Lengenderry by Bill Willingham

Legenderry
by Bill Willingham (Hoopla Digital Resource)

In this story we have a multitude of characters from the Dynamite universe brought together to bring down a foe determined to cause war and feast on the souls of the dead. However, none of the characters are in quite their usual outfits and personas because this is set in a steampunk world. The central character we follow through the story is Red Sonja whose memory had been messed with to make her forget who she was and believe that she is Magna Spadarossa in search of a sister who is in fact herself. Before she returns to normal, she’s in quite a bit of distress because so many people are chasing her and she can’t figure out why. After she becomes herself again she to some extent does her usual, gather information on the enemy and attack. To a certain degree I was reminded of the Swords of Sorrow mini-series in which Dynamite ladies team up to fight Prince Charming with special swords. Personally I liked Swords of Sorrow a lot better. It could be because I’m not a steampunk fan, but I also liked the story better. I also had a problem with the ending to this one, because it felt really abrupt and unfinished as if it was the end to part one and there would be a part two. I read it mainly because Red Sonja is my favorite comic book character and was curious how she’d be portrayed in a very different world than her own; while it was interesting I don’t think I’ll reread it or get a copy for myself. Still it’s by no means a bad mini-series and if you like steampunk, you might like it better than I do. It was fun to be introduced to characters I’d heard of but not read before, so you might like that aspect as well. The crew includes: Red Sonja, Kato, Vampirella, Zorro, Green Hornet, Captain Victory, $6,000 Man, Phantom, Devil (the dog), Flash Gordon, and Silver Star. If you want to give it a go you can check Legenderry out on Hoopla and either download it via the app or just read it in a web browser. It is accessible at www.hoopladigital.com or you can search the title in the catalog and get a link to Hoopla through there.

(Swords of Sorrow is really good, but unfortunately it’s not available on Hoopla or in print at Lincoln City Libraries. It appears on Amazon that they have collected all the issues into a graphic novel that’s due to come out February 2017. It also is a cross over event but the characters stay in character, unlike Legenderry where they’ve changed a bit to be steampunk. The four main characters, although there are many more, are Red Sonja, Vampirella, Dejah Thoris and Jungle Girl.)

( publisher’s official Legenderry web site ) | ( official Bill Willingham web site )

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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