With a highly stylized concept and setting such as steampunk to work with, it is necessary in terms of plot to establish something which doesn’t simply rely on the novelty of the particular fantasy world.  In terms of the Legenderry spin-off series from Dynamite, this has been the case thus far.  It has been interesting to see familiar character re-imagined with a different inspiration, but without a story to back it up it therefore becomes all about the visual experience as opposed to the plot.  The first issue of Red Sonja was the one which was the least influenced by the steampunk, but it was also the one that was the least engaging, even if it was entirely fun as a reading experience.

The first issue finished off with the revelation of Lady Frankenstein as the figure lurking in the shadows, and it tied the series into the steampunk setting much more than portraying Sonja as a pirate.  The problem with the Frankenstein stories is that they do not fit exactly within the realm of steampunk.  The genre sees the technoligical progress at the time of being able to achieve the impossible, at least in the minds of Verne and the others that wrote the science fiction of the time.  Frankenstein is a different form of science fiction, one that is much more cautionary in its outlook, as man is warned not to mess with the forces of nature.  As a tie-in to steampunk it initially fit well with Red Sonja as a steampunk pirate, but the reintroduction for the umpteenth time in comic history of the story of Frankenstein drags this issue back a bit, especially as it comes early on.  What follows is a decent chase sequence and even includes a much more direct reference to Verne, even if it not a particularly deep story.

This series continues to be a fun read, but little beyond that.  It will not really disappoint, and especially not for those that like steampunk as the genre is rarely given any attention.  Equally this is not a great comic and it is not even really a good one.  It is a piece of fun fluff and while it strives to be better, it is too limited by its own crossing over of different characters to achieve what it is going for.  It is less than the sum of its parts, but those parts still make it above average.

Story: Marc Andreyko  Art: Aneke 
Story: 7.7  Art: 7.7  Overall: 7.7 Recommendation: Read 

Dynamite provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review