Red Sonja #11: The Time Has Come

The end is near, and the tides of war have finally turned in favor of Sonja the Red, the true Queen of Hyrkania. With the bridge now under her control, there is simply nowhere else for the Zamoran forces to go and there is trouble brewing within.

It seems to only be a matter of time now.

While Red Sonja #11 does finally start to put this grand and complex story into perspective, it doesn’t really ramp up the momentum like I thought the penultimate chapter really would. It’s hard to say that this was Red Sonja’s plan all along, because she has suffered defeats. But this is still a valuable story about overcoming such obstacles to see what the She-Devil is capable of.

I love how this story has given Red Sonja more depth as a character, putting her through her paces with unique struggles that the series really hasn’t seen before. However, it seems Red Sonja #11 struggles with merging that approach to the character with the more brutal and action-heavy core traits. I’m hoping issue twelve really brings the intensity and excitement, but more importantly, uses the narrative elements established in this issue for a more impactful finale.

The artwork might have a few skewed panels scattered throughout, but mostly it does a good job of punctuating the important moments that do take place. The layouts are strong, as is the lettering, but there are only a few moments where the issue is really allowed to shine. Again, hopefully this is just in anticipation of the future issue. Though it does leave something to be desired here.

Ultimately, Red Sonja #11 is a solid pivot into what could be a really great conclusion to the first year of this rebooted series. With the epic battle between the Hyrkanians and the Zamorans at the breaking point, it seems major changes are just around the corner for Red Sonja and more…