The battle may be over, but the war begins in Red Sonja #13! As the focus finally returns to Queen Sonja the Red, the series once again finds its footing with an epic tale of conquest and consequence. The result is a truly intriguing start to a brand new arc.

While the ending we were given in issue #12 was rather lackluster, it’s interesting to see how Sonja is picking up the pieces of such a devastating war and setting the Hyrkanians back up in their homes. The role of responsibility suits Sonja the Red uniquely well and it’s a lot of fun to see her navigate such new waters, but without the focus remaining on her this story risks slipping back into confusion once again.

The narrative once again utilizes flashbacks to position the story for reveals long in the making. It’s a successful use of the trope that works considering the nature of the story at hand, but at this point, I’m honestly just happy with an issue that is primarily focused on the titular character herself. What’s left of the Zamoran forces seem to be strategizing their return (See KILLING RED SONJA mini-series coming soon) but the path before Sonja is what keeps me coming back to this series.

Love it or hate it, it’s certainly undeniable that Russell and company have a truly epic tale on their hands. The weight of the conflicting forces and the necessity to explore Sonja the Red’s place in such chaos may burden the narrative at times, but Red Sonja #13 takes impressive steps to establish this place in her life as both real and full of consequences.

While the Zamorans contemplate what’s next, Sonja makes her way to Khital to meet with the most powerful man in the world, but the real shocker is that she plans to offer them herself. It’s this type of dangerous political intrigue that I want from a story like this, but ultimately, it only works on the strength of the artwork from Bob Q, Dearbhla, Kelly, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. The strong outing on a new arc with beautiful portraits of Sonja and vivid landscapes helps to give this series the epic aesthetic it needs.

Red Sonja #13 is a promising start to a new arc that shows this creative team still has a very interesting story to tell featuring Queen Sonja the Red, hopefully this arc is a bit more rewarding!