Nancy Collins On an Older Red Sonja in Vulture’s Circle

In 2015, Dynamite will be celebrating their 10th year of publishing Red Sonja comics and will starting the anniversary off with Red Sonja Vulture’s Circle, a mini-series co-written by Nancy A. Collins and Luke Lieberman, with art by Fritz Casas.

This mini-series will be set a bit in the characters future,  “where the older heroine may be battle-weary.”  And will feature Sonja, who’s retired to teach the ways of the blade, coming up against Sutekh, the demi-god son of Set, who out to claim the kingdoms for his father.

Official PR follows:

RED SONJA‘S 10TH ANNIVERSARY AT DYNAMITE

STARTS OFF WITH VULTURE’S CIRCLE,

PRESENTING — FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER —

AN OLDER, WAR-WEARY SHE-DEVIL

October 9, 2014, Mt. Laurel, NJ: To commemorate their tenth year of publishing Red Sonja, Dynamite Entertainment is proud to announce the first of many 2015 initiatives dedicated to their fiery red-headed warrior: the comic book miniseries event, Red Sonja: Vulture’s Circle. Debuting with a #1 issue in January, Vulture’s Circle is co-written by Nancy A. Collins (Vampirella) and Luke Lieberman (Queen Sonja). Illustrated by the talented Fritz Casas (Blood Queen), Vulture’s Circle will reveal a never-before-seen chapter in the life of fantasy comics’ most iconic swordswoman: the latter years of a battle-scarred Red Sonja.  The first issue of this latest Red Sonja saga will feature variant cover editions by artists Jay Anacleto, Walter Geovani, and Lucio Parrillo.

Following on the heels of the very successful Gail Simone run of Red Sonja, Vulture’s Circle propels the action years into the future, a setting never before revealed to franchise fans – where the older heroine may be battle-weary, but is still possessed of the fiery disposition that Sonja fans know and love.  The new series unites Nancy A. Collins, a longtime author of supernatural horror, with Luke Lieberman, the steward of all things Sonja. “I’m thrilled to be a part of this project and to be working with the actual owner of the Red Sonja license,” says Collins.

In Red Sonja: Vulture’s Circle #1, an evil entity rises from the shadow-haunted depths of Stygia: the demigod Sutekh. Born of an unspeakable blood ritual, this vile creature is the half-human progeny of the ancient serpent-god Set, sent forth to enslave all humanity in the name of his father and return the world to a primordial swamp. The newborn Sutekh leads a fearful army and uses powerful sorcery and a menagerie of demonic war-beasts to break the will of his mortal enemies as he marches forth to conquer the kingdoms of the Hyborian Age, defeating foe after foe… until he crossed the path of Red Sonja.  Having traded in her mercenary lifestyle for a role as mistress of a school for sword-maidens, she must lead her prize students into combat against Sutekh and his army of ghouls and devils.

A lifelong fan of Robert E. Howard, whose Conan mythos provided the background for Red Sonja’s earliest adventures, Collins recently professed her adoration for the character during a guest stint as contributor to the Legends of Red Sonja series: “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.”

Nancy A. Collins has spent the last twenty years writing novels, short stories, and comic books for fans of the supernatural, paranormal, and fantastical.  Her prose works include Sunglasses After Dark, featuring punk vampire slayer Sonja Blue, the Young Adult series Vamps, a collection of Weird Western tales called Dead Man’s Hand, and a collection of Southern Gothic stories entitled Knuckles & Tales.  Her comic book work includes Swamp Thing, Jason vs. Leatherface, Machina Jones, Predator: Hell Come A’Walkin, and most recently, two Vampirella projects through Dynamite Entertainment: the relaunch of the classic supernatural heroine’s ongoing series, as well as the collaborative Vampirella: Feary Tales series.

Luke Lieberman is the President of Red Sonja, LLC, licensor of the Red Sonja franchise.  Since relaunching the Red Sonja comic book title through publisher Dynamite Entertainment in 2005, Luke has overseen the publication of more than 175 comic books and 25 graphic novels which have sold more than two million copies in seven languages worldwide.  Luke personally authored numerous Red Sonja storylines, including Atlantis Rises, Revenge of the Gods, Queen Sonja, Sword of Red Sonja, and Savage Tales, in addition to his work on other Dynamite titles like The Man With No Name, Thulsa Doom, and Street Magik.  Lieberman also practices entertainment and intellectual property law.

Fritz Casas is a rising star in the comic industry, and one of Dynamite Entertainment’s most prolific artists. He has contributed artwork to six of the publisher’s series, including Blood Queen, Kirby: Genesis – Dragonsbane, Lords of Mars, Miss Fury: Digital First, Queen Sonja, and Red Sonja: Berserker.

Red Sonja: Vulture’s Circle #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ October Previews catalog, the premiere source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in December. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of Red Sonja: Vulture’s Circle with their local comic book retailers. Red Sonja: Vulture’s Circle #1 will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, and Dark Horse Digital.