A Review of By The Horns Dark Earth #7

By The Horns Dark Earth #7
Markisan Naso words
Jason Muhr art & letters
Steve Canon colors
From Scout Comics

You ever get caught up in the past while searching for bigger, better things? Peep the solicit:

Evelyn chronicles her adventures in a journal as she and her friends make their way across the enchanted continent of Yalastra in search of the historian, Norriva, who may hold the key to finding pure magic.

By The Horns is back, baybees, and this issue is big! Big feels. Big pages. Big magic.

I’ve long confessed that Evelyn is my favorite character. She’s as complex as she is tentacled, and this issue does a beautiful job at getting inside her head and portraying all the layers that cumulate in her wonderful self.

Her past wasn’t easy, and some of these journal entries aren’t easy to read. Though Markisan’s prose flows like the wild, magical rivers these characters ford, the content of these well-crafted bursts of prose weighs heavy on the audience’s shoulders.

Throughout this issue, Evelyn is coming to terms with her past trauma, and her strengths shine because of this. Though menacing enough with her tentacles wrapped around a blaster rifle, her mind and spirit are where her true powers lie. Her resilience is remarkable, and her ability to stay loyal, both to herself and her compatriots, is a glorious thing to behold.

Though I’ve never been enslaved by a dark wizard, I’ve had my own demons to battle and felt instantly relatable to her numerous vulnerabilities. I’ve often wondered if it would be easier to wrap myself in chains and walk out into that ocean, to let myself sink into an abyss and succumb to the tragedies we all face, but like Evelyn, I found the strength to pull myself out. I, too, found passion, love, and the vigor to turn away from those dark temptations.

The power this issue holds in its relatability is commendable, and Markisan Naso contains the tenderness and talent to produce such a script in a respectable, astounding way.

On top of the wondrous prose, the issue is told in massive, sweeping splash pages. Jason Muhr steps up to bat and, yet again, cracks that wood against a speeding ball to send it over the fences. These pages are bold and fully realized. They lack no details and spare no expense. The tears Markisan installed into my eyes were often left to dry, as I couldn’t allow myself to blink, fearful of, even temporarily, losing the gorgeous energy Muhr left on every single page.

Steve Canon’s colors combat the harsh emotions Evelyn reveals. I’ve been so impressed with his work since coming onto this book. He makes it better, makes the magic real. Canon has the power to make the secrets of Yalastra shine, birthing this fictional world into a tangible miracle.

Again, finding myself in Evelyn’s persona, I’m realizing I don’t have the words to portray the majesty of this new issue. I’m looking out at this new world bewildered and tongue-tied, feeling as if I need to develop new words to find meaning.

It’s a work of fantamajerialism. It’s hyper-violetized and pulchritudinous. It’s rich and decadiliant.

By The Horns fans are eating well this month.

I’d also like to remind everyone that By The Horns has taken Kickstarter by storm. The deluxe hardcover edition of Volume 1 is currently live on the platform and doing well. Like this issue, the new edition is larger than life and exquisite. It’s also got some great add-ons and back matter. Plus, Evelyn will be featured in a new short that won’t be available anywhere else!

Click here to check it out.