Gail Simone to Write New Red Sonja Series

I’ve never really been that interested in Red Sonja, or any Conan related media. I don’t know why, it’s just hasn’t ever seemed like my thing. Which is weird, because violence and sex are most definitely my things and that’s what I’ve seen of this world. But that may change in July, as one of my favorite writers will be taking a stab at Warrior Woman of Hyrkania.

At Emerald City Comicon this past week, Dynamite Entertainment announced that they will be publishing a new Red Sonja ongoing series written by Gail Simone. Simone is a fantastic writer who’s written some great female characters like the Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman, and her current run with Batgirl, so she makes perfect sense to write Sonja.

Simone is apparently a big fan of the character, as she said following about her…

It’s like this…even most of the best female heroines when I was a kid were pretty polite. What I love about Sonja is that she isn’t polite, she says what she means and if you give her any lip about it, hello, sword in the gut. She’s smart, she has a heart, she has some compassion. But when it’s go time, she’s a hellraiser, a mad general, she’s a sword edge virtuosa, she’s death on wheels. She is the woman you never want to mess with. I can relate, Sonja. No offense to all her guy writers, but THIS Red Sonja is about sex and swords! It’s everything you love about Red Sonja, except with more monsters getting stabbed in the eye.

That does sound rather awesome. Joining Simone as interior artist is Walter Geovani. Again, makes sense, seeing as how Geovani has been drawing Sonja for years. And he’s good at it.

Dynamite was also pushing the fact that they will be getting some of the best female artists in the business, like Nicola Scott, Jenny Frison, Fiona Staples, and many others to do the covers for the series. One thing I am a bit iffy on with all of this is why didn’t Dynamite get one of these artists to do the interiors instead of Geovani. I know he’s got a lot of history with the character, but this is Simone’s first time writing her. Why not get someone who’s never drawn her before and get a fresh new take on the character from both fronts?

Gail Simone’s Red Sonja ongoing series starts this July. I can’t wait.