Battle For The Bridge: Red Sonja #12
by Josh Davison
Mild Spoilers Ahead
Red Sonja and the remaining Hyrkanian freedom fighters prepare their traps at the bridge that connects Hyrkania to the Zamoran Empire. Sonja’s forces manage to repel the Zamoran calvary and armored forces, but the berserkers break the line. Hope seems lost for the Hyrkania, especially as King Foghor’s coronation takes place at the same time. However, Red Sonja refuses to retreat. Zamoran is receiving no reinforcements from Shadizar and the Hyrkanians receive aid from an unexpected place.
Red Sonja #12 brings Hyrkania’s war with the Zamoran Empire to a bloody conclusion. Sonja and her allies make one last attempt to block Zamoran, but they are woefully undermanned. However, Sonja is determined and a master strategist.
It’s an issue of all-out war, as Dragan throws the full force of his army at the small Hyrkanian force blocking the bridge. We get to see the traps Sonja laid spring upon the Zamorans, but we also get to see how desperately outnumbered they were from the start.
The twist that changes the tide of the war was foreshadowed in the last issue, but I won’t spoil the specifics here. Just rest assured that it’s not a dreaded deus ex machina.
Sonja and Dragan finally get a moment face-to-face once again and it’s thoroughly cathartic. Make of that what you will.
The comic also alludes to the next Red Sonja story coming this March.
Mirko Colak once again puts excellent visual work into this comic. The big battle scenes are chaotic, bloody, and intense. Many die in pain on both sides of the war. The detailing is fantastic, and we get to see Sonja be as badass as ever. Dearbhla Kelly contributes dim and grim color art that suits this bloody chaos on the border of Hyrkania.
Red Sonja #12 is a brutal and gripping finale to this story of war and empires. We get to see Sonja put everything into one last fight against Draghan and the Zamoran Empire and we get to see the she-devil slash her way through countless hordes in fantastic style thanks to Colak and Kelly. Needless to say, this one gets a recommendation. Check it out.
Red Sonja #12 comes to us from writer Mark Russell, artist Mirko Colak, color artist Dearbhla Kelly, letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, cover artist Amanda Conner with Paul Mounts, and variant cover artists Joseph Michael Linsner; Khoi Pham; Mirko Colak with Dearbhla Kelly; Andrew Pepoy; and Robert Castro with Mike Spicer.
