REVIEW: Red Sonja: Queen of Plagues
Gail Simone is an adept writer who brings a unique voice to her projects and when she took over Dynamite’s Red Sonja, it was no different. Her initial foray, Queen of Plagues, saw the she-devil with a sword lead an army as payback for a man who spared her life. Not only did she display a good handle on Sonja but gave us the arresting figure of Dark Annisia, a unique antagonist.
Coupled with fie art from Walter Geovanni, it was a strong story and remain available in trade. For some reason, Shout! Factory chose this story as their next motion comic, out now on Blu-ray and DVD combo pack.
As nice as Geovani’s art is, some of it proved difficult for the limited animation of motion comics and pales in comparison with the more detailed art found in some of Shout!’s Marvel offerings, such as Wolverine: Origins.
Misty Lee does a nice job as Red Sonja and Rebecca Strom is fine as Dark Annisia. The sound effects are okay and it’s pleasurable enough to watch. The question remains why these exist, since the interest in the format waned long ago and the adaptation adds nothing to our enjoyment of the story.
The disc comes with an interview with Simone, which is worth a watch; less interesting are what the cast and crew have to say.