At the beginning of 1973, the Conan the Barbarian series was a success, and writer Roy Thomas wanted to expand Marvel’s sword and sorcery line with a spin-off title. With artist Barry Windsor-Smith, Thomas created Red Sonja, a character that was loosely based on Red Sonya of Rogatino from Robert E. Howard’s short story “The Shadow of the Vulture.”
Red Sonja was to be a fierce warrior that could be Conan’s match. She could battle at his side and keep her feminine side. That was the author’s ambition and, in Conan the Barbarian #23, their last book together, Thomas and Smith introduced Red Sonja as she was wielding a sword against guards, wearing a long-sleeved chain mail shirt. One issue later, Conan declared that she was his equal.
She made a few appearances in Conan the Barbarian, The Savage Sword of Conan, and Kull and the Barbarians before finally getting her solo series in 1975. She became quite popular and Marvel Comics published stories featuring Red Sonja for a good decade—she also appeared in novels and, in 1986, got her movie starring Brigitte Nielsen in the title role.
Red Sonja’s origin story was told in Kull and the Barbarians #3 (1975), written by Roy Thomas and Doug Moench with art by Howard Chaykin. Then we discovered that before becoming a fierce warrior, Red Sonja used to live with her family until a group of mercenaries killed her family and burned down their house. Sonja was 21 and didn’t possess the capacity to fight back. The leader of the group raped her. As she cried for revenge, she got a response from the red goddess Scáthach who gifted her with her incredible fighting skills, on the condition that she never lie with a man unless he defeats her in fair combat.
After that, she fought hard for a long time at Marvel Comics, until 1986. She came back for a one-shot in 1995. In 2005, Red Sonja joined the line-up of Dynamite Comics with a series that was a continuation of the first Marvel series. Nevertheless, she died in #34 and was replaced by a character described as a reincarnation. Then the series went through a soft reboot 15 issues later. It was concluded with issue #80.
In 2013, Gail Simone relaunched the series and introduced her take on the character’s beginnings. After that, Marguerite Bennett became the series’ writer for a short period of time, and artist Nicola Scott redesigned Red Sonja for the occasion. Multiple series followed and, like Vampirella, Sonja took part in multiple Dynamite crossover events and got more than one spin-off.
Red Sonja Reading Order:
Concerning Red Sonja’s continuity after the Marvel Years, meaning at Dynamite, each new series seems to do a soft reboot (some push a bit harder than that on the reset button). This complicates things, especially if you are a stickler for chronology. Sorry, but what follows is more of a guided tour of Red Sonja publishing life. Every note to improve it is greatly appreciated, Don’t hesitate to leave a comment, I’ll update the guide as fast as I can.
Red Sonja during the Marvel Years (1973-1995)
Clearly, all of Red Sonja’s stories from the Marvel Years have not been collected for now. You can still find some of them in the following books.
- The Chronicles Of Conan Vol. 4: The Song Of Red Sonja And Other Stories
Collects Conan the Barbarian #23-26, and Savage Tales #2-3. - Adventures of Red Sonja Omnibus
Collects Marvel Feature #1-7 and Red Sonja #1-15. - previously collected in:
- The Adventures of Red Sonja Vol. 1
Collects Marvel Feature #1-7. - The Adventures of Red Sonja Vol. 2
Collects Red Sonja #1-7. - The Adventures of Red Sonja Vol. 3
Collects Red Sonja #8-15.
- The Adventures of Red Sonja Vol. 1
- The Further Adventures of Red Sonja Vol. 1
Collects Kull and the Barbarians #2-3, The Savage Sword of Conan #23, 29, 45, 48, 157, 169, 187, 192, 194-195, 230-233.
Red Sonja, She-Devil With A Sword Returns (2005-2009)
When Dynamite Entertainment started publishing new Red Sonja books in 2005, they picked up the stories stopped at Marvel. But first, Luke Lieberman and Peter David (art by Will Conrad) wrote the Red Sonja vs. Thulsa Doom prequel miniseries.
