?
Bryce Ingman: Mark is one of the best and a busy, in-demand writer, so he asked if I could help him with this project so he'd have time to sleep a few hours each week. We've added some wild new personalities to his Hyrkania, like a bounty hunter who controls flocks of birds and a single-mother giant, and these new characters will continue to play into Mark's main narrative after the final issue of Killing Red Sonja. And the brilliant Craig Rousseau, who is as adept at portraying the subtleties of the human face as he is at drawing monsters and talking boars, is the perfect artist for this project. Mark and I are lucky to have such a talented, intuitive collaborator.
Craig Rousseau: They had me at ”talking 400 pound boar,” and so far, I’ve just been trying to keep up, drawing all the stuff Mark and Bryce are throwing into the script. …Speaking of which, back to the drawing board!
In order to become queen, Sonja The Red had to defeat an evil emperor. But that emperor had a son. And that son will do ANYTHING to exact his revenge...even if it means embracing horrible magics he does not understand.
Don't miss out on this series that will affect the Sonja series for years to come! By MARK RUSSELL (Red Sonja, Year Of The Villain), BRYCE INGMAN (Edgar Allen Poe's Snifter Of Terror) and CRAIG ROUSSEAU (The Flash).
In order to become queen, Sonja The Red had to defeat an evil emperor. But that emperor had a son. And that son will do ANYTHING to exact his revenge...even if it means embracing horrible magics he does not understand.
Don't miss out on this series that will affect the Sonja series for years to come! By MARK RUSSELL (Red Sonja, Year Of The Villain), BRYCE INGMAN (Edgar Allen Poe's Snifter Of Terror) and CRAIG ROUSSEAU (The Flash).
