INTERVIEW: Luke Lieberman Shares a Rare Glimpse at Red Sonja’s Past This June

This June Dynamite is set to release Red Sonja: Birth of the She-Devil #1, the first part in a new miniseries by writer Luke Lieberman (Red Sonja: Doom of the Gods) and artist Sergio Davila (Conan, Project Superpowers). As Lieberman’s seventh Red Sonja miniseries to date, the scribe is taking us back in time to show fans how the warrior earned her name She-Devil with a Sword. The series will also feature colors by Ulises Arreola (Superman, Batgirl) and three unique covers by Lucio Parrillo (Vampirella, Queen Sonja), Davila, and a cosplay option featuring Shannon Kingston.
The Beat chatted with Lieberman about this origin story and what fans can expect.
Deanna Destito: What sparked this early tale of Red Sonja?  
Luke Lieberman: This has been brewing for a long time.  We have covered so much ground with her, but never really explored her early years.  Sonja is so raw after the tragedy of her origin, so angry at the world and still forming as a person and a warrior.  It just felt ripe and I have been tinkering with this story for so long.
Destito: What is it about this character that appeals to you so deeply?
Lieberman: She has no f–ks left to give.  She has already seen the worst the world can dish out so there is nothing left to fear.  Sonja is hard as nails, but underneath is a lot of heart which she shows only to certain people.  There is that depth, the walls she puts up to protect her heart and the genuine, uncorrupted person underneath.  I just find her fascinating.
Destito: Do you have plans for more early/origin stories?
Lieberman: Yup.  I want to spend more time in this time period in her life.
Destito: How has it been working with Sergio Davila on this miniseries?
Lieberman: I love his work and requested him for the series.  He may not know this but I actually waived my page rate and wrote this for free so that we could have Sergio on this series.  His style is such a natural fit for the Hyborean world.  Sergio drew a short story I wrote a few years back called “3 wishes” where Sonja meets her father’s ghost and deals with her feeling about that loss a bit, he just nailed exactly what I was going for on that short so when it came to this mini-series there was no question.
Destito: What about this story is appealing for both old and new fans of the character? 
Lieberman: It is a version you haven’t seen before.  For old fans, we are exploring new territory.  For new fans, I can’t imagine a better place to start your journey with the character than her first years.
Issue #1 is slated to release on June 12. Preorder on Dynamite’s site or for digital, check it out on Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, ComicsPlus, and more.