Red Sonja: Monster Isle

    (Dynamite, 2006)
™ and ©2006 Dynamite Entertainment

Shipwrecked on a forgotten prison island, the red-headed swordswoman battles monstrous man-beasts, her only allies a disreputable crewman and the ship’s captain—the first conveniently named Ratvos, and the other Todo, apparently just for the tired “…not in Kansas, anymore…” reference from The Wizard of Oz.

The story is an obvious version of H.G. Wells’ Island of Dr. Moreau, with the mad warden’s black rituals accomplishing what the mad doctor did with science. Although a pleasant enough read, this one-shot is not “spectacular” as the marketing solicitations state. Given that writer Roy Thomas co-created the character in the first place, both his and Red Sonja’s fans might be disappointed by a well-known plot that offers few surprises. In addition, Pablo Marcos’ normally impressive art suffers at times from the use of several different colorists, giving the book an inconsistent look.

— Joseph Self
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  NotesWriterArtist
Red Sonja: Monster Isle #1 Variation A


Cover Price: $4.99
4 copies available from $3.33 		Cover A by Pablo Marcos; ca. 2006 Roy ThomasPablo Marcos
Red Sonja: Monster Isle #1 Variation B


Cover Price: $4.99
3 copies available from $6.00 		Cover B by Cliff Chiang; ca. 2006 Roy ThomasPablo Marcos