PRAIRIE GODS #2, by Mad Cave Studios on 10/16/24, sends Sheriff Read into the hills surrounding Broadacres on the hunter for a criminal. Before the night is done, the hills will claim another victim.
Credits:
- Writer: Shane Connery Volk
- Artist: Shane Connery Volk
- Colorist: Shane Connery Volk
- Letterer: Becca Carey
- Cover Artist: Shane Connery Volk
- Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
- Release Date: October 16, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Page Count: 32
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of PRAIRIE GODS #2:
First Impressions:
Writer/Artist Shane Connery Volk’s supernatural anthology series kicks into overdrive with another winning tale about a bad man who encounters worse things in the dead of night. Brimming with style and atmosphere, Volk’s dark fantasy is just the ticket for readers looking for darkness in the desert.
Plot Analysis:
Prairie Gods #2 begins with Sheriff Ned Reade receiving a call from the office about a fugitive spotted in the area. Donald Cyrus was spotted passing through Cash City. Sheriff Reade knows he needs to find Cyrus before he gets into the hills.
Shane Connery Volk steps on the gas with this episodic anthology series by establishing the context, stakes, and pacing in just a few panels. The quick exchange between Sheriff Reade and his dispatch office tells readers everything they need to know and establishes the Sheriff’s knowing attitude about the hills.
Soon, the Sheriff stops at a watering hole in Cash City to enquire about the sightings of Cyrus. A pair of bikers don’t show the Sheriff the hospitality he’s due as a lawman, so when they attack him with pool cues and guns, the Sheriff shows he’s faster than a speeding bullet and able to put down a pair of younger, stronger men with ease. Before he leaves the watering hole, Sheriff Reade gets the intel he needs – Cyrus is headed for Broadacre and the hills beyond.
Sheriff Read’s confrontation with the bikers demonstrates he has years of experience dealing with bigger, stronger, tougher men, and we get a hint that the Sheriff is more than human. It’s unclear who or what the Sheriff really is, but he’s certainly not typical.
The Sheriff switches to horseback when he prepares to enter the hills outside Broadacres to find Cyrus. The scene switches to Cyrus wandering the hills after this truck broke down. As nightfall approaches, Cyrus happens upon a small encampment owned by an old man who offers Cyrus a spot of rest by the fire.
The old man tells Cyrus to be careful of the hills because they have a way of looking into a man’s heart and judging him accordingly. When the two hunker down for a night’s sleep, Cyrus decides to steal the old man’s pistol and take all his supplies, but the fugitive soon learns the hills are intolerant of black hearts.
Overall, Prairie Gods #2 is another fantastic tale of supernatural suspense and dark fantasy. Shane Connery Volk’s script and art recreate the whimsical essence of episodic storytelling in the same vein as Tales From The Crypt for a creepy good time.
Artwork and Presentation:
Shane Connery Volk pulls double duty as writer and artist, so you’re all but assured the art and script work together in perfect synchronicity. Volk’s eye for dramatic framing is exquisite, and his knack for flourishes and movement is amazing.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Prairie Gods is an anthology of one-and-done stories centered around the town of Broadacres, but the characters carry over from one issue to the next. For example, Sheriff Reade made a brief cameo in issue #1, and local race car legend Freddy Davis, star of issue #1, makes a brief cameo in this issue.
Final Thoughts:
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PRAIRIE GODS #2 is another entertaining tale of the supernatural in Shane Connery Volk’s anthology series. Volk’s story about a fugitive on the run who finds more than he bargained for is a perfect Tales From The Crypt material, and Volk’s signature art style plays up the whimsical drama tenfold.
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