Written by Markisan Naso
Art and letters by Jason Muhr
Colors by Steve Canon
Published by Scout Comics

“Scout Comics hit title By the Horns is back! Six months after their hellacious battle in the sky with the evil sorceress, Feng Po, Elodie and Sajen are back in Wayfarer, reluctantly settling into their new lives as… farmers?! But their days spent tilling the land in overalls proves short-lived when a mysterious blight devastates the continent of Solothus and forces them to take up a new quest.”

I am so excited to return to the world of By The Horns and see Elodie, Sajen, and Evelyn back on the pages! Volume one was one of my favorite reads from last year and this first issue reminds me of why. We’re back to a world of sci-fi, fantasy and magic – except now the continent of Solothus may be lacking the magic that kept it going and this could spell trouble for its people. In just one issue all of the emotions built up in volume one come spilling back into the pages and prepare the reader for the next journey in Elodie and Sajen’s saga. A new tragedy has stricken the land, but even through that Markisan Naso finds a way to insert wry humor and reminders of the heartache we felt in issue #6 from the first volume (if you haven’t read this and need a good cry, please do).

Jason Muhr’s artwork is incredible as always as he brings new beasts to life in the pages of this issue and again reminds us of why he’s the best at creating hybrid creatures (seriously check out the info in the back of the issue to see his process). For a new chapter of the story, Elodie gets a bit of a character design change and more details are strewn about in the background that after talking with Jason and Markisan (watch here: ) I am sure will come back to affect the story later. Lastly, you cannot even tell that there was a change in colorist, as Steven Canon picks up the reins easily and impresses with such a range of vibrant beautiful colors and dark sinister tones.

Elodie, Sajen, and Evelyn have already experienced such growth in volume one and are on the precipice of another adventure that may change them forever as Elodie faces down the consequences of her actions from volume one. Buckle up and grab life by the horns because we are now back on the journey of a lifetime through monsters, magic, and all things tragic. By The Horns: Dark Earth #1 is out now! Issue #2 will be in shops soon.