Red Sonja: She-Devil With A Sword 5

Synopsis: She-Devil with a Sword
The flame-haired barbarian queen charges deeper into the wild Hyborian hills of Argos, her sword arm still aching from the last battle and her young companion Mikal riding hard at her side. They hunt the dying wish of their fallen friend Cyphax: a rendezvous with the mysterious Master of the Bells, the only soul who can point the way to the legendary Singing Tower and the treasure that could reshape kingdoms.
A band of forest thieves—savage knee high dwarves , —bursts from the trees like a stealth pack of wolves. Steel rings against steel! Sonja and Mikal scatter the rogues with ease, but not before they interrogate perhaps the runt of the Turand dwarves, who with sword to his throat gasps out the final clue that sets their course straight for the City of the Bells. They were to follow the dark riders they had seen earlier. Sonja remarks to Mikel that they seem to want to be followed. No sooner do they crest the next ridge than dark riders swarm in a thunder of hooves. Sonja fights like a demon, but numbers and treachery win the day. Mikal is dragged away in chains as a “wanted scoundrel,” while the She-Devil herself is spared—chosen, the captors sneer, to fulfill an ancient prophecy.

Marched to the soaring spires of Bor Ti-Ki, the City of the Bells, Red Sonja stands before the Master himself: the enigmatic Orubu (also called Rim-Po-Che), architect of wonders and ruler of this ringing fortress. He tests the barbarian fury of his prophesied visitor with his deadliest pet—a monstrous two-headed dragon that lunges from the shadows with fangs like scimitars. Sonja carves through scale and sinew in a whirlwind of crimson steel, proving her worth in a spray of dragon blood.
Impressed, the Master rings his colossal bells and unveils his greatest creation: a soaring tower of impossible architecture. “At the final chime,” he declares, “we shall fly together to the Singing Tower you seek!” Sonja stares at the dizzying drop and laughs in disbelief. Madness! She refuses to leap into the void. They clash in a desperate struggle atop the belfry—steel, sinew, and ringing bronze. The massive bell swings wildly, cracking bone as it slams into the Master and hurls him screaming into the abyss.
As his broken body plummets, Red Sonja wipes the sweat from her brow and wonders aloud: Had he not been injured in the fall… could the madman truly have flown? With the prophecy shattered and the City of the Bells falling silent behind her, she turns her horse toward the distant Singing Tower, her thoughts lingering on Mikal—heir to the throne of Zotoz, still a prisoner of the Dark Riders and their commander Kir-El. The gods Erlik, Mitra, and Tarim watch in silence as the She-Devil rides on, sword at her hip and destiny howling at her heels.
Creative Team
• Writers: Roy Thomas & Clara Noto
• Artist / Cover Artist: Frank Thorne (pencils, inks, colors, and lettering)
Key Characters & Elements Appearing
• Featured: Red Sonja
• Supporting: Mikal
• Antagonists: Forest thieves, Turands (1st appearance), Tijal (1st), Dark Riders (1st), Kir-El (1st), Orubu / Rim-Po-Che (1st, the Master of the Bells), Two-headed dragon (1st)
• Other: Cyphax (mentioned), Erlik, Mitra, and Tarim (invoked)
• Races & Species: Humans, horses, Vendhyan elephants (mentioned)
• Locations: Hyboria, Argos, Bor Ti-Ki (City of the Bells, 1st appearance), Singing Tower (mentioned), plus references to Messantia, Hyrkania, Vendhya, Aquilonia, Tarantia, and the Temple of Mitra
Collector’s Price Check – mycomicshop.com (current live listings)
This Bronze-Age gem (cover-dated September 1977, original 30¢ cover price) remains a fan-favorite chapter in the classic She-Devil saga. Recent stock shows solid mid-grade copies moving fast:
• VF- 7.5: $17.50
• FN/VF 7.0: $16.50
• FN 6.0: $10.00
Prices reflect nice reader copies with clean pages and solid eye appeal—higher-grade CGC or CBCS specimens can climb into the $30–$60+ range depending on auction heat and market demand.

Appearing in ””Master of the Bells!””
Featured Characters:

Red Sonja
Supporting Characters:

Mikal
Antagonists:

Forest thieves (First appearance)
Tijal (First appearance)
Dark Riders (First appearance)
Kir-El (First appearance)
Orubu / Rim-Po-Che (First appearance)
Two-headed dragon (First appearance)
Other Characters:

Erlik (Invoked)
Mitra (Invoked)
Tarim (Invoked)
Cyphax (Mentioned)
Races ad Species:

Humans
Horses
Vendhyan Elephants (Mentioned)
Gods (Invoked)
Locations:

Hyboria
Argos
Bor Ti-Ki, City of the Bells (First appearance)
Singing Tower (Mentioned)
Messantia (Mentioned)
Temple district (Mentioned)
Hyrkania (Mentioned)
Vendhya (Mentioned)
Aquilonia (Mentioned)
Tarantia (Mentioned)
Temple of Mitra (Mentioned)
Athos (Mentioned)

09/1977

Marvel Comics

071486029458

5

5

1

September

1977

Cover A

A

Newsstand

00511

United States

$0.30

Bronze Age

Sexy

English

Magazine

2018-07-02 22:48:00

Red Sonja (1977)

””Master of the Bells!” Art by: Frank Thorne
Release Date
June 7, 1977
Cover Date
September, 1977
Issue Details
Editor-in-Chief
Archie Goodwin
1.”
Appearances · Synopsis
Writer(s)

Penciler(s)
Frank Thorne
Inker(s)
Frank Thorne
Colorist(s)
Frank Thorne
Letterer(s)
Frank Thorne
Editor(s)
Roy Thomas

~$9.94

2024-02-21

White

2018-07-02 22:48:00