Red Sophia

From CerebusWiki

Red Sophia During her first meeting with Cerebus from issue #3, art by Dave Sim

Appears in issue 3, issue 10, issue 57, issue 58, issue 60, issue 61, issue 64, issue 65, issue 67, issue 68, issue 72, issue 73, issue 80, issue 90, and issue 163.

Cameos/mentions in issue 19, issue 193, issue 217, and issue 300.

Red Sophia is the daughter of the wizard Henrot and Mrs. Henrot-Gutch. Unknown if her full name is Sophia Henrot, Sophia Henrot-Gutch or something else.

1 Character History
2 Skills & Traits
3 Basis
4 Quotes
5 External Links

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Character History

After Red Sophia got out of school, she went to work for her father, but found it to be a "drag" and started to learn sword fighting. It appears she may have learned the standard Panrovian duel assault from a drunk and exiled baron. She also took dance courses.

Red Sophia, in her initial appearance, is very quick to claim anyone who crosses her has "bismirched" her honour. Tanes Feras apparently did so at some point, leading Henrot to hire Cerebus to torture him to death in revenge in front of Sophia. As they journeyed together to Branpur to do so, Sophia's dancing knocked Cerebus over, prompting him to call her an "idiotic brat". Having her honour bismirched, the two battled, with Cerebus the victor. Thanks to her vow that any man who bests her in a battle would possess her, Sophia indebts herself to him. Unfortunately for her, Cerebus finds her annoying and doesn't return her attempts at affection. This leads to a jealous Thugg the Unseemly challenging Cerebus for her possession in a tavern. When Cerebus refuses to kill the man, Red Sophia does it herself, having had her honour bismirched by him.

Upon reaching Branpur, a disturbed and annoyed Cerebus becomes even more unnerved when he discovers Tanes Feras is in love with Red Sophia. He abandons his attempts to physically torture him, instead telling Sophia that to make Cerebus most happy, she should marry Tanes, which he believes will undoubtably lead to a long life of pure suffering.

The next time we see her, she is after the Black Blossom Lotus which is being transported. She reveals that she has killed her husband because she cannot be with someone who hasn't beaten her in battle. She plans with Cerebus to get the Black Blossom Lotus, but is left at the tracks by Cerebus who sneaks away with it.

In a hotel room in Port Seprania married to Cerebus is where we see her next. She remains married to Cerebus during his second time as Prime Minster of Iest and during his reign as Pope of the Eastern Church. Both her mother and her leave the hotel which they are staying at with Cerebus. She shows up a couple times after that to talk to Cerebus, but Cerebus later "divorces" her without her knowledge when he is in Astoria's prison chamber.

Both Red Sophia and her mother show up on a talk show later.

Sometime following that, she married Elrod and moved in next door to Joanne.

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Skills & Traits

Red Sophia claims that she can best any five boys in Tansubal in sword fighting.

Red Sophia believes herself to be one of the best dancers, having taken dance courses, and finds it loosens her up and helps her to express herself, but wouldn't want to do it for a living, though doesn't rule it out.

She loves to cook, and believes herself to be one of the best. She "cooked" granola for Cerebus once. She shows a disdain for eating meat.

Sophia can sew, having offered to sew sequins on Cerebus' helmet or to make him a monogrammed handkerchief set in issue 3, and later sewing one of his Papal robes.

Sophia is into hand-holding, and believes herself to be good at it, though claims Guarannian tonsil kissing is her specialty.

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Basis

Red Sophia is a parody of Red Sonja, a character from the Conan books and comics. She had her own comic book series for a while, which was drawn by Frank Thorne. She was also partially a tribute to Wendy Pini's portrayal of Red Sonja at science fiction conventions (with Frank Thorne as a wizard).

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