I am looking forward to the new Dynamite relaunches of 2016 because it will be great to see excellent writers, like Bennett, Barbiere, and Leth, combine both pulp, classic horror, and modern sensibilities in putting a fresh coat of paint on these iconic and timeless female characters.
Red Sonja and Jungle Girl #1 is a tie-in to Dynamite’s summer Swords of Sorrow event featuring all their female characters from this comic’s heroines to Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars, Vampirella, and even obscure Shadow villain, Black Sparrow. It gives readers their first look at the character of Jana the Jungle Girl since Swords of Sorrow #1 and also answers the question about what happened to Red Sonja after she fought Dejah Thoris in Swords of Sorrow #2. But writer Marguerite Bennett and artist Mirka Andolfo ensure that this comic isn’t mere connective tissue until the next issue of Swords of Sorrow drops with Sonja’s usual quick wit firing on all cylinders, some great comic misunderstandings, and fast fight scenes and beautiful jungle vistas from Andolfo. They also introduce readers to the pre-Bronze Age world of Jungle Girl, and how the Prince and his army are doing more than trying to make heroines kill each other.
This week’s NonCompliant was unintentionally retro as we discuss the 80s indie superhero mixtape comic We Can Never Go Home, disco fabulous Wonder Woman ’77 from DC, and the time travel/sci-fi set in the 80s book Rocket Girl. We also chat about the first chapter of the Gail Simone penned Swords of Sorrow crossover featuring a variety of characters from different eras, including sword and sorcery, jungle adventure, and modern crime noir.