Red Sonja
Red Sonja is a sword-and-sorcery 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. A warrior from the Hyborian Age of Earth-616, she was often partnered with Conan the Barbarian.
Marvel Comics published stories featuring Red Sonja until 1986, and returned to the character for a one-shot story in 1995. In 2005, Dynamite Entertainment began publishing stories of the heroine, during which the original Sonja was killed and replaced by a "reincarnation", who once again met Spider-Man in 2007. The series was rebooted by writer Gail Simone in 2013, telling an altered version of Red Sonja's early life story via flashbacks. Subsequent writers of Red Sonja have included Amy Chu, Mark Russell, Luke Lieberman, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Amanda Conner, among others.
Red Sonja has appeared in numerous titles, both as a solo protagonist and together with Conan, as well as in crossovers with characters from Marvel Comics and Dynamite Comics. A total of six Red Sonja novels were published from 1981 to 1983 by David C. Smith and Richard L. Tierney. A Red Sonja feature film, starring Brigitte Nielsen in the title role, was released in 1985, while a reboot film starring Matilda Lutz was released in 2025.
Sonja's signature clothing is her bikini armor, consisting typically of scale mail. In 2011, Red Sonja was ranked first in Comics Buyer's Guide's "100 Sexiest Women in Comics" list.
History
Marvel Comics (1973–1995)
Red Sonja was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith for Marvel Comics in 1973, partially based on Red Sonya, a female swashbuckler from "The Shadow of the Vulture".Red Sonja debuted in Marvel's Conan the Barbarian #23. Thomas created a new origin story and transposed the timeline from the 16th century of Howard's original Red Sonya to the Hyborian Age, another Howard creation, to have Sonja interact with Conan the Barbarian. In 1975, Marvel Comics published the first issue of Marvel Feature vol. 2 that was headlined by Red Sonja. The seven issues featuring Red Sonja were written by Roy Thomas and Bruce Jones. From #2 on, Frank Thorne provided the art for the series. In 1977, the character received her own, self-titled series. The fifteen issues of Red Sonja were written by Clair Noto and Thomas, with art by Frank Thorne, and later on, pencils by John Buscema and Sal Buscema, who were inked by Joe Rubinstein, Al Milgrom and Tony De Zuniga.
Red Sonja's origin story was told in the story "The Day of the Sword" in the Marvel magazine Kull and the Barbarians #3, 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. In this version, Red Sonja lives with her family in the Western Hyrkanian steppes. When she is 21, a group of mercenaries kills her family and burns down their house. Sonja attempts to defend herself, but cannot lift her brother's sword. She is raped by the leader of the group. Answering her cry for revenge, the red goddess Scáthach appears to her and gives her incredible fighting skills, on the condition that she never lie with a man unless he defeats her in fair combat. In the story "Sword of the She-Devil" Marvel Team-Up #79, Red Sonja is reborn in the present-day of Earth-616 when her sword is found by her descendant/reincarnation Mary Jane "MJ" Watson.
In 1983, Marvel Comics published a second Red Sonja series, a two-issue story written by Christy Marx and Roy Thomas, with art by Tony DeZuniga and Ernie Colón. The story also featured an appearance by the Robert E. Howard heroine Valeria.
That same year, Marvel launched a third series, running for thirteen issues. Writers included Tom DeFalco, Bill Mantlo, and Louise Simonson, with art by Mary Wilshire, Pat Broderick, and Rudy Nebres, among others.
In 1985, Marvel published a two-issue adaptation of the Red Sonja film starring Brigitte Nielsen. The adaptation was written by Louise Simonson and Mary Wilshire, with art by Mary Wilshire and Vince Colletta.
In 1995, Marvel published the one-shot issue Red Sonja: Scavenger Hunt, written by Glenn Herdling and illustrated by Ken Lashley.
In 2007, Marvel teamed with Dynamite Comics to publish Spider-Man/Red Sonja, a five-issue series written by Michael Avon Oeming with art by Mel Rubi, in which Mary Jane "MJ" Watson again awakens as Red Sonja.
Dynamite Comics (2005–present)
In 2005, Dynamite Comics began publishing Red Sonja. The series debuted with an issue zero written by Michael Avon Oeming and Mike Carey and drawn by Mel Rubi. It depicts the original Sonja's death in issue #34. A new character of the same name, described as a reincarnation, takes her place from issue #35 through the series end at issue #80.In 2013, Dynamite launched a second ongoing Red Sonja series, written by Gail Simone with art from Walter Geovani. Simone noted in interviews that her version was slightly "rebooted", showing the character's beginnings. Issue #1 of Simone's run was released in July 2013 to positive reviews. The series lasted 18 issues. After Simone's run, Dynamite launched a third Red Sonja series in January 2016. The book featured Marguerite Bennett as writer and a redesign of the character by artist Nicola Scott. That series lasted six issues.
