The recently-released Red Sonja, the story based on elements of Marvel Comics take on Robert E. Howard’s female fantasy warrior, gets its UK home cinema release on Monday 8th September, hot on the heels of its US release this Friday.
Ahead of that, US publisher Dynamite Entertainment launch an unrelated new comic series this week, Sonja Reborn, written by Christopher Priest, with art by Alessandro Miracolo.
Red Sonja, an American sword and sorcery film directed by M. J. Bassett and written by Tasha Huo, which, bizarrely, was first released in Russia in July before getting a limited theatrical release in the United States in August, is based on the character by Robert E. Howard as adapted by Roy Thomas.
Matilda Lutz, who is also a a prolific, and under-appreciated, action director on TV, stars as the feisty barbarian on a mission in the poorly-received action fantasy based on the best-selling comic series, which had a troubled history during its development.
Enslaved by an evil tyrant who wants to destroy her people, barbarian huntress Red Sonja must unite a group of unlikely warriors to face off against the ecocidal emperor, Dragan The Magnificent, and his deadly bride, Dark Annisia.
Also in the cast of the film, distributed by Signature Entertainment, are Wallis Day (as Annisia), Robert Sheehan (as Draygan), Michael Bisping, Martyn Ford, Eliza Matengu, Rhona Mitra, and Veronica Ferres.
The film is based on the character created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially inspired by Robert E. Howard’s character, Red Sonya of Rogatino. An Omnibus collection of her early adventures was published by Dynamite Entertainment in 2023.
The fiery haired heroine was a success with readers, leading to the introduction of a self-titled comic in 1977, following a solo run in Marvel Feature, published between 1975 and 1976. The character has since featured in a variety of series, written by Dan Abnett, Gail Simone and others.
Red Sonja’s origin story was told in the story “The Day of the Sword” in Marvel’s Kull and the Barbarians #3, published in 1975, written by Roy Thomas and Doug Moench and illustrated by Howard Chaykin. The same story was later redrawn by Dick Giordano and Terry Austin and published in the magazine The Savage Sword of Conan #78 (July 1982).
The first Red Sonja feature film, starring Brigitte Nielsen in the title role, was released in 1985.
Dynamite Comics began publishing Red Sonja in 2005, initially written by Michael Avon Oeming and Mike Carey and drawn by Mel Rubi; followed by a second ongoing Red Sonja series, written by Gail Simone with art from Walter Geovani, launched in 2013. A number of series have followed, most notably, perhaps, the 2019 series largely written by Mark Russell featuring art by Mirko Colak.
An alternate reality version of the character will debut in Sonja Reborn, launching this week from Dynamite, offered in a number of variant covers. The series, written by Christopher Priest, with art by Alessandro Miracolo, will follow British diplomatic clerk Maggie Sutherland, who is transported from the 21st century to the world of Hyboria.
• Preorder Red Sonja (2025) here from AmazonUK (Affiliate Link)
Head downthetubes for…
• Sonja Reborn #1, out this week (Forbidden Planet Affiliate link)
• Signature Entertainment: Behind the scenes on the Red Sonja
After her audition, the star received a call from director MJ Bassett, but was too nervous to answer and find out if she’d landed the job to play a very different type of bikini-clad warrior…
• Adventures of Red Sonja Omnibus (AmazonUK Affiliate Link)
Collects the Red Sonja tales from Marvel Feature #1-7, the tales from Red Sonja issues #1-15 and a collection of issues from the original Marvel Comics series The Savage Sword of Conan in one large volume
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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