Conan Red Sonja #1 (Dark Horse Comics)
Written by: Gail Simone & Jim Zub
Art by: Dan Panosian
Color by: Dave Stewart
To be perfectly honest I am probably not the best person to be reviewing this book as my only familiarity with Conan or Red Sonja involves Arnold Schwarzenegger, A few random comics, and the Universal Studios stage show. So when I say out of all those things I probably like this comic the best know that my experience is limited. This issue was a fun, action packed look at the warrior duo’s first meeting. In issue one Simone’s Red Sonja is the star. Zub treats the character with the utmost respect as she starts off strong, confident and ready for action. Conan is no slouch here either as Zub uses him less for his words and more for his willingness to murder without hesitation. Of our two characters Conan definitely walks a thin line between destroyer and savior as his morals seem to much more profit driven than Sonja’s.
I was a little split on the art of this book as I found Dan Panosian’s pencils to be stellar and times and lacking in others. The art overall seemed inconsistent where some areas oozed detail and life while others felt dull and forgotten. Backgrounds and scenery suffered most but facial expressions, character design and action sequences were perfect accents to the story telling and really sold the interactions between the characters.
Although my Conan and Red Sonja experience doesn’t go beyond a couple of movies and a trip to Universal Studios, I still feel this newest edition to their mythos is something fans and newcomers will enjoy immensely. Zub and Simone are perfect team to give these characters the right amount of heroism and heart to make anyone become a fan. Conan Red Sonja #1 maybe the perfect introduction to these characters and their dynamic and has only further peaked my interest in a franchise that I never took seriously.