Broken Frontier

The future is uncertain when the past and present collide as Red Sonja and Sara Pezzini come together in a team-up for the ages.

This winter two of the most formidable women in comics strike an alliance against an ancient evil threatening both of their respective eras as Dynamite Entertainment and Top Cow Productions team up to give their fans an extra-special dose of ass-kicking to help chase away the winter blues.

One is a legendary warrior woman hailed for her courage and feared for her ferocity, touched by the goddess Scathach, and dedicated to protecting the weak and innocent from the myriad evils of the Hyborian Age…

The other is a homicide detective and bearer of a mystical weapon created by the very universe itself as a balance between Light and Darkness…

So, what happens when the near-mythical Red Sonja and Sara Pezzini, current bearer of the Witchblade join forces to put the kibosh on old evil newly awakened across the centuries? According to writer Doug Wagner, there’s only one thing fans should expect when these two heavyweights team up:  “Glorious mayhem.”

As Wagner explains, “Both characters are on the verge of losing everything, and without Sonja and Sara finding a way to work together, the two eras are doomed. Add to the equation that Sonja’s not the biggest fan of what she perceives as magic…hmmm? How would Red categorize something like the Witchblade?”

Although inter-company crossovers are nothing new, having been around for a couple of decades now, when the headlining characters inhabit different eras and milieus, the old formula takes on a unique dynamic, especially when considering the pedigree of Red Sonja and Sara Pezzini. Each heroine comes complete with her own very well-developed backstory that has shaped their motivations and actions over the course of hundreds of issues combined. The challenges inherent in a project of this scope are astronomical if not welcome, says Wagner.

“This was never intended to be an alternate universe style of story, but rather a story that was IN continuity for both characters. There was NO leeway... just the Dynamite and Top Cow way. Yes, I spent quite a bit of time reading years of material. That’s the upside to writing two successful characters from equally successful companies – you get to read a lot of comics and call it work.”

But how to get two characters separated by literally hundreds of years on the same comic page, so to speak? It would seem to take more than just a snazzy Ale Garza cover to accomplish this feat in a story that’s supposed to occur in-continuity for both Sonja and Sara. The temporal labyrinth Wagner navigated wasn’t just another cake-walk down Crossover Lane. Indeed, according to Wagner it took countless meetings with both Dynamite and Top Cow, and a touch of the hard stuff for the trusty scribe to finally hammer out a feasible plot that pleased everyone.

“My strategy was to showcase both characters and their individual worlds equally without dismissing or trampling on either. I wanted to do so without relying on too many clichés. That was no easy task. The assignment was to create a crossover without using time travel or the like. It took quite some time and more than a few meetings to get something we all agreed would work.

“Definitely not my easiest project to date, but possibly one of the most rewarding. Creating a story that featured both eras where the characters’ actions had ramifications on the other had me twisting the cap off the Jagermeister in the freezer.

“Umm, don’t tell my editors about that part.”

One of the funnest things about inter-company crossovers, is the inevitable brawl between the two principals upon first contact. Roll your eyes in cynicism if you must but I defy anyone reading this to deny they’ve ever asked a question like, “Who would win in a fight, Batman or Captain America?” Never one to shy away from the tough, probing questions, Wagner chimed in with authority when BF asked who would win in this particular dust-up, the brunette or the redhead?

“I dated a redhead once, and that was the most venomous creature I’ve ever spent any length of time with. She wouldn’t hesitate to rip your heart out over the smallest perceived slight. That’s how I kinda see Sonja. She’s a force of vengeance that won’t hesitate to dice your vital organs if she feels provoked. When the She-Devil draws a weapon, death ain’t far behind.

“On the other hand, Sara Pezzini is a detective, one of those sensitive thinker types. She favors finding a solution that doesn’t require the chopping off of body parts. Thinkers are prone to hesitation, and that would be Sara’s undoing. Ginger wins!”

Agree? Disagree? Maybe you’re the type who thinks blondes have more fun. Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or the Comments section below, who you think would stand triumphant in this epic cross-time knuckled-duster – Red Sonja or Sara “the Witchblade” Pezzini…


Red Sonja/Witchblade #1, Doug Wagner (W), Cezar Razek (A). Dynamite Entertainment/Top Cow Productions, limited series, $2.99. On sale February 22, 2012.