The Adventures of Red Sonja, Volume I

The Adventures of Red Sonja (Collected Editions)

by Roy Thomas, Bruce Jones, Esteban Maroto (Artist)

This contains the Red Sonja tales from Marvel Feature #1-7, presented in glorious, fully re-mastered color. These tales are where it all begins, and help set the stage for the current Red Sonja series! This is a must have collection of never before reprinted material, featuring a cover by Frank Thorne. Plus, legendary Red Sonja writer and former Editor-in-Chief, Roy Thomas, provides an introduction!

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Adventure, Fiction, Sequential Art, Sword and Sorcery

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Roy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.

Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this badass bitch in her chain mail bikini.



Ok, I really thought this would probably be kind of boring and silly. Just some poorly written stories meant to showcase a hot redhead swinging a sword around in a metal swimsuit.
It was not.



I was actually really into this entire volume and flew through it much quicker than I would have thought possible. She faces off with creepy wizards, alligator men, sorceresses, bear gods, and common royal douchebags who just think they're gonna touch her titties with zero repercussions. It does not go well for any of them, let me tell you.



There are shenanigans in this that probably wouldn't fly in a modern comic, but I really didn't feel at all icky after I finished. I mean, Sonja was bad as hell, stood on her own two feet, and didn't take any shit. If the worst thing about this is that she did all of that while in an unreasonable skimpy outfit, I'll take it.

The writing was good (in a campy way) and the plots and wacky characters were just terrific.
I'm definitely going to continue with this series.
Recommended.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was lucky to find first three TPBs from Dynamite Entertainment collecting early Red Sonja's tales reprints from 70s Marvel Feature Presents for cheap on a local comic-books store trip some time ago, 5 € each... I should have been a fool not buying them.



I was reading about her iconic artist Frank Thorne passing a few days ago, so thought it was time to read them at last.



Some stories aged not much well at all, but if you are a fan of old 70s sword and sorceries Marvel comics, this re-mastered edition with enhanced colouring is a gorgeous eye-candy treat, and foreword from Roy Thomas about how he created the Hyrkanian chainmail bikini clad She-Devil with a Sword inspired by Robert E. Howard's Red Son i a of Rogatino, an obscure character from the texan pulp author starring in his story The Shadow of the Vulture originally released in 1934 was a tasty cherry on cake... I've read almost everything written by the father of Conan the Barbarian, but cannot remember about this one: so a new quest begins, and it will be mine sooner or later.



Sadly the The Battle of the Barbarians crossover included here lacks the issues 66 and 67 from the Conan the Barbarian 1976 title, because of publishing rights issues I presume, and it ends with a cliffhanger forcing you to look for these missing ones if you wanna read the end of this story, luckly I already owned the whole of it since they were translated and released here in Italy lots of years ago in a 4 parts Conan miniseries.



And the artists drawing these stories are just a real dream team... Esteban Maroto, Neal Adams, Ernie Chan, Dick Giordano, Frank Thorne (RIP): not a mere list, but a divine pantheon of Fantasy Comicdom Gods.



'Nuff said.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A far more popular character now that when REH 1st introduced her and very different. Nice collection of these tales. Recommended

[Christopher (Donut) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bronze Age Sonja.. you have to remember that far back to appreciate this.
I doubt Frank Thorne's broad ink strokes would appeal to today's readers.

Nice swordfight between Sonja and Conan in the last story. Ends on a cliffhanger, but I can't say I'm nervous about how our heroes will fare.

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roy Thomas created Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword as a way to fill out the non-Howardian stories of his Conan the Barbarian Marvel comics adaptation. Roy is one of the most prolific creators of comic book icons alive and about the only one who ranks with Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and a handful of other luminaries. So when he smelled money to be made from her, he was right on the money.

The first collection of her adventures is a pretty good series of original stories and it's interesting to see Hyboria from the perspective of a man who is writing wholly original material vs. adapting Howards. Roy Thomas' Hyboria is more magical, less jaded, and a bit more adult Forgotten Realms than anything else but that's not a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination.

