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Review: Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition Volume 2

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FrankThorneArtEdVol2-CoverOne of the most unexpected but also well-deserving trends in recent years is to have anthologies which focus on the works of artists from older comics.  Such anthologies have been fairly common for a long time which have focused on writers, but all too often the artists of these bygone years are all but ignored.  In all fairness this has been primarily an initiative of the independent’s and this collection of Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja take a look back at this iconic character and the artwork which helped to establish her.

This collection looks at Thorne’s run on the character between 1976 and 1979, a time when even the less stringent fantasy genre that Red Sonja was still seen as a bit risque, being both a barbarian and wearing a chainmail bikini.  Of course the stories herein are what one would expect from the silver age, but those that only see the stories are missing the point.  This is not an attempt to recycle stories which had their chance, rather this a celebration of the artist and his place in comic history.  In truth the stories are not even that bad, they simply read as a little simplistic, if not as painfully outdated as what is often found in the golden age.  That having been said, one of the most interesting aspects of this volume (as with many others) is the introduction, which gives a bit of history while also putting the character and creator in context of the medium.

This volume will of course not be for everyone.  Instead it for those interested in the history of the medium as opposed to simply reading the modern age as it progresses.  It is indeed a nice addition to any library of comic history and a deserving one.  When one looks to the strong female characters as they are developing in some cases in the modern day, it is important to remember that their roots go far deeper, to a time when female characters were not possible at all to lead a series, let alone any discussion about an accurate representation.

Story: Roy Thomas and Clara Noto Art: Franke Thorne
Story: 8.3 Art: 8.3 Overall: 8.3 Recommendation: Read (or Buy)

Dynamite provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review

Preview: Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition HC

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FRANK THORNE’S RED SONJA ART EDITION HC – SIGNED BY FRANK THORNE

Roy Thomas, Bruce Jones (w)
Frank Thorne (a/c)
FC • 120 pages • $300.00 • Teen+

Limited to 500 SIGNED copies! Celebrate the seminal work of legendary fantasy illustrator Frank Thorne with this gorgeous hardcover collection, presenting for the first time the actual storyboard artwork from his complete 1976 run of swords-and-sorcery icon Red Sonja appearances in the Marvel Feature comic book series. Scanned in high-resolution color and printed at original size, Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition preserves every detail of the artist’s meticulous skill and hard work, while simultaneously presenting a complete storyline for the enjoyment of longtime She-Devil fans. Available with a tip-in sheet signed by Frank Thorne!

Celebrate the seminal work of legendary fantasy illustrator Frank Thorne with this gorgeous hardcover collection, presenting for the first time the actual storyboard artwork from his complete 1976 run of swords-and-sorcery icon Red Sonja appearances in the Marvel Feature comic book series. Scanned in high-resolution color and printed at original size, Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition preserves every detail of the artist’s meticulous skill and hard work, while simultaneously presenting a complete storyline for the enjoyment of longtime She-Devil fans. limited to INITIAL orders ONLY!

FTRSArtEd-Cover

Preview: Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition HC

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FRANK THORNE’S RED SONJA ART EDITION HC

Roy Thomas, Bruce Jones (w)
Frank Thorne (a/c)
FC • 120 pages • $150.00 • Teen+

Celebrate the seminal work of legendary fantasy illustrator Frank Thorne with this gorgeous hardcover collection, presenting for the first time the actual storyboard artwork from his complete 1976 run of swords-and-sorcery icon Red Sonja appearances in the Marvel Feature comic book series. Scanned in high-resolution color and printed at original size, Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition preserves every detail of the artist’s meticulous skill and hard work, while simultaneously presenting a complete storyline for the enjoyment of longtime She-Devil fans. limited to INITIAL orders ONLY!

FTRSArtEd-Cover

Baltimore Comic Con 2013: Dynamite Announces New Line of Premiere Art Editions

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RSvol2LogoAnnounced to coincide with Baltimore Comic Con which starts today, Dynamite Entertainment proudly celebrates the seminal work of a legendary fantasy illustrator with Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition, presenting for the first time the actual storyboard artwork from his complete 1976 run of swords-and-sorcery icon Red Sonja‘s appearances in the Marvel Feature comic book series. Scanned in high-resolution color and printed at original size, this gorgeous hardcover collection preserves every detail of the artist’s meticulous skill and hard work, while simultaneously presenting a complete storyline for the enjoyment of longtime She-Devil fans.  Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition marks the first in a series of Dynamite Art Editions featuring prestigious creators and comic titles.

Frank Thorne began his comics career in 1948, penciling romance comics for Standard Comics.  He drew the Perry Mason newspaper strip for King Features, plus a multitude of stories for Flash Gordon, Jungle Jim, The Green Hornet, and many more.  Thorne’s name would become synonymous with Red Sonja, the iconic swordswoman from the Robert E. Howard’s Conan mythos, when his stint illustrating her adventures in the Marvel Feature comic book series led to a successful ongoing Red Sonja solo series, a celebrated run of comics from 1976 through 1979.  He established her characteristic image as a ferocious and beautiful female barbarian wearing a chainmail bikini, which later became a popular fantasy literature archetype.

