tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117444802988560123.post9000549043789113347..comments2023-10-17T14:12:17.731-04:00Comments on Pick of the Brown Bag: POBB March 15, 2017Raymond Tatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00834292307741650917noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117444802988560123.post-10023800677432044592017-04-19T07:18:42.439-04:002017-04-19T07:18:42.439-04:00That's total speculation from me on Chu!That's total speculation from me on Chu!Conrad Knight Sockshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12047473790475457299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117444802988560123.post-38658269042824579492017-04-18T21:07:41.539-04:002017-04-18T21:07:41.539-04:00That's nice of Dynamite to comply to Chu's...That's nice of Dynamite to comply to Chu's request. The Thor comment is a good point, and that would neatly satisfy everybody. You could even expand whichever story would require the extra pages.Raymond Tatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00834292307741650917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117444802988560123.post-57969242988130284872017-04-18T06:44:14.254-04:002017-04-18T06:44:14.254-04:00Ha, about 30 minutes after I left the comment abov...Ha, about 30 minutes after I left the comment above, I read the solicitation for #7, out in July ... Sonja's sticking around in the modern day for the time being and is going on a roadtrip across America with Max. Chu said in an interview back along that this would be a 6 issue story but obviously that's changed. My guess is that she's been coaxed by Dynamite to stick around on the book awhile longer (sales figures for Chu's run have been on par with Gail Simone's and ahead of Marguerite Bennett's) but she's requested that she keep Sonja in the modern world for the time being.Conrad Knight Sockshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12047473790475457299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117444802988560123.post-50251678557783879582017-04-18T05:29:26.314-04:002017-04-18T05:29:26.314-04:00The majority of people seem to prefer Sonja in her...The majority of people seem to prefer Sonja in her own time and when it turned out she was in modern New York for the current story, plenty of critics rolled their eyes and said 'Not again'. Quite a few seemed to give up on the book at that point. It's a shame coz Amy's done Sonja in modern times better than anyone else before her.<br /><br />It'd be cool to have two books, one with Sonja in modern times helping the cops, and the other in her own age ... kinda like the old Thor books, which would have him on Earth in the main story and in Asgard in a backup. That approach would've meant Sonja didn't need to learn English and everything else so quickly and she could've relied on her own formidable skills to fight crime alongside Max, although she wouldn't have been able to stay in the bikini for too long. It was rumoured not long ago that Bryan Singer might be doing a Sonja TV show and I think Sonja in NYC would work really well for that, maybe after an initial episode in the Hyborian Age. In fact, I think the current run has been done so well that the early episodes could follow it pretty much to the letter but rather than Sonja returning to her own age, she decides to stick around after beating Gath. The scene in the bar in #2, with the drinking and armwrestling, was really cinematic, I could see it being done really well in live-action.Conrad Knight Sockshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12047473790475457299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117444802988560123.post-23621713950579657872017-04-17T12:56:30.883-04:002017-04-17T12:56:30.883-04:00It's a pity that she's leaving the present...It's a pity that she's leaving the present day. Although I hope Chu doesn't leave at that point.<br /><br />RayRaymond Tatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00834292307741650917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117444802988560123.post-62289957336009640392017-04-12T04:18:42.797-04:002017-04-12T04:18:42.797-04:00No problem ... I managed to skip Legenderry someho...No problem ... I managed to skip Legenderry somehow, so I'll have to pick up on that.<br /><br />Seeing as Dynamite own the rights to both Sonja and Xena, it'd be great to see a crossover between them at some point. Gail Simone pretty much wrote Sonja as an alcoholic Xena but there are big differences between the two character-wise and it'd be cool to see how a writer like Amy Chu would handle that. Of course, there'd have to be a scrap at some point and I think the two are very evenly matched ... Xena's more agile and has her nerve strikes but Sonja's better with a sword and can take more punishment.