Dinosaur Hunter Diaries #130: Son of Stone Part 2
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter #44
Then comes grief in a blood-soaked skirmish.
In the present day, Turok and Andy are hiding out in inner-city alleys, avoiding the wrath of murderous drug runners out to silence any potential squealers…
… but in Turok’s mind, he’s thinking back to his time before the Lost Land, when he sought Ravenwing’s hand in marriage by procuring the finest horse he could find from the Nez Perce camp — only to find it under attack! This was the work of the Blackfoot tribe, or more exactly, their Bearjaw Clan — a warrior society who did all the tribe’s dirty work. The Bearjaws made off with all but one of the horses — Turok and Walking Horse took down one of the riders. Little Bear took a nasty blow in the scuffle, and Walking Horse deemed it best they go home — they hardly wanted to hang around and let the Nez Perce think they had a hand in this.
Turok wasn’t giving up without a fight, and especially not without his appaloosa stallion, and continued on the trail of the Bearjaws. He attacked their camp in the night, slaying the guards and letting the horses run free, while taking the mightiest stallion — that of the Nez Perce’s chief — for himself…
… or more precisely, for Ravenwing. The horse whips ass and earned Turok Ravenwing’s hand in courtship, to cherish in a no-doubt long-lasting relationship.
The Nez Perce, having followed the trail of their own horse, laid waste as blazed through to reclaim what was theirs. Turok was rightfully called out for being a dipshit and unwittingly leading the attackers right into their home. And now… Ravenwing is dead.
Stricken with grief and fuelled by vengeance, Turok rode out to attack the Nez Perce, while in present day, Turok launches a similar assault on the drug runners who’ve been tailing him and Andy. Even when vastly outnumbered, facing attackers on horseback or on motorbike, Turok manages to come out on top. In present day, it’s because he’s been around the block a few times. Back then… I’m not sure what the reasoning is. Manpain just does that to a guy.
After slaying the Nez Perce raiders, Naiche, now chief, beckoned Turok back home from his self-imposed exile; he cannot hold the ache of loneliness in his heart forever. In the present, he takes Andy back out to the plains, and ascribes some kind of meaning to their last big brouhaha.
The story ends with the thinnest of platitudes to make it all seem worthwhile. It offers meatier story and action than the previous issue, but at the end of the day it’s more a showcase for Mozart Cuoto’s art; filled to burst with double-spreads of action and drama, telling its tale through imagery far more than text and dialogue. It’s extremely well done… I just wish it was in a story I gave a hoot about! At this point I’m just waiting until Tim Truman takes the wheel again and steers us home… and we haven’t long left under his wing, sadly. Enjoy it while you can!
