A Triumphant Return For Turok #1!
by Josh Davison
[*Mild Spoilers Ahead!]
A group of cavalrymen are dragging a young Native American man through the desert. The young man’s name is Andar, and he has no doubt that his brother is on his way to save him from the cavalry. His brother is Turok, and he does indeed ambush the men holding his brother. Turok frees Andar, and they are chased further into the mountains by the soldiers. The situation still looks dire, and things take a strange turn when a velociraptor comes out of the canyon to attack the cavalry troops.
The Son of Stone returns with Turok #1 courtesy of Ron Marz, Roberto Castro, and Dynamite Entertainment. This first issue tracks back to his origins, before he became acquainted with dinosaurs, cavemen, and other prehistoric beasts.
Turok #1 is a fast-paced and tense issue, focusing on Turok’s rescue of his brother and the ensuing pursuit. The supernatural elements don’t show up until the final pages, with the above-mentioned velociraptor and the inevitable pathway to another time and place–which makes up the cliffhanger.
Ron Marz keeps the narrative tight. We are taken straight into the action and the conflict, and there’s never a doubt that the villains are evil. No punches are pulled their either; Turok and Andar’s only “crime” before this chase refusing to go to the reservations.
Roberto Castro’s artwork is excellent too. It brings the reader to a gritty and unforgiving wasteland in the American Southwest. Both it and its villains are cruel and deadly. Andar and Turok are the weathered but determined force defying both. Salvatore Aiala brings it home with a bright and evaporating color palette of brown, yellow, and sparse greens.
Turok #1 is a pleasingly straightforward and tense issue which finds the classic hero and his brother at odds with the very world that surrounds them. It’s a brief read, but it’s very satisfying. This one earns a recommendation with ease. Give it a read.
Turok #1 comes to us from writer Ron Marz, artist Roberto Castro, color artist Salvatore Aiala, letterer A Different World Studios’ Troy Peteri, cover artist Bart Sears, and variant cover artists Butch Guice with Dan Brown, Jeffery Veregge, and Castro with Aiala.