We also get some dramatic irony about Red Sonja's love life. She's most (in)famous in fantasy as the woman who won't bed a man who can't defeat her in a sword. Sonja, however, is quite attracted to men. She's just attracted to men who are pretty and dashing versus big and muscular--which makes her oath all the more ironic. I particularly liked her short-lived crush on the crippled pretty boy, Dunkin.

However, the best reason to read this story is the first Red Sonja comic where she shows a king why it's not a good idea to try to add her to his harem (involuntarily).

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really good Sword and Sorcery material, maybe not as good as the very best Conan comics, but on par with most of them. Frank Thorne's sexy art has never looked better with the remastered coloring, and the stories are rife with the sorcerers and monsters we've come to expect from 1970s Marvel comics of this type. Overall surprisingly good.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dynamite doesn't seem to know how to reprint old comics, it looks like they use low-res scans for the inks and just photoshop color on top of it. If you squint you can make out Frank Thorne's actual artwork. But I had access to the original comics as well as Frank Thorn's art edition. Rating is for the comics and not this specific reprint!

1
Reprints a couple short stories from earlier Conan comics.

2-3
Red Sonja robs a golden key off a man named Rejak and is warned at a local tavern that its a thing of evil. Picts attack the town. Later Red Sonja struggles to find fresh water - all the watering holes have been poisoned like a plague following her. Rejak catches up to her but is killed by a snake. Red Sonja returns the key to a an old woman who tells her off the origins. It's a key for a large mechanical man. Well... bad luck for Red Sonja because the woman has the robot! Red Sonka narrowly escapes, gets the key back and melts it down.

4
Eyes of the Gorgon
Kind of a silly story. In a town people are being turned to stone. Red Sonja is blamed but more people turn to stone... Red Sonja gets turned to stone while trying to figure out the mystery.

5
The Bear Bod Walks
A bear god is attacking a village. Red Sonja joins a man Tusan who is interested in her to get the bounty on the bear. There's a bit of a conspiracy involved but the god does arrive! Red Sonja and Tusan spend the night together.

6-7
Cross over with Conan (66-68). Red Sonja is hired to steal a page from the Book of Skelos... coincidentally Conan was hired by someone else to do the same thing! Of course Red Sonja is loyal to her job so fights with Conan. Thorne draws a really nice Conan.

[mina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

The illustration done by Esteban Maroto, Neal Adams and Ernie Chan in the part one of the first chapter was amazing, it reminded me of cartoons He-man and She-ra that I watched as a kid, so that was a pleasant trip down the childhood lane. Sadly after that the illustrations were just okay. The stories were solid; I don’t have anything to complain about that.

However, I do have to complain about the crossover between Red Sonja and Connan – some people’s libraries (mine) don’t have the comic that is supposed to be read before the last Red Sonja chapter. That was poorly executed. Start reading Red Sonja, but before chapter 7 read the first two chapters of a Connan comic, then stop there and return to Red Sonja so that you finish it, but if you really want to find out how things end… well, naturally return to the Connan comic. That’s too much back and forth.

[Larissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this SO MUCH. Great strong female lead, alliterative banter, beautiful art. If you love Dungeons and Dragons or If you're looking for something like ElfQuest by Wendy Pini consider this book.

[Luana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun!

I'm just really predisposed to Howard/Lieber-esque shit; sellswords going into ancient catacombs, fighting a monster or two, getting double-crossed, letting out mirthful or perhaps boisterous laughs in tavern fights.

This volume collects the "Marvel Feature" try-out miniseries, where it was Sonja's turn to be gauged for audience appetite after her guest stint on the Conan book. Turns out there was some, as she got her own title not a year later.

On the one hand, it's fun to see a woman swashbuckler do badass shit, on the other, it's still the 70s, which means that the dudes writing her must acknowledge how UNWOMANLY this Playmate is ("You've aroused my curiosity... the one acknowledgement I still make of my womanhood..." lmaooooo) and lol that her sword-skills apparently have a magical/divine (?) origin rather than Conan's, which are honed by his battle-hardened life.