- Red Sonja vs. Thulsa Doom
Collects Red Sonja vs. Thulsa Doom #1-4.
After that, Michael Avon Oeming (Powers), Mike Carey (Lucifer), and artist Mel Rubi produced new adventures featuring the She-Devil with a Sword!
- Red Sonja: She-Devil With A Sword Omnibus Vol. 1
Collects Red Sonja (2010) #0-18. - Red Sonja She-Devil With A Sword Omnibus Vol. 2
Collects Red Sonja (2010) #19-34. - Red Sonja She-Devil With A Sword Omnibus Vol. 3
Collects Red Sonja (2010) #35-50. - Red Sonja She-Devil With A Sword Omnibus Vol. 4
Collects Red Sonja (2010) #51-66. - Red Sonja She-Devil With A Sword Omnibus Vol. 5
Collects Red Sonja (2010) #66-80.
Note: the annuals #1-4 are collected in Red Sonja Travels Volume 2.
Red Sonja: One-Shots & other miniseries (2005-2009)
During that period of time, Dynamite also published a number of one-shots and miniseries featuring Red Sonja coming from a large selection of authors and artists like Roy Thomas, Ron Marz, Frank Cho, Michael Avon Oeming, Christos N. Gage, Daniel Brereton, Scott Beatty, Doug Murray, Luke Lieberman, and more.
- Red Sonja/Claw The Unconquered: Devil’s Hands
Collects Red Sonja/Claw #1-4. - Red Sonja Travels
Collects Red Sonja: One More Day, Red Sonja: Monster Isle, Red Sonja: Vacant Shell, and Red Sonja Goes East - Savage Red Sonja: Queen of the Frozen Wastes
Collects Red Sonja: Queen of the Frozen Wastes #1-4. - Sword of Red Sonja: Doom of the Gods
Collects Sword of Red Sonja: Doom of the Gods #1-4. - Savage Tales Of Red Sonja
Collects Savage Tales (2007) #1-5, 7-8, 10.
Queen Sonja (2010-2013)
Sonja finds herself with more than she bargained for as she takes the throne of her homelands! The Queen Sonja series was written by Joshua Ortega with art by Mel Rubi.
- Queen Sonja Omnibus Volume 1
Collects Queen Sonja #1-15. Also collected in:
- Queen Sonja Volume 4: Son of Set
Collects Queen Sonja #16-20. - Queen Sonja Volume 5: Ascendancy
Collects Queen Sonja #21-25. - Queen Sonja Volume 6: Heavy is the Crown
Collects Queen Sonja #26-35.
Red Sonja: One-Shots & other miniseries (2010-2014)
Like before, even with an ongoing series, Red Sonja continued to appear in other one-shots and miniseries. She also took part in her first company-wide crossover.
- Red Sonja: Wrath of the Gods
Collects Red Sonja: Wrath of the Gods #1-5. - Red Sonja: Revenge of the Gods
Collects Red Sonja: Revenge of the Gods #1-5. - Red Sonja Travels Volume 2
Collects Break The Skin, Deluge, Raven, Sanctuary, Red Sonja And Cub, Berserker, And Every Red Sonja Annual And Giant-Size Edition. - Red Sonja: Blue
Collected in Red Sonja: Unchained (see below) - Prophecy
Collects Prophecy #1-7.
Prophecy is a Dynamite mega-crossover. It starts with Red Sonja as she follows sorcerer Kulan Gath through time from the barbaric Hyborian Age. She then unleashes a chain of events that will put her side-by-side with an unprecedented gathering of characters: Vampirella of course, but also Dracula, Pantha, Athena, Eva, Herbert West Re-Animator, Ash Williams, Even Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Alan Quatermain.
