Dynamite is proud to show the first look at interior
pages for Legends of Red Sonja #1, is a collaborative effort uniting Simone
with a star-studded and prestigious creative team including Marjorie M. Liu,
Mercedes Lackey, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Rhianna Pratchett, Leah Moore, Tamora
Pierce, Blair Butler, Nancy Collins, Meljean Brook, Nicola Scott, Devin
Grayson, and more to be announced. Frank
Thorne, one of the key artists responsible for defining the character's distinct
look, will be among the artists to contribute cover artwork, as will Jay
Anacleto. The first issue of the five-part Legends of Red Sonja #1 miniseries
is solicited in the September Previews catalog for preorder by retailers
worldwide.
Here's a Q & A with the various Legends of Red Sonja
writers!
What is it about Red Sonja that has allowed her to meet
this 40 year milestone?
Marjorie Liu: Red Sonja is the dream of all little
girls. Which isn't to say that all
little girls want to grow up to be swords-women (though I did), charging into
battle, fighting evil. But it's her
spirit that calls to us, that unbendable, fierce, warrior nature that is so
alluring, inspiring -- and sexy. In a
world where women are constantly besieged by forces that want to steal our
voices and power, Red Sonja is an icon of strength and stubbornness.
Nancy A. Collins: For decades Red Sonja has,
consistently, been one of the few female protagonists in comics who is an
unabashed warrior. While she has a code of honor, she also has no problems
killing whoever gets in her way. That was a pretty radical concept for a female
character, back in the 1970s. And it's still not that common, even in the
modern era of Grim & Gritty comics.
Devin Grayson: I'd like to say it's because we all love
redheads, but it probably has more to do with her unmitigated ass-kicking. I
think for a lot of us who grew up as tomboys, she was a hugely compelling role
model . And for those of us who were tomboys also into fantasy, she was peerless.
She's also managed to keep an air of mystery around her all these years, which
is no small feat. There's a directness to her character that's both refreshing
and enduring.
Rhianna Pratchett: She's a striking character in every
sense of the word. She's tough and enigmatic which gives her great power on the
page as well as on the battlefield.
Tamora Pierce: The way she blazed her way across the
comics universe as a super-powerless female swordslinger, bolstered by the name
of the immortal Robert Howard (the second major fantasy writer I discovered and
always a lure for me to new adventures), was unique. And let's face it, that blazing mane of red
hair and the chainmail bikini so do not hurt!
Leah Moore: I think the interest is because she makes no
attempt to court favour or play nicely with anyone. She's not just strong and
independent, you get the feeling she really doesn't give a hoot about anyone
else. In a male character that would be dull, another lone wolf who kicks ass
and looks out for number one. Yawn. But in a woman, in Sonja it cuts straight
though the whole gender divide and proves that yes, women can be curmudgeonly
and unpleasant too!
Mercedes Lackey: She's iconic. She is one of the first female fantasy
characters that held her own with the guys.
Mail bikini notwithstanding, it was clear from the start that she was no
one's possession, toy, or arm-candy.
Nicola Scott: Sonja has an attitude not often granted to
female characters. She's ballsy and brawny, has an Eastwood swagger and dismissive
tone. It also doesn't hurt that she rocks a sword and a metal bikini.
What can you tell us about your story?
Nancy A. Collins: It was written as an affectionate
tribute to the straight-up sword & sorcery tales of the old SAVAGE SWORD OF
CONAN. It's set during Sonja's early days as a thief--the time period where I
was first introduced to her. Before the chainmail bikini.
Devin Grayson: I wrote a nautical horror story in a
classic pulp fantasy style. There's forbidden magic, sword swinging, and tentacles.
Lots of tentacles.
Rhianna Pratchett: I wanted to explore an iconic aspect
of Sonja that, from a story point of view, is often seen and not heard - her
chainmail bikini.
Tamora Pierce: When she meets a woman and her daughter,
seeming innocents in search of a guard, Red Sonja discovers her goddess has
intervened in her life again, demanding a cost in death.
Leah Moore: I have pitted Sonja against the fearsome
might of a necromancer. I've been a fan of necromancers since I first read
Clark Ashton Smith, and saw that basically as a writer you cant have much more
fun than writing a bit of necromancy. Clark Ashton Smith based a lot of his
stories in Hyperborea, a region in Robert E Howard's Hyboria, so I saw a chance
to do my own little homage both to Howard and Clark Ashton Smith at once. Sonja
battles liches, it was so much fun.
Mercedes Lackey: Sonja serves as the inspiration for
another girl's fantasy. And while the
fantasy is unrealistic, the girl herself, and her village, gain enormously for
it.
Nicola Scott: My story is about a stolen moment of good
fortune that Sonja has since obliviously benefited from.
Blair Butler: It's shrouded in mystery, but I will say
that it's circular, and I tried to do something a little different with the
page layout. Also, it may bum you out. I had no idea how dark this story was
going to get when I started it...
Kelly Sue DeConnick: An all-male troupe of traveling
thespians perform The Red Devil's Legerdemain for the Grey Riders, get them
drunk, turn them on, and rob them blind. Theatre!
What are you hoping fans will learn about Red Sonja from
your story?
Nancy A. Collins: That she means business.
Devin Grayson: Well, as fans know and newbies should be
able to grok, the only thing you really need to know about Red Sonja is that
you don't mess with Red Sonja. Also: she may be waterproof.
Rhianna Pratchett: I wanted to bring back a sense of
ownership and choice to the much maligned chainmail bikini. I also wanted to
weave it into the way Sonja utilizes all her attribute to aid her in battle and
how this knowledge may have come about.
Tamora Pierce: That she is very much more than a
barbarian swords woman; that she has many layers, and uses crudity, violence,
and drunkenness not only to conceal those layers, but to hone them,
particularly her intelligence.
Mercedes Lackey: Sonja might not live up to someone's
fantasy....or then again, she might.
