Written by Markisan Naso
Art and Letters by Jason Muhr
Colors by Andrei Tabacaru
Published by Scout Comics

Once upon a time, Elodie fell for a good man named Shintaro. They made a life together filled with adventure, laughter and love. Then one day… it was cruelly ripped away from them. This is their story.

This is the most emotional and profoundly important issue of By the Horns yet. The tragic backstory of Elodie and Shintaro is explained in a visual story-telling method utilizing very minimal dialogue (4 words total). This meeting of Elodie and Shintaro and their life together is depicted in this beautifully moving method throughout the issue, leading up to the death of Shintaro at the hand (or hooves) of Unicorns.

In the classic By the Horns way, we get a twist to how his death really happened and it has me so excited for what will come next. We also get the growing of the bond between the half wolf/half deer steed, Sajen, and Elodie after Shintaro’s death (and the bond between Shintaro and Sajen as Sajen was growing up) that really explains how and why events at the start of issue one were happening.

Markisan Naso crafts a beautiful story without saying a word and this allows for Jason Muhr’s art to shine and depict the love that grew between Elodie and Shintaro over the years. This issue does not drive the current story forward, but instead this issue is so important to understanding Elodie’s grief and her hatred and desire for revenge against the unicorns.

If you want a perfect example of the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” then pick up issue 6 of By the Horns this week and give it a read!

Rating 9/10

By the Horns #6 is out 10/6/2021!

Cover A (JUL211899):