At The Mercy Of The Hunters In Dark Ark #14
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
The monsters have been taken prisoner by mysterious hunters that attacked the Dark Ark as soon as it made landfall. Even Shrae is now at the mercy of these hunters, and the powers that once supported Shrae have left him to die. That leaves it to Kruul, Gritworm, Khalee, and the rest of Shrae’s family to stop the hunters and free the monsters. Is that enough, and are they worth freeing to begin with?
Dark Ark #14 finds Shrae and the monsters completely at the mercy of a mysterious race. We don’t know who they are, what they want, or how they survived God’s flood.
Not a lot of forward motion is made in this issue, as much of its runtime is spent showing Shrae and the monsters in the hunters’ holding, though we do get a glimpse at just how powerful the hunters may be.
The remainder of the book is spent with Kruul, Gritworm, Khalee, and the other surviving children of Shrae. Kruul is angry and wanting to recover his cub, Gritworm wants more straightforward revenge, and the children of Shrae just want to survive.
Khalee does make a decision that may shape her future and the future of the rest of Shrae’s family, and it builds a bit more on that character in an interesting fashion.
Kruul the manticore is still my favorite character out of this mottley and monstrous crew, and I hope he keeps getting to lead the plot for a bit from here.
Juan Doe’s artwork really shines in this issue, giving the hunters an intimidating visage and stance, showing how dire things have gotten for our protagonists, and making the island itself seem like an ancient place of evil. His color work is always very strong and effective at building the tone and atmosphere of this world.
Dark Ark #14 is a slow-moving issue, but it has plenty of strong points to keep the reader entertained. We see how Kruul, Khalee, and the others may save Shrae and the monsters, and we get a bit more time with these mysterious hunters. It’s a solid read and worth a recommendation. Feel free to pick it up.
Dark Ark #13 comes to us from writer Cullen Bunn, artist and cover artist Juan Doe, and letterer Dave Sharpe.