Yes, Conan does show up in true Comic Book Bullshit team-up style for an arc that the collections ends in mid-cliffhanger on. Roy Thomas is surprisingly adept at making sure they're evenly matched -- something Robert E. Howard surely would never have done with HIS Conan.

Anyway, fun! Looking forward to the next volume to see how they'll deal with the bat-monster that crashes through the window on the last page.

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reprints Marvel Feature (2) #1-7 (November 1975-November 1976). Red Sonja fights a dark path. Constantly having to prove herself as a warrior, Sonja finds herself trying to survive as a female in a world trying to keep her down. Battling bear gods, jackal-men, and satyrs, Red Sonja finds that survival is more difficult than she ever expected…but her friend and ally, Conan the Barbarian could be her biggest threat yet!

Written by Roy Thomas and Bruce Jones, The Adventures of Red Sonja—Volume 1 is a Dynamite reprint of Marvel Comics’ Marvel Feature (Volume 2). The issues feature art by Dick Giordano and Frank Thorne.

Red Sonja was a movie to me before she was a comic book character. The Conan the Barbarian movies were big when I was young, and Red Sonja (1985) was the natural spin-off film (although Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in the film isn’t Conan). It is fun to go back and read early Red Sonja comics to see how this cultural icon started and evolved.

Red Sonja (in theory) was created by Robert E. Howard. Howard wrote “The Shadow of the Vulture” for The Magic Carpet Magazine (January 1934) and introduced a character called Red Sonya of Rogatino. Roy Thomas adapted the Red Sonja character for the Conan the Barbarian comic as kind of an opposite and foil for Conan and changed the character…but in turn created a character far more memorable than Howard’s creation.

Red Sonja really does feel like the female version of Conan the Barbarian in both good and bad ways. The character makes a big deal about only being interested in an equal (aka someone who can best her in battle) and fighting the stereotype that a woman isn’t a warrior…while wearing an iron bikini. It is a contrast that really doesn’t make much sense, but Red Sonja is a rather strong character, and she is in some ways more approachable and readable than some of Conan comics. She also has the same Conan faults in that she constantly seems to pick the wrong people to work for (though her character seems brighter than that which makes her seem more fallible than she should).

This collection of Red Sonja is a nice start to the character. Dynamite used the basis of Red Sonja for their own comic, and it has helped really develop the character even more as an icon. The character feels like a direct influence on warriors that followed her (including Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones), and her character is allowed to be feminine and strong at the same time…something that feels a bit unique for the genre at the time. The collection ends on a cliffhanger and continues in The Adventures of Red Sonja—Volume 2.

[Helmut · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kurven und Kanten

Die rote Sonja, letztlich in dieser Form eine Roy-Thomas-Eigenkreation, ist eine hyrkanische Kämpferin im Kettenbikini. Diese Tatsache setzt auch den Standard für diese Reihe (in diesem Band ist Marvel Feature 1-7 gesammelt, also noch nicht die eigentliche "Red Sonja"-Reihe); viel tiefsinniges darf man nicht erwarten, schön zu betrachten ist das aber schon. Etwas dezenter kommt die 70er-Jahre-Red Sonja aber dann doch daher als die nur aus Oberweite bestehende spätere Frank-Cho-Variante.

Besonders hervorheben möchte ich die erste Geschichte, gezeichnet von Esteban Maroto. Sehr elegante Zeichnungen, und dynamisch dadurch, dass er sich nur selten an eine strenge Panel- für Panelfolge hält. Der Rest ist von Frank Thorne - er gibt dem Comic eine eigene Note, die die Reihe bis zu ihrem (frühen) Ende beibehält.