- Red Sonja: Atlantis Rises
Collects Red Sonja: Atlantis Rises #1-4. - Witchblade/Red Sonja
Collects Witchblade/Red Sonja #1-5. - Legends of Red Sonja
Collects Legends of Red Sonja #1-5. - Red Sonja: Unchained
Collects Red Sonja: Unchained #1-4.
Red Sonja by Gail Simone (2013-2015)
In 2013, Gail Simone became the writer for the Red Sonja (vol. 2) series, a partly rebooted version of the story, a good entry point for new readers.
Here is the official synopsis of the run: Red Sonja, the She-Devil with a Sword, intends to pay back a blood debt owed to the one man who has gained her respect… even if it means leading a doomed army to their certain deaths! Who is Dark Annisia, and how has this fearsome warrior accomplished what no god nor demon has been able to do: force Sonja to her knees in surrender? An epic tale of blood, lust, and vengeance, Queen of the Plagues takes Red Sonja from the depths of her own grave to the heights of battlefield glory.
- The Complete Gail Simone Red Sonja Omnibus
Collects Red Sonja (vol. 2) #0-18. Also collected in the following paperbacks: - Conan/Red Sonja
Collects Conan/Red Sonja #1-4. A Dark Horse/Dynamite crossover co-written with Jim Zub.
Red Sonja teamed up with Vampirella, Dejah Thoris, Jungle Girl, Kato, Lady Zorro, Jennifer Blood, Miss Fury, and more in Swords and Sorrow, a crossover by Gail Simone that was dedicated to the female heroes of the company. Vampi and Jennifer Blood got a spin-off after the event.
- Swords of Sorrow
Collects Swords of Sorrow #1-6, Swords of Sorrow: Chaos! Prequel #1, Swords of Sorrow: Black Sparrow & Lady Zorro #1, Swords of Sorrow: Dejah Thoris & Irene Adler #1, Swords of Sorrow: Masquerade & Kato #1, Swords of Sorrow: Miss Fury & Lady Rawhide #1, Swords of Sorrow: Pantha & Jane Porter #1, Swords of Sorrow: Red Sonja/Jungle Girl #1-3, Swords of Sorrow: Vampirella & Jennifer Blood #1-4.
More Red Sonja (2015-2016)
- Red Sonja: The Black Tower
Collects Red Sonja: The Black Tower #1-4. - Red Sonja: Vulture’s Circle
Collects Red Sonja: Vulture’s Circle 1-5. - Red Sonja/Conan: The Blood of a God (by Victor Gischler)
Collects Red Sonja/Conan (2015) #1-4.
Legenderry: Bill Willingham (Fables) created a self-contained Steampunk universe that offered to reimagine the most iconic characters in the Dynamite stable, including Vampirella, Red Sonja, Green Hornet, Kato, Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Silver Star, Captain Victory, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Zorro…
- Legenderry: A Steampunk Adventure
Collects Legenderry #1-7. - Legenderry Red Sonja: A Steampunk Adventure Vol. 1
Collects Legenderry Red Sonja #1-5. - Legenderry Red Sonja: A Steampunk Adventure Vol. 2
Collects Legenderry Red Sonja (vol. 2) #1-5.
Dynamite published the Pathfinder comic books, taking place in the RPG game, and organized a meeting with some of the big names of its catalog, including of course Red Sonja.
- Pathfinder: Worldscape Volume 1
Collects Pathfinder: Worldscape #1-6. - Pathfinder: Worldscape Volume 2
Collects the one-shots Worldscape: King of the Goblins, Worldscape: Lord of the Jungle, Worldscape: Red Sonja, and Worldscape: Warlord of Mars.
Red Sonja Vol. 3 (2016)
Once Gail Simone’s run ended, it was Marguerite Bennett’s (Animosity) turn to write Red Sonja stories. It’s a short 6-issue run, but it is considered to be Volume 3 of the series. For the occasion, artist Nicola Scott redesigned the character.
- Red Sonja: The Falcon Throne
Collects Red Sonja (Vol. 3) #1-6.
