March 14, Mt. Laurel, NJ: Dynamite invites fans to meet an all-new variant on the Red Sonja mythos this summer in new series Samurai Sonja!
Thanks to the boundary-exploding crossover event of Sonjaversal, readers learned that infinite variations on the concept of Red Sonja exist across time and space. The next breakout take on that premise brings fans to the Sengoku period of Japanese history. In a time of near-constant war, a new Sonja rises. The daughter of a slain samurai, she will take on his sword and eagerly set out to prove herself worthy of her family's legacy.
Yet her journey goes awry when she makes a deal for her life with the goddess Amaterasu in a desperate moment. Sonja will be gifted a set of magical armor and powerful weapons capable of slaying mythical beasts. However, if she falls in battle, her entire bloodline will be erased from history, and her family's name will be no more.
The new series is being crafted by writer Jordan Clark, known for his contributions to Aquaman and the Star Wars franchise. He's joined by artist Pasquale Qualano, continuing his exploration of multiversal Sonjas. The squad is rounded out by colorist Kike J. Diaz and letterer Jeff Eckleberry.
"I'm so excited to introduce readers to the world of Samurai Sonja!," said writer Jordan Clark. "As a long time fan of samurai culture and folklore, getting a chance to merge those sensibilities with a timeless character like Sonja has been a blast. She embodies so much of the Bushido Code as a fierce warrior with a strong sense of justice as well as compassion. This is my love letter to works like Seven Samurai and Vagabond and if you've enjoyed Pasquale's work in the Sonjaverse so far, just wait until you see what he's doing on this series!"
Samurai Sonja combines elements of real world Japanese history with the unique mythology of that culture as well. The Sengoku period lasted circa 1467 to 1615 and was marked by endless civil war and tension following the collapse of the last major government. Prominent figures such as Oda Nobunaga are known for this period, and many of the most famous historical dramas in film, television, anime, manga, and video games are set in this time. On top of that, this new vision of Sonja will be encountering legendary creatures from Japanese folklore, including the Demon King, Shuten-Doji.
For longtime fans of the She-Devil With a Sword, this will be a thrilling alternate take on her journey and hallmarks. It's also the perfect pickup for someone who's never read a Red Sonja comic in their life. While the creative team is also pulling inspiration from other major samurai classics like Samurai Jack, the Vagabond manga, and of course the masterpieces of filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.
The series will feature a range of beautiful covers capturing this new take on Sonja. Artists attached to the first issue include Lucio Parrillo, Lesley "Leirix" Li, Clayton Henry, and Paulina Ganucheau. Below fans can see some character design work from interior artist Pasquale Qualano.
SAMURAI SONJA #1 is solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ April 2022 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in June 2022. Comic book fans are encouraged to preorder copies of the issue with their local comic book retailers. It will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, ComicsPlus, and more!
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About Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, The Shadow, Red Sonja, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, A Game of Thrones, and more. Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes the Harris Comics and Chaos Comics properties), such as Vampirella, Pantha, Evil Ernie, Smiley the Psychotic Button, Chastity, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt. In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and bestselling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high-profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Gail Simone, Christopher Priest, Leah Moore, Kevin Smith, David Walker, Vita Ayala, Danny Lore, Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Mark Russell, Brandon Thomas, Amy Chu, Reginald Hudlin, Nancy Collins, David Walker, Steve Orlando, Greg Pak, Jenny Frison, Matt Wagner, and a host of up-and-coming new talent. Dynamite is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles - including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger's Project Superpowers - have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors. In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%) and again in 2011. The company has also been nominated for and won several industry awards, including the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards. |