Leser, die mehr über Howards Hyboria erfahren wollen, sind hier fehl am Platz - Red Sonja spielt nur an Orten, die genauso heißen wie die entsprechenden Orte in Hyboria, ansonsten ist die Atmosphäre völlig unterschiedlich und sollte auch so gelesen werden. Auch wenn Conan auftritt, das hier ist eine andere Welt; je weiter die Reihe voranschreitet, desto deutlicher wird das. Dies ist vor allem dem Autor der Geschichten, Bruce Jones, zu verdanken, der sich schon immer einen Dreck um Originalmaterial geschert hat (siehe seinen Hulk-Run). Trotz dieses Mankos gefallen mir seine Geschichten; sie sind weniger spektakulär, dafür aber sehr erdig und zeigen Sonja als Wanderer in interessanten Situationen.

Bindung und Papier sind makellos - die Neukolorierung dagegen ist, bis auf die oben angesprochene Maroto-Geschichte, nicht so wirklich gelungen. Noch nicht so schlimm wie in Band 2 dieser Sammelreihe, es deutet sich aber schon an.

Insgesamt also eine sowieso schon eher etwas durchschnittliche Fantasykost, die durch die Neubearbeitung noch verschlechtert wurde.

[Matthew J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is fine, I guess. Red Sonja is weird. She's not really connected to Red Sonya from the actual writings of Robert E. Howard. She's pretty much a creation of Marvel Comics to expand on the comic universe of their successful Conan comics. She's a redhead because Conan's other two major female characters (who are from the original stories) have black and blonde hair. Also, I can't really get over her stupid costume. As if the comic version of Conan always wearing the tattered all-weather loincloth wasn't silly enough, they put Sonja in a chain mail bikini with big shoulder pads. It just looks dumb. It's always looked dumb. It's not even that I have a problem with skin. I don't. But it looks stupid.
This is also Roy Thomas writing in the Stan Lee style of tell, show, and tell some more. Way, way, way too much text on a page with extremely wordy dialog as well as tons of tons of bulky captions. If there had been like 80% less text, not only would it have read smoother, but there would have been room for the art to be less cramped.
Like Marvel's run of Conan comics, I want to like this more than I do. There are moments, images, hints of ideas that make me think this could have been really good. It really isn't, though. And unlike some of the Savage Sword of Conan comics, the art isn't good enough to make up for the lackluster writing.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have never been big on Conan or those types of characters, but can't say I didn't have a crush on Red Sonja growing up, so I picked this up just to see if I'd like it beyond her skimpy chain-mail bikini. Immediately, Frank Thornes art really grabbed me, and the stories were actually quite entertaining. Not something I'm going to run out and buy everything of, but definitely convinced me that I'll be back for more.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great classic Sonja! She's sassy and doesn't take crap from no man.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and entertaining, perhaps typical run of the mill but nevertheless interesting to see Sonja’s start.

[John Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first Red Sonja marvel stories. Absolute classics of Sword and Sorcery. Beautiful art good stories. I can't wait to finish the rest of the series.

[D.S. West · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bruce Jones issues are the best. The Roy Thomas-penned stores are OK, but Bruce Jones told broader stories with better dialog (though he clearly loved the word "brigand," lol).

I know these earlier Red Sonja stories would be less than stellar and characteristic of their era, but I had a better time with this first volume than I expected. The line art in the very first issue of this collection is assuredly the best, credited to Esteban Maroto, Neal Adams, & Ernie Chan. I wish this style had been more prominent, but I'm expecting to see more visual flourish in Sonja's later adventures.

This collection is a breezy, fun read, and makes me even more excited to see how the storytelling evolves in subsequent collections. Praise Mitra!

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a fan of both Conan and Red Sonja for a very, very long time. Finding these anthologies that have so many of the comics bound into one package is really cool. I have two more of them to read and the current storyline that I was reading continues in the second one. It was really interesting reading the beginning of this where they explain so much of the beginnings of both Conan and Red Sonja. I kind of enjoyed how this run of comics came to be through Marvel and Stan Lee. It really was a wild ride for making it happen and keeping it going. If you’ve ever enjoyed any of the books or even the movies and you really want to give these a read.

