“Some of us believe this world must be cleansed of filthy magic.” The words that Owlslin Captain Shanora Zel spoke in the snow hills of Ataraxy still burn hot in her mind as she recovers from her brutal fight with Elodie and plots to avenge the Tiger Fang Enchantress, Feng Po.

What I thoroughly enjoyed about this issue is that it’s largely told from the perspective of one of the villains/antagonists from the previous series. The series writer Markisan Naso flexes his creative muscles and has you empathizing with Shanora Zel by the end of the issue – will you root for her as much as Elodie and the rest of the eclectic cast of characters we’ve been following since By The Horns #1? No, probably not, because we’ve nearly a dozen issues with those folks, but you definitely get an understanding of Shanora Zel, and you can’t help but understand where her mind is at. By The Horns: Dark Earth #4 serves almost as an interlude to the series because of its focus on Shanora Zel, emphasizing the length of our main characters’ journey across the ocean, but it’s also another layer to the story being woven by Naso and artist Jason Muhr, and one that’s bound to pay off in the next couple of issues.

This isn’t the most action packed issue of the series, instead the pages being dedicated to fleshing out the character of Shanora Zel, explaining certain choices that are made (this is a really vague way to avoid spoilers, because the reveal wasn’t entirely unsurprising but nonetheless fantastically done), with her story and motivation mirroring Elodie’s. I’m not going to call this a fill in issue, because it’s far from it, but it is a nice interlude to the main story. And it’s an interlude that actually drives the story forward.

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: 9.1 Art: 9.3 Overall: 9.2 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

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

Elodie, Sajen, and Evelyn return to the port city of Lycus, where they hope to book passage on a ship to Yalastra, a continent that may hold the key to stopping the dark blight ravaging their homeland. But first, they’ll have to deal with some dangerous locals, who are none too happy with Elodie.

I had been saving this book to read, despite having it in my meaty (digital) hands for awhile until closer to its release date, and then I caught Covid-19 and any hope of me reading it in time to get the review ready and published in time was out the window. My brain felt like it has had a fog placed over it the last few days – not unlike a mild concussion – and yet for the most part my symptoms haven’t been too bad. All that said, there’s a reason I bring this up, because reading a comic by Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr (writer and artist/letter respectively) is always going to be a highlight in my to read pile, and despite this one taking me a bit longer to get to, By The Horns: Dark Eath #2 was just what I was hoping it would be; slightly depressing, and yet entirely wonderful.

As I said with the last review; 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, add the rest to your pull list, and then buy the first volume.

Elodie and the world saving gang of wonderful misfits arrive in Lycus, a settlement that feels both horribly familiar to any who have ever lived in towns, or cities, that have fallen on hard times. Muhr’s designs for the streets look like could be taken from almost any modern town, minus the obvious (the denizens of Lycus), which builds on the uncomfortable sense you get from reading the book. The bleakness of the visuals exacerbates Naso’s script; this story is set after the world was saved, and yet… was it really saved?

The second issue of By The Horns: Dark Earth hits in ways I wasn’t quite expecting – granted, I was hoping that we’d see more of the stakes at, uh, stake…. (I don’t know what I was trying to say with that sentence, but I left it there because it kinda makes me chuckle in my fogged haze so I figured it may make you chuckle to. Or it might not. Either way) …now that Elodie has to save the world again; although this time she’s arguably saving it from her own actions which adds an interesting level of complexity to the situation that she and the gang find themselves in. This time she’s not out for revenge, but for more altruistic reasons.

Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr continue to go from strength to strength as a creative force, and are one of the few teams I’ll pick up anything they put out (and I literally mean that – despite being given review copies, I own the floppies and trades of their previous works). By The Horns: Dark Earth #2 is awesome – a chapter that’s going to work beautifully in the collected edition, but one you shouldn’t wait to read. This series is fresh, exciting, and head and shoulders above anything else on the racks right now.

Story: Markisan Naso Art/Lettering: Jason Muhr Colors: Steve Cannon
Story: 9.4 Art: 9.4 Overall: 9.4 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

By the Horns returns with Dark Earth. Magic is draining from the world leaving crops failing, monsters attacking, and Elodie and her friends tasked with saving the day.

Story: Markisan Naso
Art/Lettering: Jason Muhr
Colors: Steve Cannon

Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

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By The Horns: Dark Earth #1 takes place six months after the hellacious battle in the sky with the evil sorceress, Feng Po. Elodie and Sajen are back in Wayfarer, reluctantly settling into their new lives as… farmers?! But their days spent tilling the land in overalls proves short-lived when a mysterious blight devastates the continent of Solothus and forces them to take up a new quest.

It’s always an exciting day when I get a copy of a book by Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr (writer and artist/letter respectively) in my inbox. The new chapter to the second arc of By The Horns is every bit as awesome as the previous arc; my average score per issue for that series would have been at least a 9.5, but I’m not sure exactly what because I haven’t gone back to check – suffice it to say that the trade, which is out now, is one of the best reads you’ll have this summer.

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, add the rest to your pull list, and then buy the first volume.

Picking up the story six months after the conclusion on the previous arc, The Wind Rises, we find that monster hunter and all around bad ass Elodie has hung up her sword and picked up the instruments of a farmer as she tries to adjust to life without an enemy to fight.

Of course, things rarely go to plan, and it isn’t long before Elodie drops the plow and has to take up the sword again; now while this is technically a minor spoiler, realistically you can’t expect anything less given that there’s a new arc beginning for the series. What I enjoyed more about the transition from farmer to warrior again was in how Naso pulls it off. There’s no real sudden switch, no immediate threat that shows up, but a slow build to the realization that she needs to fight for Solothus once again. I enjoyed the way Naso opens the story, and while it’s certainly a slower opening than the second and third arcs of his previous series Voracious, I think it actually works a lot more effectively in hooking you into the story.

It should come as no surprise to those who have followed his work, but Jason Muhr’s art has been trending upward in terms of quality; he’s consistently on, and I genuinely don’t remember a time where I haven’t been able to read the story purely from his visuals. Long time collaborator Andrei Tabacaru isn’t providing the colours this time, instead colourist Steve Cannon is fleshing out the pages of By The Horns: Dark Earth; in terms of quality and consistency, you’ll have a hard time noticing based on this issue, but I’m curious what Cannon will bring to the following issues.

Markisan Naso and Jason Muhr are probably my favorite writer/artist combination in comics, and at this point they’ve earned my trust when it comes to whatever new series they’re putting out, and this comic just reinforces that trust. You’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re not reading By The Horns. The next issue of By The Horns: Dark Earth will come out in July – and while I’ve already got it on my desktop, I still can’t wait to get my hands on the physical copy.

Story: Markisan Naso Art/Lettering: Jason Muhr Colors: Steve Cannon
Story: 9.4 Art: 9.4 Overall: 9.4 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