by Joe Iconic, Reporter
Welcome to Altered States… Dynamite Entertainment’s parallel reality in the vein of DC’s Elseworlds and Marvel’s What If! Sonja Majeure is a young woman with a great job, procuring reliquary items for the Metropolitan Museum in New York City.
Her latest exhibit features the sword of a long-lost warrior, a spell book, and the preserved remains of a sorcerer purported to be one of the most sinister beings to ever walk the Earth. When the ancient evil is awakened, Sonja will find that New York City has changed into a Hyborian wasteland… and Sonja herself will inherit the mantle of her namesake, the She-Devil with a Sword!
Altered States Red Sonja starts Dynamite’s Elseworlds-like venture by having Red Sonja become an avatar who possesses a red-head in modern day New York. Brandon Jerwa returns to capture the spirit of the She-Devil with a Sword, as he did with Red Sonja: The Crimson Well story arc in 2005. Juanan Ramirez captures the mix of fantasy and modern worlds well, blending the fantastic and the mundane with skill. The idea of Red Sonja becoming an avatar and traveling through time and space is fantastic, and hopefully will be used in more than just a one-shot. However, the story feels compressed. The Cimmerian war elephant in the room, though, is the fact it’s all been done before.
Dynamite Entertainment knows it has a great thing with Red Sonja, and continues to ensure ravenous devotees of the She-Devil with a Sword are not starving for her stories. And as one of those devotees, I say thank Blessed Scathach! Although a strong follower of sword and sorcery comics, my recent personal journey to accept Red Sonja into my pull list came with Gail Simone. When writer Gail Simone’s exclusive contract expired with DC Comics, she started a stellar run of Red Sonja. Now, I can’t get enough of Red Sonja, and will happily buy the many monthly offerings. Altered States Red Sonja, Red Sonja, Conan and Red Sonja, Itty Bitty Red Sonja, Red Sonja: The Vulture’s Circle, Red Sonja: The Black Tower (fighting knock-off Sith!), Legenderry Red Sonja (Steampunk!!)… I can’t get enough. Seriously, do a crossover with Bob’s Burgers, and I’d buy it.
The main detractor from this storyline is that Altered States Red Sonja does not follow the radically redesigned vision of Elseworlds and What If? It’s all be done before, and it was done well. The elements of the story are exactly the same as Marvel Team Up #79, staring Red Sonja and Spider-Man. Although Altered States Red Sonja has no web-slingers, in Marvel Team Up, Red Sonja possesses a red-head (no other than Mary Jane) through the sword in New York City, and Kulan Gath was the villain sorcerer/fellow time/genre traveler. What’s more is the Marvel Team Up story was plotted, written, and drawn by none other than comic book legends Chris Claremont and John Byrne. Marvel Team Up #79 was also notable for an appearance by Mary Jane in a time period (between 1979 and 1983) when she did not often appear in Spider-Man books. And did I mention a cameo by Clark Kent? The story was later expanded into the five issue Spider-Man/Red Sonja Marvel/Dynamite crossover in 2007. As compelling as Altered States Red Sonja is, how do you beat Mary Jane?
If you can avoid comparing Altered States Red Sonja to its source material, this issue is enjoyable, well written, well drawn, and worth further exploration. It is the sign of a good story that leaves you wanting for more, and Altered States Red Sonja is too great a concept to confine to a single one-shot. There are so many possibilities in having Red Sonja as a guiding voice. She has been a source of empowerment for decades. Why not expand on that concept, and have Red Sonja become a literal guiding voice for empowerment as well? New York barely stayed medieval more than, well, a New York minute. The possibilities are endless.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Altered States Red Sonja 3.5 out of 5 sword thrusts.
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