How To Get Cast Into Other Dimensions With Vampirella/Red Sonja #4
by Josh Davison
Mild Spoilers Ahead
We return to the Hyborian Age, home time and place of Red Sonja before she was cast into our world in the year 1969. Sonja and a crew of barbarian warriors drink and feast around a grand fire while the warriors sing praise to Red Sonja. She is uncomfortable with the naked praise, but she finds it mostly harmless. In addition to the warriors, Sonja is in the presence of a witch captured by the men. They claim that the witch attempted to curse them, but Sonja doesn’t trust magic regardless. However, with the help of a blunder by one of the warriors, the witch is able to escape.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #4 jumps back to Red Sonja’s native time and world to show how the she-devil found herself in the Soviet Union in 1969. Sonja already hinted at how this came to be in issues prior, but, now, we get to see the truth of what happened.
That truth has Red Sonja coming off surprisingly bad. She, like the rest of the warriors, is ceaselessly cruel towards the witch. The warriors’ explanation for holding the witch hostage is very thin, and even Sonja admits it.
As you reach the end of Vampirella/Red Sonja #4, you will see that this is deliberate. Sonja realizes how cruel and hateful she’s been, and we get to learn more about this witch. We don’t, however, learn the witch’s true identity, and that may become a point of contention in issues to come.
Drew Moss’ artwork once again comes out strong, giving the Hyborian Age plenty of grit and shadow. Both Sonja and the witch are given an interesting treatment which allows their expressions to shine through. Rebecca Nalty brings a good color balance which makes the panels pop.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #4 is decent installment for this crossover series. It’s a slower issue that doesn’t add much to the overall tale, but it’s still enjoyable enough. Jordie Bellaire knows how to write good dialogue, and the visuals by Moss and Nalty help the book immensely. As such, I can still give it a recommendation. Feel free to check it out.
Vampirella/Red Sonja #4 comes to us from writer Jordie Bellaire, artist Drew Moss, color artist Rebecca Nalty, letterer Becca Carey, cover artist Julian Totino Tedesco, and variant cover artists Babs Tarr; Lucio Parillo; Leonardo Romero with Jordie Bellaire; and Drew Moss with Rebecca Nalty and Frank Frazetta.
Final Score: 7/10