<br /><br />I think we're leaving modern times with #6. I was worried Amy might leave the title at that point ... she doesn't seem as invested in Sonja as she is in her KISS book, she just doesn't seem as enthusiastic about Sonja in interviews. Amy's also a New Yorker so by bunging the She-Devil in the Big Apple, she's writing what she knows. It looks like she's sticking around for at least one more arc after the NYC one though, and I'm chomping at the bit to see how she handles it. Chu admits she's not a diehard Sonja fan but she takes her research seriously and I imagine she'll take Sonja to the East, which hasn't been done all that often. She may or may not have her cop buddy Max with her, time will tell; doing so would be fun, though, as Max would find himself in the same situation Sonja did in #2, albeit with the ability to speak the local lingo to an extent.Conrad Knight Sockshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12047473790475457299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117444802988560123.post-14947325498002891792017-04-11T14:46:20.358-04:002017-04-11T14:46:20.358-04:00Thanks for your comments, Conrad. I completely ag...Thanks for your comments, Conrad. I completely agree with them. If you go with Sonja as the barbarian I feel you have to tick off certain things on you list, and what Chu adds to that list is Sonja's adaptability and intelligence--her learning how to ride a motorcycle just by observation and deduction for example. I hope she stays in modern times for awhile just to see how far Amy Chu will go in presenting the evolution of the She-Devil with a Sword.<br /><br />If you haven't checked out the alternate versions of Sonja in Legendary, you should. Amy Chu's and Carlos Gomez's Sonja rocks, but it's also a kick to see Sonja interacting with the Phantom and the Bride of Frankenstein as well.<br /><br />Thanks for reading the Pick of the Brown Bag<br /><br />RayRaymond Tatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00834292307741650917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9117444802988560123.post-67326465091114603372017-04-05T04:53:17.506-04:002017-04-05T04:53:17.506-04:00Great review of Amy Chu’s Red Sonja series, sounds...Great review of Amy Chu’s Red Sonja series, sounds like you’re enjoying it as much as I am! I didn’t enjoy this issue as much as #2, which was as good as any Red Sonja comic I’ve ever read, but I know that this comic was more about plot development after the hedonism of the previous issue and it was still a lot of fun.<br /><br />Given how little experience Amy had with Sonja before she took the title on, it’s incredible how well she’s captured her character, making her unbelievably badass but also unbelievably likeable at the same time. Early interviews suggested we might be lumped with the same kind of quick-tempered and hot-headed She-Devil portrayed by Gail Simone but Amy’s Sonja is MUCH smarter and despite her warrior mentality, she knows when to exercise caution. I’ve loved the quieter moments with Max and Sonja’s own memories of Meru, they’ve added a great deal of depth and sensitivity to a character who’s too often been a one-dimensional female version of Conan. One of my favourite moments was in #2 when Sonja woke up in Central Park without her weapons – Gail Simone’s Sonja would’ve been cursing and throwing a tantrum but Amy’s basically said ‘Oh well, I’ve been in worse pickles’. <br /><br />I’m glad you mentioned the female supporting cast; Spike in particular really stands out as the most sensible character in the cast, the one who keeps the others in line, which is probably the reason why she’s a successful barkeeper. The Max/Sonja dynamic is hilarious, with them making a fantastic odd couple – Max often regards Sonja as an impulsive child while Sonja’s impatient with Max’ words of caution and also his clowning around. Nonetheless, you can tell that they’re really fond of each other. I’ve read Sonja stories for a long time but I don’t recall her ever having a relationship with a guy like this, more of a sister/brother thing than the relationship of lovers, comrades or friends.<br /><br />As for the costume comments, I think Amy’s left the wardrobe decisions to Carlos Gomez, although I’m sure the decision was made early on to return her to the scalemail bikini, following the commercial failure of Gail Simone’s redesigned costume. I’m totally with you on this … ‘Red Sonja’ isn’t Tolstoy, it’s escapist fantasy and for every critic I’ve seen complaining about the return of the bikini, I’ve seen 10 fans applauding it. Of course, Sonja’s always going to stick out like a sore thumb in New York in the costume but I think the outfit can be better justified if the other people of Sonja’s own time wear similar skimpy togs, and the flashback scenes to Meru and cosplayers’ outfits at the gala indicate that’s the case. <br /><br />At the end of the day, slightly twisting your own analogy, the bikini is bait to pull in readers and then Amy uses her masterful storytelling to keep them interested. I think Amy realises the classic costume is an important part of the Sonja mythos but she doesn’t give it a lot more thought. Her displayed flesh has only come up a couple of times so far in the script … once when she first turns up in New York and Max receives his callout, and once when she’s talking to Spike in the bar and borrows her clothes. When Sonja strolls into that bar in Harlem in #2, surrounded by big, red-blooded guys, and proceeds to pound them at arm-wrestling, her outfit doesn’t get a single mention. We know they think she’s hot but the word ‘bikini’ never comes up. When Max is looking for her in the same issue, he says he’s after a six foot tall redhead, not a six foot tall redhead in a bikini. I just don’t think Amy’s fussed about the costume one way or the other, she’s more interested in putting together a good story … and that’s the way it should be.<br />Conrad Knight Sockshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12047473790475457299noreply@blogger.com