Red Sonja Vol. 4 by Amy Chu (2016-2019)
The barbarian She-Devil with a Sword faces a whole different world in this new adventure across America on her bike… written by Amy Chu (Poison Ivy, Kiss) and drawn by Carlos Gomez (The Dresden Files). This Volume 4 eventually went back to the more familiar setting of swords and magic. The run lasted for 25 issues.
- Red Sonja: Worlds Away Vol. 1
Collects Red Sonja (Vol. 4) #0-6. - Red Sonja: Worlds Away Vol. 2
Collects Red Sonja (Vol. 4) #7-11, Red Sonja: The Long Walk to Oblivion #1.
- Red Sonja: Worlds Away Vol. 3
Collects Red Sonja (Vol. 4) #12-16. - Red Sonja: Worlds Away Vol. 4
Collects Red Sonja (Vol. 4) #17-20. - Red Sonja: Worlds Away Vol. 5
Collects Red Sonja (Vol. 4) #21-25.
More Red Sonja (2018-2020)
- Red Sonja/Tarzan
Collects Red Sonja/Tarzan #1-6.
Red Sonja teamed up with Vampirella and then joined forces with Betty and Veronica for some weird adventures in Riverdale.
- Vampirella/Red Sonja Volume 1: These Dark Synchronicities
Collects Vampirella/Red Sonja #1-6. - Vampirella/Red Sonja Volume 2
Collects Vampirella/Red Sonja #7-12. - Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica
Collects Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #1-6. - Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica vol. 2
Collects Red Sonja and Vampirella meet Betty and Veronica #7-12.
Roy Thomas returned to Red Sonja with an original Graphic Novel, delivering a retelling of Sonja’s classic origin. A good introduction:
Age of Chaos is a new intercompany crossover featuring Red Sonja and characters of Chaos Comics like Chastity, Evil Ernie, Purgatori, and Jade…
- Red Sonja: Age of Chaos
Collects Red Sonja: Age of Chaos #1-6. - Red Sonja: Birth of the She-Devil (An untold story of the early years of Red Sonja)
Collects Red Sonja: Birth of the She-Devil #1-4. - Red Sonja: The Price of Blood
Collects Red Sonja: The Price of Blood #1-4.
Red Sonja Vol. 5 by Mark Russell (2019-2022)
In November 2019, a new ongoing Red Sonja series by writer Mark Russell and art by Mirko Colak was launched. It is Volume 5 of the series.
- Red Sonja Vol. 1: Scorched Earth
Collects Red Sonja (Vol. 5) #1-6 and Red Sonja: Lord of Fools One-Shoy. - Red Sonja Vol. 2: The Queen’s Gambit
Collects Red Sonja (Vol. 5) #7-12, 2018 Halloween Special.
- Killing Red Sonja
Collects Killing Red Sonja (2020) 1-5.- This spin-off title takes place after Red Sonja #12.
- Red Sonja Vol. 3: Children’s Crusade
Collects Red Sonja (Vol. 5) #13-18. - Red Sonja Vol. 4: Angel of Death
Collects Red Sonja (Vol. 5) #19-24. - #25-28 were written by Luke Lieberman. Not collected yet.
DIE!namite is another Dynamite inter-company crossover featuring Red Sonja, Vampirella, John Carter of Mars, Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt, and more. DIE!namite Lives is the sequel and the story continues in DIE!namite Never Dies.
- DIE!namite Vol. 1
Collects DIE!namite #1-5 and the Die!namite Valentine’s Day (2021) Special. - DIE!namite Lives Vol. 2
Collects DIE!namite Lives #1-5. - DIE!namite Never Dies
Collects DIE!namite Never Dies #1-5.
Unrelated, but another crossover with Red Sonja:
- Mars Attacks: Red Sonja
Collects Mars Attacks: Red Sonja #1-5.
The Super Powers! The She-Devil With A Sword has battled barbarians, scuffled with sorcerers, and magical creatures of all sizes. But when a collective of superheroes from THE PROJECT enter her world, will Sonja know how to adjust to their foreign ways, before they all kill each other?