In December 2017, a new Red Sonja comic series debuted with a zero issue priced at 25 cents by writer Amy Chu with art by Carlos Gomez. The series ran for 25 issues, ending in 2019.
In November 2019, a new series by writer Mark Russell and art by Mirko Colak debuted to positive critical reception, leading into a spinoff series called Killing Red Sonja. Russell left the series after issue 24 and was replaced with writer Luke Lieberman, with art by Drew Moss. The series ran 28 issues.
In mid-2021, Dynamite released the anthology Red Sonja: Black, White, Red. Each issue presents stories by different teams of artists and writers, including Kurt Busiek, Benjamin Dewey, Amanda Deibert, Cat Staggs, Mark Russell, and Bob Q. Also announced was a crossover with Project superpower. A sequel was released in November 2022 titled Vampirella vs. Red Sonja.
In February 2021, Dynamite released a series titled Sonjaversal, depicting Red Sonja meeting her multiversal counterparts. That same month, Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti co-wrote the series Invincible Red Sonja with artist Moritat.
In June 2021, the character appeared in Die!namite and Die!namite Lives. That same month, Dynamite Entertainment announced that a new series written by Mirka Andolfo and drawn by Giuseppe Cafaro would debut in September 2021. The first issue sold out its initial run of 32,000 copies, prompting a second printing.
In December 2021, it was announced that Red Sonja would appear in the sequel to Die!namite and Die!namite Lives called Die!namite Never Dies.
Hell Sonja, a spinoff from Sonjaversal, was released in January 2022. That same month, the Immortal Red Sonja series by writer Dan Abnett and artist Alessandro Miracolo was announced for April, which would depict Sonja in King Arthur's Camelot. In February 2022, Dynamite announced that it would debut Red Sitha in May, set ten years after Andolfo's storyline, following Red Sonja's adopted daughter, Sitha.
In March 2022, Dynamite announced another spinoff titled from Sonjaversal, Samurai Sonja, written by Jordan Clark with art by Pasquale Qualano. In August, a one-shot fairy tale reimagining Red Sonja as Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk was released. Unbreakable Red Sonja was released in October 2022, and the crossover series Hell Sonja/Red Sonja was released in December the same year.
In April 2023, Dynamite announced that it would debut the next ongoing Red Sonja series by writer Torunn Grønbekk and artist Walter Geovani in celebration of the character's 50th anniversary. The first issue, released in July, featured dozens of variant covers by artists including Jim Cheung, Bryan Hitch, Mike Mignola, Joseph Michael Linsner, Jenny Frison, Frank Cho, and Kevin Eastman.
Savage Red Sonja by Dan Panosian and Alessio Petillo was released in November 2023, followed by Red Sonja: Empire of the Damned by Steve Niles and Alessandro Amoruso in April 2024. The sequel to Red Sonja: Birth of the She-devil called Red Sonja: Death and the Devil was released in September 2024. An alternate reality version of the character will debut in Sonja Reborn, set for release in August 2025. The series, written by Christopher Priest, will follow British diplomatic clerk Maggie Sutherland, who is transported from the 21st century to the world of Hyboria.
Depiction of sexuality
Bikini armor
Most artists depict Red Sonja wearing a very brief "chainmail bikini" costume of scale armor, usually with boots and gauntlets. As originally drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith for "The Shadow of the Vulture" and "The Song of Red Sonja" in Conan the Barbarian issues 23 and 24, she wore a long-sleeved mail shirt and short pants of red silk.As told by Roy Thomas in the introduction of Red Sonja Adventures Volume 1, Spanish artist Esteban Maroto submitted an uncommissioned illustration to him while Thomas was editing the magazine Savage Sword of Conan. The illustration featured a redesigned silver "metal bikini", which resembled fantasy costumes that other Maroto heroines sported in the 1970s. This illustration was printed for the first time in Jim Steranko's magazine Comixscene #5 in black and white. It was reprinted in Savage Sword of Conan #1, then in Marvel Treasury Edition #15 in color, and later restored and colored by José Villarrubia as an alternative cover for the Dynamite Entertainment edition of Red Sonja #2. Maroto drew her in this costume for a double page spread illustration in Savage Tales #3 and then for her first solo adventure in Savage Sword of Conan #1. John Buscema drew her in this costume in the same magazine and in issues 43, 44, and 48 of Conan the Barbarian. Dick Giordano portrayed Sonja in the bikini for the first issue of Marvel Feature vol. 2 before Frank Thorne took over from issue #2.