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Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword (2005) (Collected Editions)
Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword, Vol. 9: War Season
Writer Eric Trautman takes over Red Sonja's reins Collecting issues #51-55, along with a complete cover gallery.
128 pages, Paperback
First published September 13, 2011
About the author
Eric Trautmann
263 books16 followersEric Trautmann is a comic book writer, editor, and graphic designer also know as Eric S. Trautmann.
For several years, Eric was a writer and editor for West End Games' acclaimed Star Wars roleplaying game line. After leaving dice-and-paper gaming behind, Eric then moved into videogames, an early recruit into Microsoft Game Studios' nascent entertainment licensing apparatus.
While at Microsoft, Eric wrote and edited in-game dialogue, story bibles, marketing materials, and original fictional content for the web.
Among the titles that Eric helped develop were the smash-hit HALO: Combat Evolved (including editing chores on the first three HALO novels for Ballantine / Del Rey, as well as writing The Art of HALO, also for Del Rey); Crimson Skies (creating a strongly immersive in-universe website for the pulpy, two-fisted adventure setting; editing weekly serialized online pulp novellas; and editing and contributing to Del Rey's mass-market paperback fiction anthology based on the setting); MechWarrior 4; and Perfect Dark Zero, acting as a story consultant to the property and helping to develop a fiction publishing program in support of the game.
In addition, Eric has consulted on videogame properties for EPIC (drafting a story bible for the Gears of War franchise), story development for Radical Entertainment, and delivering talks on the craft of writing in games to various publishers (notably, Blizzard Entertainment).
After leaving Microsoft, Eric wrote a six-issue miniseries for Perfect Dark (titled Perfect Dark: Janus' Tears), published by Prima Games, as well as editing and lettering an original graphic novel prequel to the hyperviolent videogame Army of Two, titled Army of Two: Dirty Money (written by John Ney Rieber and illustrated by Brandon McKinney).
While developing Perfect Dark Zero's novel program, he edited Perfect Dark: Initial Vector and Perfect Dark: Second Front, scribed by Greg Rucka (and published by TOR). The collaboration proved fruitful, and Eric was later invited to write a fill-in issue of Greg's DC Comics superhero/espionage title, Checkmate (which led to a half-year stint as co-writer on the title, ending his run with issue #25).
Checkmate led to several other DC Comics projects (as both writer or co-writer), including Final Crisis: Resist, JSA Vs. Kobra: Engines of Faith, The Shield, Mighty Crusaders, Adventure Comics and others.
Eric currently writes the continuing adventures of classic sword-and-sorcery heroine, Red Sonja, for Dynamite Entertainment.
In November 2010, Eric's debut issue of a revitalized Vampirella (also published by Dynamite Entertainment) was released to widespread critical praise and excellent sales (Vampirella #1 was the best selling non-premier publisher title for Diamond Comics Distribution in the month of its release).
In addition to writing comics, Eric is a graphic designer and marketing consultant, through his Fedora Monkey Studio, which offers (among other services) logo and branding design, intellectual property development, and viral marketing (such as the infamous "Montoya Journal" to promote the DC Comics' series The Question: The Five Books of Blood).
Eric splits his time between Raymond, Wa (where he resides) and Lacey, WA (where his wife runs the best comic shop ever).
For several years, Eric was a writer and editor for West End Games' acclaimed Star Wars roleplaying game line. After leaving dice-and-paper gaming behind, Eric then moved into videogames, an early recruit into Microsoft Game Studios' nascent entertainment licensing apparatus.
While at Microsoft, Eric wrote and edited in-game dialogue, story bibles, marketing materials, and original fictional content for the web.
Among the titles that Eric helped develop were the smash-hit HALO: Combat Evolved (including editing chores on the first three HALO novels for Ballantine / Del Rey, as well as writing The Art of HALO, also for Del Rey); Crimson Skies (creating a strongly immersive in-universe website for the pulpy, two-fisted adventure setting; editing weekly serialized online pulp novellas; and editing and contributing to Del Rey's mass-market paperback fiction anthology based on the setting); MechWarrior 4; and Perfect Dark Zero, acting as a story consultant to the property and helping to develop a fiction publishing program in support of the game.
In addition, Eric has consulted on videogame properties for EPIC (drafting a story bible for the Gears of War franchise), story development for Radical Entertainment, and delivering talks on the craft of writing in games to various publishers (notably, Blizzard Entertainment).
After leaving Microsoft, Eric wrote a six-issue miniseries for Perfect Dark (titled Perfect Dark: Janus' Tears), published by Prima Games, as well as editing and lettering an original graphic novel prequel to the hyperviolent videogame Army of Two, titled Army of Two: Dirty Money (written by John Ney Rieber and illustrated by Brandon McKinney).
While developing Perfect Dark Zero's novel program, he edited Perfect Dark: Initial Vector and Perfect Dark: Second Front, scribed by Greg Rucka (and published by TOR). The collaboration proved fruitful, and Eric was later invited to write a fill-in issue of Greg's DC Comics superhero/espionage title, Checkmate (which led to a half-year stint as co-writer on the title, ending his run with issue #25).
Checkmate led to several other DC Comics projects (as both writer or co-writer), including Final Crisis: Resist, JSA Vs. Kobra: Engines of Faith, The Shield, Mighty Crusaders, Adventure Comics and others.
