First look–Bill Willingham’s Legenderry series spin-off to feature Red Sonja

Dynamite Comics announced a return this winter of the world introduced by Bill Willingham in his 2013 steampunk series Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure.  Legenderry: Red Sonja will follow his otherworldly twist on the character where we last saw her, living the pirate’s life on her ship The Nautilus.  Marc Andreyko has been tapped to write the series.  The Eisner and Harvey Award winner has worked on series including Manhunter, Batman ’66 Meets Wonder Woman ’77, and Wolverine vs Deadpool.  Igor Lima (Green Lantern Corps) will serve as artist on the series.

Legenderry is the steampunk–or more accurately “steam noir”–series featuring the ultimate mash-up: Red Sonja joined with Six Thousand Dollar Man Steve Austin, Zorro, Vampirella, the Green Hornet and Kato, Captain Victory, Silver Star, and the Phantom, all to face off in a final showdown with Ming the Merciless, Queen Flor Zora, Kulan Gath, Lydia Valcallan, General Tara, and Doctor Moreau.  It’s every bit as fun as it sounds, and could only happen at Dynamite Comics, which carries the licenses to so many classic titles.

The best character development in the series was that of Red Sonja, who initially had spells cast on her leaving her to think she was actually the mild and citified Magna Spadarossa, Sonja’s sister.  By the end of the original series her primitive side broke through and she became the savage we’re all familiar with, with a steam noir edge.  Designer Johnny Desjardins and artist Sergio Fernandez Davila created a visually stunning setting, and Willingham’s fun take on the characters made Legenderry one of the best steampunk stories to enter the comic book medium.

Here is some preview art for the new Legenderry: Red Sonja series, courtesy of Dynamite:

The debut issue of Legenderry: Red Sonja features cover art from artist Joe Benitez, who was cover artist on the 2015 Legenderry: Red Sonja mini-series.  Additionally, a limited variant in black and white, a virgin art/no logo cover, and “Blood Red Line Art” variant will also be available as retailer incentives.

Add Legenderry: Red Sonja #1 to your pull list at Elite Comics or your local comic book shop.  It arrives in February 2018.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

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