Red Sonja Versus Lions
Wish it was a whole series, as there are the two dead lions to account for. Did she punch them out, or kill them in some more interesting way? Naughty, naughty. Teasing us that way.
You might say this one is a little over the top. After all, she is lifting the lion not just off the ground, but over her head with one arm. And there is little doubt that, once she connects with that fist, the lion is history. That is asking a little too much of even a willing suspension of disbelief, unless there is a back story in which Red Sonja isn't just uniquely powerful, but positively superhuman. How would she get to be like that?
I will admit that, when it comes to dealing with the big cats, I am not a big fan of the punch, or the kick, or the knife. I favor seeing the heroine grapple with the beast. Since I like my heroines at the extreme edge of normal human strength, rather than superhuman, the battle is long, and arduous. While punches may be used, and kicks, in order to wear down the jungle cat and maybe daze it, when it comes down to it, I prefer to see the arms tightly wrapped around the beast's neck and slowly squeezing the life out of it.
What about the punch in a situation where there are multiple cats being battled? I think it is ok. It is an expedient. Sometimes, when fighting on more than one front, a weaker opponent needs to be dealt with quickly so a more dangerous one can be faced at leisure. But when you are dealing with a mature lion, I would think that the kind of punch called for would be the double-handed hammer blow to the head from behind, in hopes of staving in the skull.
Nevertheless, I like this one. A lot. I think the degree of muscularity is very impressive. I like the wounds on the heroine, meaning that the battle has not been entirely one-sided. I am very impressed with Red Sonja as rendered here. This rendering has a great deal of action and force to it. It is by no means static.
And I wish I had 1/100th of Plinius' talent.
