This is much improved from the last issue. We get a little bit away from Sonja and instead focus on our supporting protagonist, the Bride of Frankenstein as well as our antagonist Viktor Frankenstein. Sonja’s libido is left unmentioned and wanting. The basic idea is Frankenstein wants to take over the world and he’s taking scientists to do it. He’s likely able to accomplish this because of his assembled zombie Frankenstein army. Clearly this is a problem so luckily Red Sonja is on the case. The story moves at a pretty healthy clip towards the badass reveal of a Frankenstein’ed Captain Nemo and his Nautilus. It’s a pretty impressive final panel reveal that has me interested in seeing where this going. However if you have a reading list and this isn’t on it I find it difficult to tell you to add this or bump something else for it. They’re definitely taking an interesting route with Red Sonja, this is not the Conan with boobs Red Sonja that I know. This Sonja is verbose and cocky and a pirate. Now that I think of it she’s essentially Jack Sparrow with boobs. I don’t know yet if that’s enough to sell this book however. I don’t know yet if the premise is enough to sell this book either. So far it hasn’t done a whole lot to alienate me, even though the first issue seemed to try it’s hardest to, which leaves me interested in the series I guess.
I may have said this in every single Legenderry review but the setting is what drives me more than anything. Legenderry and Pulpy-verse. In both cases Dynamite has excelled at creating rich worlds both visually and contextually. The settings are the sun which everything else revolves upon. The potential makes me view a lot of these through rose-colored glasses because of all the things I want to see. I want to see grim hard-ass Vampirella team up with spunky pirate Red Sonja. Or Green Hornet or anyone else they introduce. Legenderry Shadow would be great, I’m down for Steampunk Shadow. I want to see these characters interact with each other and with their world. But, and this is a big but, this is a but so big you need to point it out to Becky, that will only take you so far. I’m already starting to lose faith in Legenderry, if one of these books doesn’t hit a home run or at least a double I might not be able to muscle through it. I do have hope that this and Vampirella could pick up in issue 3 and Green Hornet still has a lot of promise. So, that’s Red Sonja, unless you are already invested there just isn’t a whole lot here for you.
Score: 2/5
Legenderry: Red Sonja #2 Writer: Marc Andreyko Artist: Aneke Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment Price: $3.99 Release Date: 3/18/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital