Scout's Honour #4

Scout’s Honour #4

Aftershock Comics 2021

Created & Written by David Pepose

Illustrated by Luca Casalanguida

Coloured by Matt Milla

Lettered by Carlos S. Mangual

Since the days of the Final War, the Ranger Scouts of America have honed their survivalist teachings for a singular purpose: to conquer the radioactive horrors of the Colorado Badlands.

But after discovering the truth behind the Ranger Scout doctrine, Kit is driven into the post-apocalyptic wilderness and left for dead. With a savage predator on her trail, Kit must use every ounce of training to survive – but after all she’s sacrificed, can this true believer endure losing her religion?

This is a fun book that’s for darn sure. Kit is one of those rare character finds that comes along every so often who changes the face of in one way or another. David write this with such aplomb and it’s got the heavy drama to go with the intrigue factor that makes this much more than your ordinary post apocalyptic tale. I’m still a fan of the fact that the fall of civilisation was never detailed because it’s never been needed. This is what it is because we’re caught up in all the ways that it could have gone down on our own which is that whole engagement factor that helps make up fantastic storytelling.

I am a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how we see the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exceptionally well. The fact that Kit is betrayed by her best friend as well as his father, who leads the Scouts, and yet refuses to take this sitting down really helps define who she is and to see the sequence in which all of this comes to pass is expertly done. The character development that we see here is absolutely phenomenal. From how we see the characters act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter to the dialogue we see is how they are fleshed out as people. The pacing is superb and as it takes us through the pages blending action and story is says we’re in the presence of a writer on the verge of being one of the strongest.

How we see this being structured as well as how the layer within the story continue to grow, change and evolve is exciting. There’s an electricity to the story that’s hard to replicate and it really grabs you by the balls so to speak. How everything works together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as move the story forward is crazy good to see.

The interiors here are fabulous! How we see the linework through its varying weights and techniques being utilised to bring out this level and quality in the detail work we see is extraordinary. Backgrounds play a large role within this series and when we don’t see them it’s because the composition within the panels don’t need them to add more to the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story that we do get. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective within the panels show such a marvellous eye for storytelling. The creativity and imagination that we see is superb and its in the creatures as well as the backgrounds where this really shines. The colour work is amazing and how we see the various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a stellar eye for how colour can and should be utilised.

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David’s writing here with the story and characterisation showcases that he’s not only arrived but he’s now a force to be reckoned with in the industry. With the interiors here they’ve all created this amazing world that ends next issue, well for now anyway. This is what comics are all about folks as they engage the reader and take you to a time and place that shatters your imagination and brings you places you never knew you wanted to be.