RED SONJA: EMPIRE OF THE DAMNED #1 / Script by STEVE NILES / Art by ALESSANDRO AMORUSO / Colors by SALVATORE AIALA / Letters by DAVE SHARPE / Published by DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

When it was announced that Steve Niles was writing a Red Sonja series, I was both stunned and excited. Niles is rightly acclaimed as a horror writer, having penned some truly imaginative comics. Chief among these is 30 Days of Night, which considers the question of how vampires would play out in the Arctic Circle during Polar Night. While Red Sonja has faced the undead before, the idea of a zombie apocalypse scenario playing out in Hyboria was an intriguing one.

Sadly, this first issue of Red Sonja: Empire of the Damned is long on set-up and short on zombies. The opening pages describe a city trapped in eternal battle, cursed by a warlock and full of treasure. This city does not feature into the story of the comic, however, beyond giving Sonja a destination after fleeing a city that is less than sympathetic to carousing warriors. (Indeed, they start executing everyone who resisted arrest after a magistrate closes the local brothel/bar.)

This is not a bad setup for a typical Red Sonja story. However, I expected more than a typical Red Sonja story from Niles. Had I read this as part of a single graphic novel, it would be a fine first chapter. However, the issue’s end is somewhat jarring for a periodical, coming just as things seemed to be starting. It is also odd that the rogue with the treasure map (who gifts it to Sonja after their jailbreak) is not given a name.

The artwork is far more memorable. Alessandro Amoruso has a good eye for detail, yet keeps the finished images smooth and streamlined. Paired with the colors of Salvatore Aiala, this gives everything a light and airy feel, which is oddly at odds with the dark subject matter. It’s a bold choice, but one that works in spite of Amoruso’s unfortunate tendency towards forced poses. His design for Sonja is also notable, depicting her famous armor as chainmail laid over leather. It is a small detail, but a notable one given how few Red Sonja artists seem to consider the functionality of her armor and little details like proper support.

Fans of Niles’ work and Red Sonja will probably want to pick this up once it is collected into a trade. This isn’t a bad comic by any means, but it should have been more given the talent involved. Hopefully it will prove to be more than the sum of its parts.