BY THE HORNS #3 – An Honest Review

In BY THE HORNS #3, available from Scout Comics on June 23rd, 2021, Elodie and Sajen enjoy the accolades of their victory over the wizard, Futen, but the good times are short-lived when Evelyn shares the secret of the remaining wizards and Elodie is forced to accept the unicorns’ help again.

The Details

• Written By: Markisan Naso
• Art By: Jason Muhr
• Colors By: Andrei Tabacaru
• Letters By: Jason Muhr
• Cover Art By: Jason Muhr, Andrei Tabacaru
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: June 23rd, 2021

Was It Good?

It was very good.

Naso is taking the time to turn Elodie into a hero by slowly placing obstacles and circumstances in her way that forces her to re-examine and prioritize what’s important. By pushing Elodie to act for the greater good, the fuel of her vendetta gets chipped away little by little. You can see her hero turn coming from a mile away, but it’s done so well here that the journey is more enjoyable than the destination.

The art team’s work in this issue is still the most gorgeous stuff on the shelves right now. The lines and colors elevate each other to be greater than the sum of their parts. It’s simply a gorgeous comic.

Overall, this is great writing and great art that sets up the next leg of a hero’s journey worth the price of admission.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

Elodie and Sajen take a day to enjoy the accolades (and free gifts) from the townspeople after defeating Futen the wizard. If you don’t recall what happened, hop on over to our BY THE HORNS #2 review for the straight scoop.

Elodie checks the time and remembers it’s time to kill the unicorns, but Sajen stops her. He reminds her that the other unicorns, and more of his own kind, have likely been captured by the remaining three wizards. They’ll need the magic of their new unicorn “friends” to help defeat them.

Elodie isn’t quite convinced. However, she grudgingly goes along with not killing the unicorns when Evelyn explains killing Futen transferred his power to the other three wizards, which makes them more powerful. In other words, killing one wizard makes the next one stronger.

Elodie, Sajen, Evelyn, and the unicorns set out to kill the remaining wizards. The unicorns, Rigby and Zoso, sense Elodie doesn’t like them but they don’t know why. The tension between the unicorns and Elodie is palpable in every panel simply from the posture and body language and even the lettering. Again, great emotional execution by the art team.

The unlikely party sets out in the direction of the next wizard with the help of Evelyn’s sight. They encounter assorted dangerous creatures along the way, and the unicorns gain an appreciation (and a little bit of apprehension) for Elodie’s skill in killing.

Soon they encounter a sprite village that’s been decimated with wind and flame. They find one sprite alive who pints them in the direction of their attacker.

Back at Wayfarer, Elodie’s home village, one of the field workers returns badly injured. The fields were attacked with deadly wind similar to the sprite’s village. The town leaders fear they may soon be under attack, and they look for a way to call Elodie back, despite kicking her out in the first place. Haru is incensed over the hypocrisy of the leaders and tells them he has no way to contact Elodie.

Back to the forests near the sprite village. We conclude the issue with our band of heroes emerging into a clearing with the next wizard waiting for them.

How Does It End?

Wind is bad enough. Wind and fire is much worse. Elodie’s arrival was foretold. It’s on like Donkey Kong.

Final Thoughts

BY THE HORNS #3 crafts a hero’s journey that’s completely predictable but thoroughly enjoyable. With some of the most gorgeous art on the market, this title continues to impress.

Score: 9.5/10