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though she's wearing a metal bikini, I'm surprised how progressive Red Sonja's character was from the start. She wouldn't take gruff from anyone, male or female. She's constantly proving those who think women are the weaker sex wrong. I was also surprised that Roy Thomas actually created the character during Marvel's original Conan run. There was a completely different Robert E. Howard character called Red Sonya but that's it. Now I'm really curious how the rights worked their way to Dynamite as I find that kind of thing interesting. Time to hit the googles.

[Matej · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was pretty much exactly what I expected it to be.
Simple, self contained stories that are basically a less interesting version of Conan with a female lead is a pretty accurate description of this first volume of Red Sonja.
The art is good enough, except for the first issue of the collection which has superb art.
Overall, this is a great starting point for future Red Sonja fans, but honestly I think I would rather stick with Conan.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun adventures of Red Sonja from Marvel Feature era. Some gender stuff is a bit dated but better than much from the 70s and still very enjoyable.

I am not as big a fan of the metal bikini outfit, I prefer her earlier costume or the one from the Marx era but I am in a minority.

[Ricardo Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente tebeo, aunque el precio es algo exorbitante. Me gusta mucho el prólogo/introducción de Roy Thomas; tiene un formato magazine y es muy interesante. Lo demás, ¿qué digo? Un compilado perfecto.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not too bad, basically conan with a female protagonist

[Kars · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as entertaining as I had hoped going in. Hastily drawn, schematic plotting, clunky writing. Sonja remains iconic, but I don't expect to be picking up any vintage Marvel entries anytime soon. I'd rather read some pulp sword & sorcery paperbacks.

[Aarron-Axe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, un bon comics d'aventures pour l'été, que je crois que je préfère un peu aux runs de Conan de cette même époque.

[Holden Strausser · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 - Conan spin-off comics that fail to live up to Robert E. Howard's level of writing. Decent art and character concept.

[melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only got through the first 2 stories.
Neither really grabbed me enough to try to finish.
*Downloaded via Hoopla's May bonus reads*

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are a classic Marvel affair. Anyone familiar with an older style of comic writing will be pleasantly surprised that they have held up after almost 40 years. Red Sonja is still as fun as it was back in 1975.

The art, however, is a more complicated issue.

I'm sure you've read other reviews and/or complaints about it. Dynamite didn't take much care in he reproduction of these stories, regardless of how "remastered" hey claim to be. The art is sloppily colored, the text bubbles hastily recreated, and the art muddied to near obscurity. If it weren't for the extremely high (but justified) price tag of the Frank Thorne Master Editions, I would have saved myself the headache and bought those instead.

Regardless, if these reprints of the old Marvel adventures ever come to your possesion (they are mostly out of print), give them a read. If you can get past the unfortunate reproduction, they are famtastic stories to be enjoyed by many a fan of Rdd Sonja and Conan the Barbarian.

Five stars for the original story, one star removed for bad color treatment, and another removed for sloppy lettering over the original hand-lettered text.

[Nicolás Manfredi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Las Crónicas de Red Sonja Volumen 1 funciona como una gran introducción al personaje, que nos deja bien claro —mediante su prólogo pero también a través de la historia— que estamos ante el nacimiento de la guerrera hirkania. Una luchadora que, por otra parte, no es para nada una novata y no necesita de otros para resolver sus problemas.

Debo decir que a pesar de que las historias y dibujos que componen este volumen tienen unas cuantas décadas, realmente me resultó muy atrapante y generó en mí un interés por las historias viejas de Sonja; un querer conocer más sobre sus primeras andanzas, aun cuando no estén a la par de los guiones modernos.

Si eres fan de Red Sonja o quieres leer una buena novela gráfica de espada y hechicería sin devanarte los sesos con tratados filosóficos que no llegan a ninguna parte —como es el caso de muchos cómics modernos—, entonces "Las Crónicas de Red Sonja. Volumen 1" tienen lo que buscas.