Swords of Sorrow #6 - A Review

The final battle is begun! And as the Traveller and her chosen defend themselves against an army of the dreadful Shard-Men, the trio of Red Sonja, Dejah Thoris and Vampirella move to strike down Prince Charming himself. But how will the prophecy be fulfilled when a cowardly attack by Purgatori sees Vampirella staked and near death?!


Sergio Davila's artwork on this series has been nothing short of phenomenal. Given that many of the heroines involved in this series were born of the 1990's bad-girl movement and served little purpose other than providing wanking material for boys too young to buy Penthouse, it is gratifying to see them rendered with realistic proportions. The action flows smoothly and their are no impossible poses or Escher-Spines to be had!


I must say with all honesty that this final chapter of Swords of Sorrow is not Gail Simone's greatest work. Simone is wildly successful in keeping the plot moving and tries to give all of the large cast of characters at least a panel or two to showcase their skills. But I fear that it is all too much, too quickly.

Had this been a 12-issue mini-series rather than a 6-issue one, maybe it could have handled the sheer scope of what Simone has tried to convey. In the end, I think this series - much like the original Secret Wars - will be remembered for what it set-up rather than for the story that it told. But that is not a bad thing when what it sets-up is a shared universe that will allow other writers to freely team these heroines in the future.

Swords of Sorrow #5 - A Review

The Traveller has assembled her army, just as The Prince once called Charming has redrawn reality to merge various worlds into one great battlefield. Now - as Red Sonja, Dejah Thoris and Vampirella go to confront The Prince in his place of power - the rest of the assembled heroines must stay to fight an army of evil the likes of which has never been assembled! But are they all resolved to face the battle ahead of them? And are all of the so-called Women of Chaos committed to serving The Prince?


I find myself of two minds about this issue's script. Jungle Girl's sudden crisis of faith makes her a distinct point-of-view character in a book where most of the cast - due to the nature of crossover storylines - have had little chance for characterization beyond battle-hardened bad-ass or opportunist rogue. On the other hand, her sudden "But I'm just a girl"attitude seems contradictory to what we've seen of the character in this book so far and the Red Sonja/Jungle Girl tie-ins.

That said, I have faith that Gail Simone is building up something big for Jana in the final chapter and that the Jungle Girl will prove to be a true woman rather than the "jiggling jungle babe" Frank Cho established. Or maybe Dynamite Entertainment will be revealed to have licensed the rights to Sheena and we can get the true Queen of the Jungle for the final chapter?  A pulp fanboy can dream, right?



Whatever reservations I may have about the story going into the final chapter, I have no complaints about the artwork.  Sergio Davila's pencils and inks remain as fine as ever. The color art by Jorge Sutil further enhances the original art, crafting quite the set of pretty pictures.

Swords of Sorrow #4 - A Review

Becoming a harem slave to a wicked prince or dying under a much harsher form of bondage isn't much of a choice. Still, this is the offer the demon known as Purgatori brings before an assemblage of time-displaced adventurers. And it is an offer that is swiftly declined.  Now this odd assemblage of killers, criminals and vigilantes must traverse the whole of time and space and seek out "the trinity" spoken of in the prophecy - the princess, the warrior and the vampire who will lead them to victory!


Swords of Sorrow #4 works on several levels. It works quite well as an adventure comic of the old school, with thrilling and chilling action sequences. It also works quite well as a comedic piece, with Gail Simone showcasing her gift for ribald humor that rises below vulgarity throughout. There is also some subtle satire of the genre and industry, with Purgatori - a 90's bad girl heroine who served little purpose beyond being the poster-girl for cheap fan-service - offering safety to the women who break the mold and refuse to be exploited.


Sergio Davila's artwork equals Simone's scripts in quality.  Davila manages the neat trick of drawing women who are beautiful and scantily clad without the whole affair seeming exploitative or unnaturally posed. This is one of the best looking books in recent memory.

Swords of Sorrow #2 - A Review

Across the multiverse, the chosen of The Traveller begin to meet. And, in many cases, to fight. For The Traveller needs leaders in the fight to come and leaders seldom work well with others who would follow their own destiny. Still, they will unite or they will die... for the chosen of The Prince are close at hand and ready to finish the job if these heroines don't do themselves in.


The lion's share of this issue is devoted to a battle between Dejah Thoris and Red Sonja. The fight is an interesting contest. While Sonja finds her abilities enhanced by the atmosphere of Barsoom and is likely the more capable warrior, Dejah Thoris is a more tactical fighter and better able to use the environment to her advantage.

The appearances of the other heroines in this volume amount to little more than set-ups for the tie-in issues that will be released later this summer.  Still, Gail Simone does a fine job of keeping the plot moving and giving us a taste of what is to come. And one can't fault the focus on Dynamite's two most popular heroines, though Vampirella gets a goodly amount of page time as well.  Such is the problem with all crossover series based around an ensemble - someone has to be the supporting cast.


The art team for this series is top-notch.  Sergio Davila does a wonderful job of matching the fast pace of the script with some impressive illustrations and brilliant action sequences. He also depicts all of the heroines - even the more fantastically dressed ones - as powerful figures without a hint of cheesecake. The colors by Jorge Sutil add to the splendor of the finished artwork.

Swords of Sorrow #1 - A Review

A war is coming. A war was fought. A war occurs even now.

Two forces fight.  On one side is The Traveller, who exists everywhere and everywhen.  On the other side is The Prince - a being of nowhere and nowhen - who has a seething hatred of all women, particularly The Traveller! Yet he has made an army of women his pawns in the battle to come, as The Traveller has drawn upon the whole of time and space to bring together women who are not just warriors and legends - they are leaders of their own destinies!


The cynical may think that Swords of Sorrow is little more than an artful excuse for selling a lot of comics with alternate covers of beautiful women in skimpy costumes. And under a lesser writer it might well have been little more than that. But with Gail Simone at the helm, this issue proves to be an engaging look at the many amazing women of Dynamite Entertainment's pulp line. Unfortunately, we don't get to see all of the heroines in action - there's barely enough time to introduce all the players!  Still, this first issue does a fine job of setting the stage for the battles to come in this core series and the tie-in mini-series.


Sergio Davila proves more than capable of depicting the variety of locales that Simone's script demands and the colors by Jorge Sutil are applied with equal skill. From dinosaur-dominated islands to the dark alleys of a modern city, everything looks amazing! And despite the costumes of some of our heroines, there is no hint of exploitation or gratuitous cheesecake in any of the book's interior artwork.