Roy Thomas is the man who revived Red Sonja in the mid seventies when he introduced her in an issue of Conan the barbarian. Thomas has worked on everything from the Avengers comics to the Xena Warrior Princess TV show. Thomas’s most notable works would be as an Editor for Marvel comics.

Roy Thomas, 1970's

by John Buscema

Writer Clair Noto thought up many of Red Sonja’s 1970s adventures. Although, Clair’s name is rarely mentioned along with that of Roy Thomas and Robert E. Howard, make no mistake she played a large part in creating the Red Sonja comics.

Estaban Maroto created Red Sonja’s infamous look by pure accident when he submitted a sketch of Red Sonja in a revealing scale mail bikini to Roy Thomas in the early seventies. Thomas had already used the Sonja character in an issue of Conan the Barbarian drawn by Berry Windsor Smith. Thomas must have seen the potential in this sexy yet empowering costume because Maroto’s design stuck!

Dick Giordano drew Red Sonja for Marvel’s first Red Sonja Marvel Feature before Frank Thorne took over on issue #2.

In 2005 Dynamite Entertainment re-released Red Sonja She Devil with a Sword written by Mike Oeming with art by Mel Rubi.

It is nearly impossible to mention Red Sonja without also mentioning two men who played a vital role in her existence. Those would be Robert E. Howard, and artist Frank Thorne.

If there is one thing Thorne loves it’s women, if there is one thing said artist is good at it’s drawing women, beautiful women. Voluptuous women have always been his specialty. Therefore, it is no surprise that Thorne was hired by Marvel comics to draw the strong and sexy first lady of swords and sorcery…Red Sonja!

Thorne was immediately taken with the character. So taken in fact that he created a wizard persona to accompany Sonja to comic conventions. This was an anomalous wizard with a sharp tongue and little back bone named Thenf. Like Thorne, Thenf sported long whitish grey hair and a beard. Although the character only appeared in one Marvel story (that being a Savage Sword of Conan magazine), Thenf became famous for being Sonja’s companion. Dressed as his creation Thorne went to conventions all over the states being accompanied by various women dressed as the She Devil and performing a live action skit. Thenf became famous because of those skits, but the skits became famous because of the women who portrayed the Red haired vixen -- with women like Elfquest’s Wendy Pini, how could the show not be a success?

After Frank Thorne stopped drawing buxom Red Sonja for Marvel he began drawing a Sonja-like Sword Woman named Ghita of Alizarr. She was Thorne’s creation and what a creation she was! Ghita slashed her away across covers of 1984 magazine and into Eros comics in no time. This triple X character was a fireball of strength and sexuality.

Like Red Sonja, Ghita was also manifested into the real world in the shape of the lovely Linda Berhle. Thorne took Ghita and Thenf all over the states and even to Europe!

When Thorne was finished telling Ghita of Alizarr’s tale, he picked up again with several new characters like Lann, the spacey futuristic brunette who appeared in Heavy Metal. Again, cyber sexy Lann was his own creation and she too had a “Thornie” male sidekick who bore a striking resemblance to Frank himself.

The sultriest of Thorne’s ladies would have to be Tennessee born Moonshine McJugs. This little country bumpkin hailed from imaginary Pork Holler (being from TN myself, I feel a need to re-iterate Pork Holler isn’t a real place). This southern belle appeared in PLAYBOY.

In recent years, Thorne has continued to cartoon for Playboy and has written two autobiographies (Drawing Sexy Women and The Crystal Ballroom). Now his idée fixe is slightly more wholesome. Thorne is currently in the process of producing a film for a New Jersey broadcasting station about the life and times of revolutionary war heroine Aunt Betty Frazee. Frazee was a baker in Scotch Plains NJ in the 1700s. When redcoats came marching to her door demanding food and shelter, Betty turned them away. Dumbfounded, the British generals left, making Aunt Betty a hero. Now thatthe Frazee house stands in ruins on the outskirts of Scotch Plains, Thorne and the local rotary club have been working to repair it and, to most importantly, tell Betty’s story. For more on this please visit the Fanwood Scotch Plains Rotary club site (http://www.fsprotary.org/frazeenews.html). This site includes an online comic about aunt Betty drawn by, yep you guessed it, Frank Thorne.

Now Frank, who has reached the age of 75, still carries a torch for all his heroines. Red Sonja, Ghita and the rest continue to play pivotal roles in Frank Thorne’s life. Although while I am on the topic of Frank Thorne I must also mention the heroine closest to his heart, that being his lovely wife of umpteen dozen years Marilyn Thorne, who still keeps the rambunctious artist settled into reality in New jersey.

~ Wendy Potter