The final volume of Gail Simone's run of 'Red Sonja'. It is the end of a trilogy, and while it is not perfect, and there is no world-ending stakes for the finale of an epic fantasy genre story, it is an enjoyable, fiery, and even touching ride.
The dialogue and succinct narration boxes are solid as ever, and Sonja is as awesome a heroine as ever. The action scenes are spectacular, and Sonja learns to use more of her heart and brains to defeat her enemies this time around. Nevertheless, the comic doesn't hold back on the violence and some gory moments.
The third and last volume is called 'The Forgiving of Monsters'. As you can guess, the main theme in the main storyline is forgiveness. I won't spoil much, but it gets intense. And for someone like me who doesn't forgive easily, and fervently believes that forgiveness should be earned and never given, for little to no reason, as easily as one could force and take it, with no consequences, I can see where this story was trying to go with it. I could be won over by its argument that to forgive is to be free, and to be living happily.
'The Forgiving of Monsters' - vengeance will not free you, and the obsession leads to the risk of becoming a monster yourself, of endless outer and inner destruction.
The ending is fantastic, and very personal to Sonja. There are cameos from the previous volumes galore, and it is wonderful to see these characters again. It is so heartening to see a heroine be appreciated and loved for who she is, despite her flaws and setbacks. For she is only human, and it should not diminish all the good she has done for others; the innocent, the altruistic, the marginalised, the ordinary people.
The second story in the volume, the final 'Red Sonja' comic, starts off at a beach, then an orgy, and then a library. Sonja is sought by desperate nuns to protect the Citadel of All Knowledge from a self-loathing tyrant empress who wants to ban literacy for females. Oh, it is exciting, thrilling, and clever, trust me. It is as brilliant and touching as the main story, and develops Sonja's character to an amazing degree.
She initially refuses to help the nuns and the library because, as fearless in battle as she is, she is afraid and ashamed when surrounded by books and academic wonders. Sonja was never one for books and reading - in fact, she's always found reading and writing difficult, implying a learning disability. But maybe, with the help of these nuns - old and young, loyal and diligent, kind and brave - she can be taught, and she can learn to love the stories that books tell. Especially those about young redhaired girls who fight to defend their villages from gods in smart ways. Who are warriors but strategists, too.
All heroes can learn a lot from children's books.
I'm a bit underwhelmed and disappointed by the very end, the very last page of this run, but I'll take it. It does its job. Though it promises a 'Red Sonja Reborn' that never materialised.
No matter what changes Red Sonja - the Devil, Sonja the Hunter, the Red Woman, etc - goes through on her journeys, and no matter what kinds of fights she gets into, what obstacles come her way, and what she struggles through - through hell and back, and even conquering death herself - she will win, she will beat you, whether by killing or showing mercy, and she will always want a drink afterwards.
And whoever she decides to sleep with, Sonja will forever remain single.
She will never settle. She will never stay in one place. She will keep travelling, moving forward, and fighting on. She will keep living her life as she wants. She is surly, insolent, vulgar, and restless.
Everyone loves her for it.
She will never truly be alone. There are loads of people who have her back and will unfalteringly support her.
(Isn't it great that Conan the Barbarian doesn't exist in this run?)
(Sonja refers to herself in the third person many times in this volume, which is weird.)
The art by Walter Geovani is as mind-blowing, outstanding and stellar as ever. The fights, the blood, the gore, the environment, the facial expressions, the emotions, Sonja looking downright menacing, to her smirking, it is all stunning. However, I don't like the cover issues and art gallery, that showcase the red heroine barely wearing anything, and having a dull bedroom face.
How does a person from a pulpy, sword and sorcery, medieval fantasy world seemingly have absolutely no body hair anywhere?!
Here's a party and a toast to the unfortunate end of Gail Simone's run of 'Red Sonja', as she - both the creator and the medieval superheroine - would have wanted.
It is a shame. Simone's version of Red Sonja definitely deserves her own blockbuster film. She needs it, it's owed to her, especially as... that obscure eighties monstrosity is one of the worst films I have ever seen. If any movie, any title character, is overdue for a reboot, it's that.
We need more action heroine movies. We've pulled back from progress so much in the last several years, due to the evils and cowardice of capitalism.
I don't want to settle for comics and graphic novels for female representation of all walks of life. By now, in 2025, I shouldn't have to.
I recommend this 'Red Sonja' comics trilogy, by one of my favourite female comic book writers.
My review of 'Red Sonja, Vol. 1: Queen of Plagues' can be read here.
My review of 'Red Sonja, Vol. 2: The Art of Blood and Fire' (I still dislike that generic as hell title) can be read here.
Final Score: 4/5
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