The process of creating the oversized Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition involves high-resolution color scanning of original storyboard artwork, capturing the look of the artwork as originally illustrated, with all blue lines, corrections, editorial notes, and other distinctive creative elements intact.  Each scan is then printed on heavy stock paper to give readers a more realistic experience of what it would be like to hold actual storyboard pages.  To ensure the unique nature of this art collectible, Dynamite will limit Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition to a single first printing, restricted to initial orders and not to exceed a “mintage” of 1,973 units to commemorate the character’s first year of appearance.

Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition will be solicited for retailer order through Diamond Comic Distributors’ October Previews catalog, corresponding to items shipping in December 2013.  Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of Frank Thorne’s Red Sonja Art Edition with their local comic book shop or hobby specialty store.

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SDCC 2013: Dynamite Taps Top Female Talent for Legends of Red Sonja

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RSvol2LogoThe Dynamite San Diego Comic-Con announcements keep on coming. Following on the immense success of the newly launched Red Sonja ongoing series by Gail Simone, is launching Legends of Red Sonja, a prestige miniseries, an extravaganza celebrating the iconic fantasy heroine’s long and storied career.  Legends of Red Sonja is a collaborative effort uniting Simone with a star-studded and prestigious creative team including Marjorie M. Liu, Mercedes Lackey, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Rhianna Pratchett, Leah Moore, Tamora Pierce, Blair Butler, Nancy Collins, Meljean Brook, Nicola Scott, Devin Grayson, and more to be announced.  Frank Thorne, one of the key artists responsible for defining the character’s distinct look, will be among the artists to contribute cover artwork, as will Jay Anacleto.

The idea spun out of this week’s Red Sonja relaunch. For that series, the covers were provided by the industry’s top female talent. This is the next logical step, having an all-star all female writing team as well.

The structure of the Legends of Red Sonja prestige series will be, in Simone’s words:

…a braided story, with individual, unique stories written by titans of comics, prose, and the gaming world.  These are all powerful voices whose work I adore.  Dynamite asked me to make a list of the women I’d love to see included, and again, I was astounded at the eager responses!  We have giants of the fantasy and horror prose world; Tamora Pierce, Nancy Collins, Mercedes Lackey, and Meljean Brook. We have some of the hottest comics talents; Marjorie M. Liu, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Leah Moore, Devin Grayson and (in her first published story as a writer) Nicola Scott.  And we have brilliant writers from games and television; Rhianna Pratchett and Blair Butler.  Getting to hand-pick this crew of fierce women was an absolute joy, and the fun of it is, we’re all fans of Red Sonja, and of each other.  Throwing ideas back and forth and shaping the stories has been some of the most fun I’ve ever had in comics.  I can’t wait for people to read these takes on Red Sonja…some are funny, some are scary, some are very different versions of Sonja than we are familiar with!

Many of Gail Simone’s hand-picked contributors have shared their excitement about the project:

Rhianna Pratchett:

I treasured my Red Sonja poster when I was kid.  So to get the opportunity to write a story for the character, and to do it in the company of such extraordinary, talented women, is a dream come true.  My younger self is definitely high-fiving my older self.

Leah Moore:

It’s not everyday that Gail Simone asks me to write Red Sonja.  To be honest, I’m glad, because when it happened, I had to be peeled off the ceiling.  Writing Red Sonja has been a personal ambition of mine for a long time.  She is about the most fun a writer can have.  She’s a loner, a grouch, a badass, and is apparently impervious to cold.  I am almost too excited about this project to actually write the thing, which is counter-productive, really.

Tamora Pierce:

This is the coolest project ever: new stories crafted by some of the best writers and artists out there, about a woman warrior created by one of my literary idols, Robert E. Howard, spearheaded by my comics goddess, Gail Simone.  I’m honored to be a part of this, and can’t wait to see the whole thing.  It will be a ground-breaking, multilayered view of a character who has been brawling through comics for decades!

Blair Butler:

I’m honored and exceedingly intimidated to be included in this group of talented creators.  Gail Simone is amazing — and her take on Red Sonja is something I’ve been looking forward to since it was announced way back at Emerald City Comic-Con.  So when she asked me to contribute, I agreed immediately, even though I’m totally nervous about it.

Nancy Collins:

I am thrilled to have been chosen by Gail Simone to participate in Legends of Red Sonja.  I remember how excited I was when I plucked Conan the Barbarian #23 off the spinner rack as a kid, all those years ago, and finally saw a female hero capable of dishing it out with the best of them.  I am honored to have been given this chance to add to Red Sonja’s mythos.

Meljean Brook:

I’m absolutely thrilled to be writing a story for the she-devil, Red Sonja.  I first encountered Red Sonja in the movie with Nielsen and Schwarzenegger when I was about eight years old — and I know that movie isn’t without its problems, but it’s almost impossible to describe how incredible it was to watch a film in which the heroine was just as strong and as tough as the muscle-bound hero.  I loved that she was arrogant, skilled, and never wimped out or waited for rescue, and I immediately went out in search of similar stories about her.  Red Sonja was a revelation to eight-year-old me, and I can trace many of the heroines I write today back to those roots.

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