Rating: 3/5
Check out my review of Red Sonja, volume 1.
Red Sonja, volume 2 collects issues #7-12 and #0.
The title for this volume, "The Art of Blood and Fire", is appropriate because Sonja is tasked with finding the greatest artisans in six different fields by a dying emperor. She has a month to do it, and the emperor has promised to release all 1,000 of his slaves if she is successful.
Each chapter is centered around a different artisan that she is trying to recruit. Although characters will appear in multiple chapters, each one feels self contained while sticking to the overall story arc. This made the whole book feel pretty cohesive.
Sonja is out of her element though. Sure, she can do the whole rescue/intimidate people into following her shtick. But artisans aren't really her thing. This is apparent from the first chapter. Sonja is more rustic and down-to-earth, while the story puts her in the heart of civilization (even if parts of it aren't very civilized). Her personality is infused into the whole story despite that.
Chapter 0 is more of a one-shot. Sonja has gone missing and is presumed dead, while a down on his luck warrior claims to be her widower. Everything comes to a head when Sonja returns and decides to confront the man. This story is a great snapshot of who Sonja is.
The art, as always, is fantastic. As with the first volume, I loved the alternate covers at the end. This is still a good book, but it didn't catch me quite the way that volume 1 did.
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