I’m guessing it might be the result of the upcoming holiday, but the inbox has definitely slowed this week. If you’ve been reading Ardent Wings or have been sitting on another question you’d like to see in print, now’s a great time to send it in.

This week’s reader question comes from Steve T. in Oxford, MS:

What’s your favorite Red Sonja run?

Thank you, Steve! Happy to have you aboard. We classic sword and sorcery fans have to stick together. 

I’m guessing Steve’s question is in response to Ruxindra’s (protagonist of The Divine Heretic) billing as “Red Sonja in realistic armor.” Unlike Conan, Elric, Jirel or many of the other icons of golden age S&S, Red Sonja was a comic book creation. Yeah, most of those other characters expanded into other media, but to my knowledge Red Sonja has never been the subject of a major work of prose. I know–David Smith and Richard Tierney wrote some Red Sonja pastiche back in the ‘80s–but the character’s most popular stories have always been in the comic book form.

I’m far from an expert. I have read a handful of the classic runs, but the character never appealed to me as much as, say, C.L. Moore’s Jirel of Joiry. I do have a clear favorite, though, and it’s surprisingly contemporary.

Gail Simone’s 18-issue run on Red Sonja with Dyanmite Entertainment is a blast. Simone walks back some of the more male-gazey aspects of the property while still staying true to the character. I’m not a big fan of attempts to subvert classic properties with some didactic purpose in mind (I’m looking at you Rian Johnson), but I am a huge fan of creators who find a way to evolve a property while paying homage to its history. IMHO, that’s what Simone did with Red Sonja. If you’re looking for an entrypoint, I can’t recommend this one highly enough.

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