A Red Sonja Cover Gallery




A Red Sonja Cover Gallery XIII: Viewed from Behind



	This is the thirteenth installment in our Red Sonja themed cover galleries, continuing from the first gallery. Below, we present twenty selected covers from various comic books, in which the artist portrayed Red Sonja as viewed from behind.



	1 title: Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword (2005) publisher: Dynamite cover artist: Billy Tan writers: Michael Avon Oeming & Mike Carey artist: Mel Rubi issue: #06 of 80 release date: February, 2006 cover: A cover commentary: In most of the themes investigated thus far in this series of Red Sonja cover galleries, the much more extensive body of work published by Dynamite continues themes established in the earlier body of work published by Marvel. However, in this theme, where we highlight various artist's visions of Red Sonja as viewed from behind, there are no analogues from Marvel. The intention to explicitly portray Red Sonja as a subject of sexual desire was one that Dynamite added to the Red Sonja oeuvre. In the Marvel years, the beauty of Red Sonja was equaled by her martial prowess and the determination of her character. These various elements of Red Sonja certainly continue in the books by Dynamite, but there are covers now which focus almost exclusively on her desirability. We have featured various covers by Billy Tan in other galleries with themes including Viewed From Behind: #1 2005: #5 2006: #13 & #15 2015: #8 Red Sonja (2005): #1, #3 & #4



	2 title: Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword (2005) publisher: Dynamite cover artist: Guiseppe Camuncoli writers: Michael Avon Oeming & Mike Carey artist: Mel Rubi issue: #06 of 80 release date: February, 2006 cover: C variant commentary: Covers of Red Sonja viewed from behind have proven popular with the predominantly male readership, often commanding higher prices compared to variant covers of the same or contiguous issues. There are a variety of hypotheses to the general question of the origin of male fascination with the female posterior. Evolutionary biologists attribute such interest to a vestigial, primate response to the sexual receptivity displayed by red rumps, or a way to assess fertility in its fitness, or an indicator of biological reproductive success in the hip-to-waist ratio. In this cover by Guiseppe Camuncoli, Red Sonja's skill in combat is referenced in the presence of the sword being withdrawn from its scabbard. Her appearance simultaneously invites the advance of a hapless admirer and foretells the quick and potentially violent rejection. We have featured covers by Guiseppe Camuncoli in galleries with themes including Viewed From Behind: #2 2016 & 2017: #10



	3 title: Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword (2005) publisher: Dynamite cover artist: Mel Rubi writer: Michael Avon Oeming artist: Mel Rubi issue: #10 of 80 release date: June, 2006 cover: Dynamic Forces exclusive cover with Red Foil text, limited to 500 commentary: Psychologists hypothesize that the interest in the view of a woman from behind, because it by design deflects a direct view of her face, creates a venue through which her sex can be decoupled from her humanness. In any case, the 80-issue run of Red Sonja has numerous examples, such as this one by Mel Rubi, of artist's visions of Red Sonja as viewed from behind.



	4 title: Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword (2005) publisher: Dynamite cover artist: Joseph Michael Linsner writer: Michael Avon Oeming artist: Mel Rubi issue: #13 of 80 release date: August, 2006 cover: D variant, retailer incentive commentary: In covers such as this one by Joseph Michael Linsner, any pretense of presenting Red Sonja as more than a sexual object is dismissed.



	5 title: Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword (2005) publisher: Dynamite cover artist: Joe Prado writers: Michael Avon Oeming & Mike Carey artist: Homs issue: #20 of 80 release date: March, 2007 cover: A cover commentary: Many artists who have drawn multiple Red Sonja covers have at some point created one that holds to this theme. For some artist's this is a theme to which they have returned multiple times.



	6 title: Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword (2005) publisher: Dynamite cover artist: Alex Ross writers: Ron Marz artist: Lee Moder issue: #30 of 80 release date: February, 2008 cover: A cover commentary: In some covers, as in this one by Alex Ross, Red Sonja's face is entirely obscured. We have featured covers by Alex Ross in galleries with various themes, including Viewed from Behind: #6 2005: #2 2006: #7 2015: #12



	7 title: Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword (2005) publisher: Dynamite cover artist: Fabiano Neves writers: Brian Reed artist: Walter Geovani issue: #46 of 80 release date: July, 2009 cover: B variant commentary: There exits a spectrum of covers in which the degree of Red Sonja's ferocity and sexuality is varied. Covers depicting Red Sonja as viewed from behind tend to fall closer to the sexual end of the range. However, even some of these do include a premonition of her lethal capabilities.



	8 title: Red Sonja: She-Devil with a Sword (2005) publisher: Dynamite cover artist: Johnny Desjardins writers: Arvid Nelson, Kevin McCarthy, Raven Gregory, Roy Thomas, Clara Noto, J.T. Krul, & Michael Avon Oeming artists: Pablo Marcos, Joyce Chin, Johnny Desjardins, Frank Thorne, Noah Salonga & Ron Adrian issue: #50 of 80 release date: June, 2010 cover: D variant commentary: Other covers, as in this example by Johnny Desjardins from the fiftieth issue, minimize Red Sonja's role as a formidable fighter.



	9 title: Red Sonja: Vulture's Circle (2015) publisher: Dynamite cover artist: Lucio Parrillo writers: Nancy A. Collins & Luke Lieberman artist: Fritz Casas issue: #2 of 5 release date: February, 2015 cover: C variant commentary: In several covers, including this one, Lucio Parrillo dispenses with the back of the lower half of Red Sonja's armor in order to convey his vision of Red Sonja's combination of sexual appeal and martial prowess.



	10 title: Red Sonja vs. Thulsa Doom (2006) publisher: Dynamite cover artist: Will Conrad writers: Peter David & Luke Lieberman artist: Will Conrad issue: #2 of 4 release date: February, 2006 cover: A cover commentary: The depiction of a bathing Red Sonja viewed through the frame of a man's legs removes any lingering uncertainty regarding the intent of covers in this theme.



	continue to the second half of this gallery