Bad Ass Broad - Queen Sonja #19

Admittedly I am not a huge fan of very many heroines.  If I had to guess it would probably stem from my traditional roots.  Women fighting, sweating, bleeding is hard for me to swallow because many times I believe those situations steal away their femininity and it's that femininity, the differences between men and woman, that draw me to female characters.  So, when I find a character that can hold on to their female characteristics while preforming heroics it sparks my interest and can make for some great story telling.

This is the case in the Queen Sonja on going series right now.  Sonja is such a great character and in this book her femininity is showcased in more ways than just ridiculously skimpy battle armor (which she is famous for).  Arvid Nelson is the current writer on the series and he has done an amazing job with Sonja.

In this particular issue of Queen Sonja #19 artist Edgar Salazar does some fantastic work portraying the passion and emotion in the faces and body language of the characters involved.  We'll start with a great two page sequence from Queen Sonja #17.

Sonja, poisoned by a traitor, is forced to flee her capitol after it comes under siege by Thulsa Doom and the children of Set.  She escapes to an ancient fort where a small group of her loyal citizens vow to fight for her.  Unbeknownst to Sonja the fort is surrounded by mercenaries sent by Thulsa Doom to bring him her head.

Her open defiance against an enemy that has her surrounded is epic.  It's classic Sonja she kneels to no man the look on her face says it all.

This panel on page 10 is my absolute favorite!  That wild look in her eyes as she snaps off the end of an arrow in her side damn is near the sexist thing I've ever seen.

The three pages above are perfection.  It can be so hard to convey the emotions of a scene like this but Edgar Salazar does it flawlessly.  These are hardened mercenaries and you can feel the tension in their desperate acts in the face of defeat and in the decisions that must be made in the heat of battle.

This creative team is doing an amazing job and I hope to see them continue together on this book because this is by far one of the best books out right now.

Wishing I had any drawing talent whatsoever,
~Steve