Eric currently writes the continuing adventures of classic sword-and-sorcery heroine, Red Sonja, for Dynamite Entertainment.
In November 2010, Eric's debut issue of a revitalized Vampirella (also published by Dynamite Entertainment) was released to widespread critical praise and excellent sales (Vampirella #1 was the best selling non-premier publisher title for Diamond Comics Distribution in the month of its release).
In addition to writing comics, Eric is a graphic designer and marketing consultant, through his Fedora Monkey Studio, which offers (among other services) logo and branding design, intellectual property development, and viral marketing (such as the infamous "Montoya Journal" to promote the DC Comics' series The Question: The Five Books of Blood).
Eric splits his time between Raymond, Wa (where he resides) and Lacey, WA (where his wife runs the best comic shop ever).
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 2, 2018
The feel of the story is different, more mature. This version of Sonja is the one that is blessed by Scathach which is a bit of a waste of the previous two arcs. Still, this is more than complemented by the scope of the story and the solid artwork.
A war is brewing between Cavvalus of Argos, the Black Boar legion from Koth and the assassins from Stygia. Sonja is a mercenary who gets caught in the middle of it all. The prince of Argos challenges king Akkhimar of Persemhia in battle, but loses miserably. Sonja and her band are on the prince's side, but they soon get themselves employed to train the king's militia. Given the enemy army size, the king has no chance to win. Sonja needs the fabled Horn of Nergal, an item kept hidden by the king that can make its owner invincible.
Sonja is dejected from her pyrrhic victory and leaves the king's employ to try to drown her thoughts in drink. She recounts a happier time spent with her gang of fighters, all now fallen in battle. The goddess Scathach visits her to soothe her.
A war is brewing between Cavvalus of Argos, the Black Boar legion from Koth and the assassins from Stygia. Sonja is a mercenary who gets caught in the middle of it all. The prince of Argos challenges king Akkhimar of Persemhia in battle, but loses miserably. Sonja and her band are on the prince's side, but they soon get themselves employed to train the king's militia. Given the enemy army size, the king has no chance to win. Sonja needs the fabled Horn of Nergal, an item kept hidden by the king that can make its owner invincible.
Sonja is dejected from her pyrrhic victory and leaves the king's employ to try to drown her thoughts in drink. She recounts a happier time spent with her gang of fighters, all now fallen in battle. The goddess Scathach visits her to soothe her.
October 20, 2017
Trautmann breathed some desperately needed fresh air in Sonja. Even the art seemed inspired and much better than the usual Dynamite stuff. But that said.... there is also a short story after the main even. What the hell happened there to art? In that one... something very strange going on with Sonja´s body.
June 8, 2021
3.5 star , the most interesting story and art so far, less focus on cheesecake poses and more on actual plot and stories
February 16, 2024
Genuinely shocked how much better this is than the high fantasy bullshit of the previous few volumes. Even though those ended with a sort-of reset of the status quo, Trautmann entirely ignores it by confirming that this Sonja is "the first to bear her name" and "the one blessed by Scathach."
Sonja here is a mercenary leader, caught between the petty grievances of all-too-human lords trying to make a buck and stay alive when shit hits the fan. Her squad is sketched thinly but likable enough to the point where you feel kinda bummed out when they start dying senselessly. The "bard" type guy from Sonja's squad being called "Rogatino" is a nod to Howard's novella "The Shadow of the Vulture" which introduced "Sonya of Rogatino" to the world, that Marvel would later base this Sonja on. Cute easter egg by itself, but Trautmann backs up this statement of intent quite well.
Compared to previous writers, he seems a lot more versed in Howard's setting and what its deal actually was; a scattered collection of faux-historical adventure locales with the occasional Lovecraft beastie/guardian in some hidden tomb.
I was expecting the last few volumes to be a slog until I got to Gail Simone, but this one's given me hope!
Sonja here is a mercenary leader, caught between the petty grievances of all-too-human lords trying to make a buck and stay alive when shit hits the fan. Her squad is sketched thinly but likable enough to the point where you feel kinda bummed out when they start dying senselessly. The "bard" type guy from Sonja's squad being called "Rogatino" is a nod to Howard's novella "The Shadow of the Vulture" which introduced "Sonya of Rogatino" to the world, that Marvel would later base this Sonja on. Cute easter egg by itself, but Trautmann backs up this statement of intent quite well.
Compared to previous writers, he seems a lot more versed in Howard's setting and what its deal actually was; a scattered collection of faux-historical adventure locales with the occasional Lovecraft beastie/guardian in some hidden tomb.
I was expecting the last few volumes to be a slog until I got to Gail Simone, but this one's given me hope!
July 27, 2013
So far I'm enjoying Trautmann's run on Red Sonja. The story was fairly good, but I was most impressed by the author's grasp of Robert E. Howard's Hyborean Age setting. Most of the authors on this series to date have been set in a fairly generic fantasy land, with maybe a name or two lifted from Howard, but Trautmann's plot takes in the actual shared Conan/Red Sonja setting. I look forward to the next volume.
October 8, 2015
I have never read a single issue of Red Sonja, but after reading this, I want to syphon every possible thing that is Sonja the Red.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews