True evil.
One of the major themes of this book has been that for all
the visual gruesomeness we’ve seen in the form of buffalotaurs and giant frogs,
the true villain has been man.
That gets exposed in the worst way possible in this issue,
though Chris Dingess takes pains to signify that the environment itself isn’t
that forgiving.
Roberts is always a visual joy and he proves it again this
issue. His facial work is absolutely delightful; through it’s in the macabre
that his art takes flight. One can just see the final page of every issue and
understand how good this guy is.
SPOILERS FOLLOW……………
When last we left our travelers, Clark and his group were in
the waters with a gigantic mutated frog while Lewis and the rest watched the
horror show from the ship.
Sadly one straggler gets taken even as Clark and his team
make it to shore – only now they are separated from Lewis’ group.
I love how Roberts shows the kill. As like the ripples
across the water, the moment passes. One ripple he’s struggling, the next only
his hand is seen and then, that too is gone, leaving only a pool of blood in its
wake.
The ‘unwanted on both sides’ bond between Clark and
Sacagawea is on show as she saves his life two times in this issue (don’t
worry, she’s keeping count) – first by cutting of a stray tentacle tongue of
the frog that grips Clark’s leg and then reveals that she led them to the particular
side of the shore because it seems the flowers there are driving all wildlife
away. Through the latter feels more fortunate than any real result of her work.
Clark and Lewis communicate using a rope tied from the ship’s
mast to a tree on the shore, as they send rations and Lewis’ drawings on the
ship’s current predicament and the beast that stalks them (giving it the name ‘Ranidea’
or true frog) while Clark sends the severed tongue for study .
One of the men, Shaw, attempts to use the line to go to the
boat but sadly, one frog jump later, he’s lost. This leads to both Clark and
Lewis taking charge on their different fronts.
The Irene Lebrun-Corporal Hardy B-plot also continues with
some unexpected resolution. First we see if Irene falling into the water as
they try to escape the frog and Hardy saving her. Then when Clark
delegates the crew to search the forest and gather specimens, Irene and Hardy
form a pair (even as one of the convicts Jensen gives them the shifty look) and
we suppose that Hardy will have to be the shining knight to whatever befalls
them.
But what actually transpires is in the solitary of the
forest, Hardy’s good natured mask comes off and he attempts to rape Irene,
confessing that he had been playing her since the beginning to get in her good
books.
This horrible incident dulls us to the attack by a humongous
fly, who kills Hardy and is about to attack Irene. I love how we get Hardy
going faint even as he attempts to do the same to Irene, and that gives rise to
our suspicions before Roberts does the reveal.
I love how despite the monstrosity on show with the stalking
frog and the hideous insect, we saw mostly the vices inherent in man –
foolishness, lust and savagery. Chris seems to be portraying the humans as the
monsters that have interrupted the natural balance, instead of the opposite.
SPOILERS END…………..
With some great imagery, some interesting dialogue on the
nature of man and all around great moments, Dingess and Roberts continue to
work well.
Given that there weren’t more ‘monsters’ in the main event
here, Roberts does remarkably well with his human work, as faces change and
evolve with the circumstances. The panel pacing is also excellent.
So, I give this 9.0 out of 10
+Good commentary on the human nature
+Great facial work
+Excellent panel progression
+The final reveal
-Clark’s rescue hinged on a
fortunate incident instead of any real action
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