- Title: Red Sonja #16
- Comic Vine: link
- Writer: Mark Russell
- Artist: Bob Q
Red Sonja starts to discover the cost of her bargain with King Jo’Khan, which she made to prevent the people of Hyrkania from starving after their hard-won victory over Dragan The Magnificent, when her new lord introduces his master of war to a child army ready to die at her command.
The would-be conqueror has already picked the army’s first target in the border province of Venhya, which has some prestige but no strategic value in what he argues will make an easy first victory for his new troops.
The question at the heart of this arc is how far can Sonja bend, especially as the harsh reality of what she’s agreed to becomes ever more real? The other thread to the issue involves Sonja learning a story of her new people involving a deplorable king and the daughter he lost, Idra. While on the surface it explains the kingdom’s recent festivities, there’s a far darker truth behind the girl’s death which few are willing to face (a theme which hits home to Sonja given her recent circumstances).
[Dynamite Entertainment, $3.99]