This July 2019, Dynamite will reunite the creative team of Mark Russell and Bob Q for the special one-shot, Red Sonja: Lord of Fools. Along with a cover by Christian Ward (Thor), this oversized issue spins directly out of June’s Red Sonja #6 with two special stories. 

First, in the eponymous tale, Mark Russell and his The Lone Ranger collaborator Bob Q execute a full length story further developing the swords and sorcery political intrigue. While Dragan the Magnificent is busy warring with Sonja the Red, his son Cyril is back at the capital palace of the Zamoran Empire. The high priest Oracon regales him with the philosophy of the Lord of Fools, and this may yet reveal a deep secret that could unravel Dragan’s entire house of cards.

In a second short tale, Russell joins artist Katie O’Meara to tell the lore building story of Cerkus, Sonja the Red’s tongue of fire. Both stories are complemented by series regular colorist Dearbhla Kelly and letterer Hassan Ostmane-Elhaou. 

Following Lord of Fools, Q will take take over as the primary artist on Red Sonja from Mirko Colak for issues 7-9, then for Colak to return for issue 10. With the seeds planted in Lord of Fools and perhaps even some hints in his prior flashback scenes, fans will not want to miss Q’s upcoming arc on the series. 

“I’m really happy to be working with Bob Q again, especially on such an epic story that leans more heavily into the fantasy element of this world,” said Russell. “This issue ends with a bombshell which will change what readers thought they knew about the first six issues and sets them up for the next six, more fantasy-heavy, issues.”

“I’ve been hoping to do some big time, butt-kicking, barbarian bombast, and along came the opportunity to work on Red Sonja. I took it the moment it was offered. I’ve been following this series since issue one, and I can only hope to continue the extremely high artistic benchmark set by Mirko Colak. As if the pot weren’t already sweet enough, I get to team up with Mark Russell and Dearbhla Kelly again. Who’s the winner? Bob’s the winner!” said Q. 

“Getting to contribute to the long-running mythos of Red Sonja has been such a wonderful honor, particularly for a one-shot so focused on character and world building, a great love of mine. I feel so lucky to have been given this opportunity by the Dynamite crew, after Nate so deliberately went out of his way to take a chance on a newcomer such as myself,” artist O’Meara added.

“It’s a one-shot, but not a one-off. What happens here connects to what we’ve seen, and what’s to come. Mark, Bob, Katie, Dearbhla, and Hassan are crafting two tales of trust, tragedy, family and power, that should not be missed,” said editor Nate Cosby. 

Red Sonja: Lord of Fools will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ May, 2019 Previews catalog, slated for release in July 2019. Comic book fans can preorder copies with their local comic book retailers. It will also be available for individual customer purchase through many digital platforms.