Orcs Know All: Reviewing ‘The Hunger And The Dusk’ #4

Politics are a messy, clashing, wheeling and dealing affair that can divide families. Even for the variety of Orc clans.

As the war against the Vangol continues, the Orc and Human alliance might be at stake in The Hunger And The Dusk #4. More depth and development are added to this interesting world by G. Willow Wilson, Chris Wildgoose, Msassyk, Diana Sousa, and Simon Bowland.

I’ll never tire of opening this series and just gazing upon the pages. I get lost in the fantastic visual depth creates such a lush varied tangible world. Plenty of emotional energy just bounces off the pages, making these characters instantly familiar and endearing or terrifying.

World-building goes beyond just writing characters, giving them personalities and the like. In visual mediums, so much of the building is about those visuals. Wildgoose, Msassyk, and Sousa do that so wonderfully.

From well-crafted action sequences, to characters are standing around having discourse, it all has a certain flowing energy. Movement is the perfect way to describe it. Things move within the space, having a sense of weight and purpose. Backgrounds move from deeply detailed to sparse, depending on what any given moment requires. Either way, they make sure to compliment the characters. At the same time, there is a whimsical type of energy flowing through every bit creating an interesting combination with the heavier/more serious tone.

The colors are heavier, but also light. Many of them fall more toward the middle of the spectrum, in a very toned-down sort of way, allowing various elements to feel more real or familiar. Many of the brighter colors give the fantasy, magic, and fantastical stand out. I mentioned that darker heavier tone above, and we feel that, thanks to many of the swirling shadows and darker colors that move through everything.

Completing the visual portion are the letters. Bowland is a solid letterer, allowing every piece that appears on the page to help create the right atmosphere. Personality and emotion are clear, as are the tone and volume of any words. All of the bubbles and captions are well placed, moving through the panels in such a smooth way. No voice overwhelms the art or each other, unless they are meant to do so for effect.

Slow-building and comic books are not always a match made in heaven.

Chiefly this comes from the more Western concept of monthly installments, stretching a story out piece by piece through a year or more. Unlike other market formats or other forms of media, it brings the risk that the audience will tap out if things aren’t explained or played out fast enough. If the characters aren’t developed enough and the story isn’t compelling enough (hits a slow patch) it could be a slow march toward cancelation or irrelevance.

Don’t worry, there is no chance this applies to this series.

As if that would be a concern with Wilson donning the writer hat. No matter the publisher, character, or genre, we’ve long seen that developing characters and playing the long game are steady tools in her arsenal. It’s a joy to have this series and her other book Poison Ivy in my review queue each month because they are so similar in some respects but also so different. Beyond the fact that one is part of a long-running superhero brand.

That shared DNA comes from the ability to bring such a deep spotlight to characters, fleshing out a world to the point of it being so tangible. Within this series, there are so many compelling characters we’re still getting to know that taking time away from any of them doesn’t leave us wanting. Our mostly human characters have little focus here, outside of the tracker Mikil (who is also being tracked), giving us plenty of time to play with the Orcs. Good thing Overlord Troth and Lady Faran are such great characters with their baggage, their growing romance, and so many other avenues to explore.

Just like the humans, the various Orcs are not a monolith when it comes to opinions and desires. Some are willing to sell out the humans to satisfy their own needs, potentially weakening the already unstable war effort. Through all this, we learn even more about how deep and prepared the Vangol are, and hints at something bigger at play still to be discovered. It’s a slow build, but the right kind of slow build. One where so much is delivered each issue, it never feels too slow or that we’re not getting enough.

Much like what Goldilocks came to find, this is all just right.

The Hunger And The Dusk #4 is now available from IDW Publishing.