Gail Simone Returning to Red Sonja With New Novel

Gail Simone is returning to the world of Red Sonja once again. On Wednesday, it was announced (via io9) that Simone will be penning a new Red Sonja story, a decade after first writing the character in Dynamite Entertainment’s comics. Instead of a comic, this new Sonja title will be a prose novel. It will also be a wholly new story, as opposed to an adaptation of Simone’s previous comics, or a tie-in to the upcoming Red Sonja movie. The Red Sonja book, which does not have a full title, is currently scheduled to be published by Orbit Publishing in the summer of 2024.

“Gail is a generational talent in the comic world who writes the hell out of Red Sonja, and her work on this project goes down like a shot of Stygian fire whiskey!” Luke Lieberman, President of Red Sonja, LLC, said in a written statement. “The team at Orbit have been great partners in elevating Sonja’s ever-growing legend.”

“There are thousands of she-warrior characters, but there remains only one Red Sonja,” Simone said in the announcement. “She endures many different treatments in many different media, and people who love her, they love her with a passion that is incredibly endearing. My own mother was the person who convinced me to first write the character, and she’s never read a comic book in my life to my knowledge… she just loves Red Sonja. There’s something in the character that has inspired her all her life, and I’ve met people like that all over the world. Everyone loves something different about her. For me, it’s her lack of apology for who she is… most of us stumble through life hiding who we are, and asking people to forgive us every time we make the slightest social error. Sonja lives, fights and loves and asks no one’s pardon. It’s lovely.”

Will there be a Red Sonja movie?

Simone is also a consultant on the upcoming Red Sonja movie, which will finally bring the warrior to life on the big screen for the first time in decades. The film stars Matilda Lutz in the lead role, and also includes Wallis Day as Annisia, and Robert Sheehan as Draygan. Additional cast includes Michael Bisping as Hawk, Martyn Ford as General Karlak, Eliza Matengu as Amarak, Manal El Feitury as Ayala, and Katrina Durden as Saevus. 

Will you be checking out Gail Simone’s Red Sonja novel? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

As mentioned above, Simone’s Red Sonja novel is currently scheduled to be published by Orbit Publishing in the summer of 2024.