Elodie, Sajen and Evelyn set sail for the continent of Yalastra aboard Captain Alkeb’s ship, the Wavesplitter. But their journey to the unicorns’ homeland doesn’t go quite as smoothly as they hoped in By the Horns: Dark Earth #3.
I was somewhat surprised to see the third issue of By The Horns: Dark Earth release the week after the second issue, though it does make a pleasant surprise for when I can finally head to my LCS tomorrow (Wednesday) to pick up both physical copies after being housebound last week because of the ‘rona. After last week’s brain fog, it was actually quite lovely to get to read this comic and be able to take it all in within the first read or two (unlike the four or five it took me last week), and it shouldn’t need to be said at this point, but the book didn’t disappoint.
As I said with the two previous reviews; there’s going to be very minor spoilers for this issue after this paragraph, so the condensed version of the review is (once again): go buy this book, the two previous issue, add the rest to your pull list, and then buy the first volume in trade.
This issue takes place almost entirely on the water, and the vibe of the comic is distinctly different than the previous issue; there’s a lot more blue hues within the pages of this issue, which you would expect given that it’s a comic with pirates on the open ocean, but colourist Steve Cannon has an almost photorealistic quality to some of the more turbulent scenes. The comic is like a blend between Finding Nemo and Waterworld (before you judge me for that, I actually liked the movie but am specifically referring to the aesthetics of Costner’s film), with both a vibrancy and an emptiness that’s hard to quantify.
Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr prove once again why they’re a team to keep an eye on. The writer and artist respectively have yet to put out anything even close to an average comic book, with By The Horns: Dark Earth #3 showcasing what they can do when the story calls for what is essentially a water based chase scene – typically nothing too visually exciting will come from this without some form of obstacle, for a glorious three page sequence with some really fun layouts, Naso and Muhr buck the trend.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you REALLY can’t go wrong with this series; it’s so much fun – and yet emotionally heavy at the same time.
Story: Markisan Naso Art/Lettering: Jason Muhr Colors: Steve Cannon
Story: 9.2 Art: 9.4 Overall: 9.3 Recommendation: Buy
Scout Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review. Alex also purchased a physical copy of all comics/trades referenced within the review.
Purchase: Scout Comics – Zeus Comics
Source: Graphic Policy