- Red Sonja: The Super Powers
Collects Red Sonja: The Super Powers #1-5. - Vampirella: The Dark Powers
Collects Vampirella: The Dark Powers #1-5. - Vampirella vs Red Sonja
Collects Vampirella vs. Red Sonja #1-5.
Black, White and Red is a Red Sonja anthology as much as a showcase for artists and writers.
- Red Sonja: Black, White and Red Vol. 1
Collects Red Sonja: Black, White and Red #1-4. - Red Sonja: Black, White and Red Vol. 2
Collects Red Sonja: Black, White and Red #5-8.
Red Sonja Vol. 6 by Mirka Andolfo (2021)
Writer Mirka Andolfo and artist Giuseppe Cafaro took over Red Sonja for the 6th Volume.
- Red Sonja: Mother Volume 1
Collects Red Sonja (vol. 6) #1-6. - Red Sonja: Mother Volume 2
Collects Red Sonja (vol. 6) #7-12.- Red Sonja: Red Sitha Vol. 1 (spin-off)
Collects Red Sonja: Red Sitha #1-4.
- Red Sonja: Red Sitha Vol. 1 (spin-off)
More Red Sonja (2022 and Beyond)
- Invincible Red Sonja by Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner
Coming soon.
Sonjaversal is a new kind of Red Sonja as the She-Devil With A Sword has to kill other Sonja (featuring Blue Sonja, Green Sonja, Orange Sonja, Hell Sonja, Saint Sonja, and more!).
- Sonjaversal Vol. 1
Collects Sonjaversal #1-5. - Sonjaversal Vol. 2
Collects Sonjaversal #6-10.
Sonjaversal led to spin-off series:
- Hell Sonja by Christopher Hastings
Collects Hell Sonja #1-5. - Samurai Sonja by Jordan Clark
Collects Samurai Sonja #1-5. - Red Sonja/Hell Sonja by Jordan Clark
Collects Red Sonja/Hell Sonja #1-4.
During that time, Dynamite also published more Red Sonja series not connected to the Sonjaversal:
- Unbreakable Red Sonja (by Jim Zub)
Collects Unbreakable Red Sonja #1-5 and the one-shot Red Sonja and Cub. - Immortal Red Sonja Vol. 1 (by Dan Abnett)
Collects Immortal Red Sonja #1-5. - Immortal Red Sonja Vol. 2 (by Dan Abnett)
Collects Immortal Red Sonja #6-10. - Notti & Nyce Meet Red Sonja and Vampirella #1 (one-shot)
Red Sonja Vol. 7 by Torunn GrØnbekk (2023)
It’s the 50th anniversary of Red Sonja and a new series is launched for the occasion, written by Torunn GrØnbekk with art by Walter Geovani.
- Red Sonja Vol. 1: His Master’s Voice
Collects Red Sonja #1-6, and the prologue #0 story from Dynamite’s 2023 Free Comic Book Day title.
Did we forget an important issue? Did we make a mistake? Let us know in the comments!
Under “Red Sonja: One-Shots & other miniseries (2010-2014)”
you are listing “Red Sonja – Unchained” instead of “Red Sonja – Blue (One-Shot)”.
Thanks for the info! As Red Sonja: Blue is collected in Red Sonja – Unchained, the two titles were reversed. I made the modification!
Missing DIE!namite Never Dies, the 3rd volume in the horror crossover
I added it. Thanks for the heads up. The book is not out yet, it will be available in january.
This list is absolutely indispensable. Thank you for this.
I found a few more for you:
Red Sonja Holiday Special 2018 written by Amy Chu
Red Sonja Valentines Day One Shot 2021 written by Bill Willingham
Red Sonja Holiday Special 2021 written by Mirka Andolfo
Red Sonja Valentines Day One Shot 2022 written by Chuck Brown
super helpful list. thx.