The concluding chapter to the first arc of By The Horns hits like a hammer. There’s going to be very minor spoilers after this paragraph, so the condensed version of the review is: go buy this book (or the entire series).

Markisan Naso gas written one of the best issues he’s ever produced, which surprises me only when you compare this book against a library that is stacked with excellence and it still rises to the top. Within the pages of By The Horns #7 Naso is able to make the antagonist seem very sympathetic without explicitly revealing the reasons behind her actions. I don’t remember how I went from seeing her as the Final Boss to seeing her as more than that. but suddenly there it was – it’s subtly and expertly done.

The sequences that Naso has written within the comic allow the artistic side of the creative team, artist Jason Muhr and colourist Andrei Tabacaru, to showcase some spectacular layouts and visual queues. The art has been remarkably consistent throughout the eight issue run, and dare I say that By The Horns #8 is the highest point of an excellent run? Indeed I do. The tipping point is a series of splash panels that play with the preconceptions that traditional comics may have ingrained into you; three vertical splash pages. The events told over those half dozen pages play out beautifully in the space that Muhr creates. I’ve said it before, and I’ll doubtless say it again; “As always, Muhr and Tabacaru are brilliant. I’m not running out of ways to describe how much I love the art in this book, but I fear my metaphors and analogies are becoming increasingly more erratic and far reaching as I try to put words to (digital) paper in order to capture art that is amongst the best I’ve seen all year. By The Horns is an utterly gorgeous series.”

As you can imagine, this entire issue focuses on the conflict between Elodie and Feng Po, and while there’s a very satisfying conclusion, there are still enough lingering questions to pull you back for the next issue. Elodie’s journey over the first eight issues of the series, both the physical and the emotional, has been riveting and I’ve found myself invested in this character and her companions like few others over the years. By The Horns #8 is a cracking conclusion to the first arc, with the creative team showing why they should have a reputation as one of the best around; I’ll be shocked if you’re not hearing big things from them in the future. This comic is truly something special.

You’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re not reading By The Horns. The next issue will come out Spring 2022. I can’t wait.

Story: Markisan Naso Art/Lettering: Jason Muhr Colors: Andrei Tabacaru
Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy

Scout Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Scout Comics – Zeus Comics – TFAW

I feel like a broken record when I say that the short version of what you’re about to read is that once again, the creative team have delivered a brilliant comic. By The Horns #7 is another high quality entry in a series that keeps hitting new heights.

Written by Markisan Naso, with art by Jason Muhr and colours by Andrei Tabacaru, the comic picks up more or less where issue five left off before issue six took an origin/zero issue style break with Elodie, Sajen, Zoso and Evelyn continuing their quest. Albeit now instead of trying to kill the unicorns, Elodie is trying to save them after Zoso’s revelation that he could heal Elodie’s husband (whom I had assumed was dead and not in a coma, but after rereading the issues, I realized that was an assumption on my end as Shintaro was never explicitly stated as dead, only gone).

By The Horns #7 has a little flavor of everything we’ve seen in the series thus far; fantastical creatures in fully realized cultures, fast violence against vivid backdrops all set against an emotional story that will pull on different strings depending on what you’re feeling in the moment. The series as a whole has been very moving, both the ups and downs of the emotional spectrum, and sometimes the same scene can leave you with different feelings on a second reading. Naso’s storytelling has been utterly wonderful throughout the series.

As always, Muhr and Tabacaru are brilliant. I’m not running out of ways to describe how much I love the art in this book, but I fear my metaphors and analogies are becoming increasingly more erratic and far reaching as I try to put words to (digital) paper in order to capture art that is amongst the best I’ve seen all year. By The Horns is an utterly gorgeous series.

You’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re not reading By The Horns #7.

Story: Markisan Naso Art/Lettering: Jason Muhr Colors: Andrei Tabacaru
Story: 9.7 Art: 10 Overall: 9.8 Recommendation: Buy

Scout Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Scout Comics