When we last left our hero Kit, she had made Eagle Guard. But before the honor had a chance to grow on her, she scaled the Eagle’s Nest to find out if her suspicions about the demise of Doctor Hancock were true. Unfortunately, they were and to make matters worse, the Scoutmaster had discovered her presence and condemned her to death. Not exactly how the end of the day was supposed to go.
A Secret Revealed
Although she was discovered and her beliefs were challenged in a way they had never been before, Kit tried to make sense of it all. Why would the Ranger Scouts arm the Highwaymen? The very men who had killed her father. And why would the Scoutmaster play a willing part in it? As it turns out, like most villains, the Scoutmaster was more than willing to reveal his reasoning. Every society needed a common enemy. Someone that would rally them to join forces with the Scouts, their saviors. And that enemy would be the Highwaymen. Too bad that Kit wouldn’t be a part of that. Especially since her former best friend and the Scoutmaster’s son Dez discovered that she was a girl. That and her knowledge of what had happened made it easy for the Scoutmaster to pass sentence.
Escape
However, Kit and Webelo (her recently discovered drone) had other ideas. They crashed out the window and down into the water as the bullets came raining down upon her. She had made her escape but was the worse for wear because of it. Crashing through the window left her with a severe laceration. Fortunately for her, Doctor Webelo used a laser to cauterize the wound. Fortunate other than the agonizing pain of the laser. But that wasn’t the pain that was the most intense. It was learning that her whole life had been built on a lie. The Scouts, the Scout Laws…none of it was worth a damn. She had lived her life based on those beliefs. Her father had raised her on the sacred tenants of Dr. Hancock. She was devastated, exhausted and defeated. But she wasn’t alone.
The Badlands
Which was not a surprise since she was in the Badlands. All manner of predators roamed this area including Hellspiders. Big, nasty, and just what she DIDN’T need at that moment. However, perhaps it would be for the best. She was done. The spider would be doing her a favor by ending it. That how she felt at that moment. But fate, and the storms had other ideas. The acid rain began to fall which caused the spider to abandon Kit for the moment. Not long after, a severe lightning strike hit a couple of nearby junk cars and a curved piece of wood shot through the shelter her and Webelo had been hunkered down in. To Kit, it was a sign. Dr. Hancock reminding her she was NOT done. She would use that wood to make a bow and arm herself. Plus the car’s windshield would serve to protect her from the rain. No time for doubts. It was time for round two with her Spider friend.
Kit vs The HellSpider II (The Rematch)
Now armed, Kit was not going to let the Spider win the day. While she may not be a Ranger Scout to the Scoutmaster or the others, she still believed. She would always be prepared. So she took the fight to the Spider. When it was all said and done, she was victorious but not unscathed. What else is new lately. She also realized there was another Spider present. But this one was a youngster. And while Webelo recommended she dispatch with the threat, Kit remembered Hancock’s Fifth Scout Law: “A SCOUT ALWAYS SHOWS MERCY.” Besides, she had a place to go. It was time to see the Highwaymen.
Surrendering to the Highwaymen
So if you’re going straight into the Lions den, it makes sense to make a grand entrance. Well riding in on a large HellSpider certainly makes an impression. But a fight was not what she was looking for. She surrendered herself with the hope that they would listen to her story. To listen to reason. She told them that the Scouts had been arming some of their people to start a war. To back up her story, Kit had Webelo play the information he had shown her.
At first, reason seemed to be in short supply. Fortunately for Kit, the Highwaymen’s leader was a more open minded lady. They locked Kit up while they checked out her story. Come to find out, it didn’t take long for her men to come clean about their plans. A little interrogation will do that. But what the leader of the Highwaymen didn’t understand is why Kit would give them this information. Wasn’t SHE a Scout? Kit contemplated this question and came to the conclusion that she did it because she wanted to survive. She wanted them all to survive. Was she a Scout? She wasn’t sure anymore, but she knew one thing…she WAS a believer.
Thoughts
AfterShock’s Scouts Honor has been steadily building this drama filled story from the very first issue. It does so with a great lead character that captured fans from the beginning. By now, writer David Pepose has us trapped as we feel the anguish that Kit suffers as everything her father had raised her to believe was trod upon. For a unbelievably strong character, it was hard to watch as she basically gave into the despair of her situation. A loss of faith is a hard mountain to climb. But it was equally uplifting to see her battle through it. That mental toughness, as seen throughout the first four issues, is what made her a great Ranger Scout and made it easy to root for her. In similar fashion, it also emphasizes the irony that perhaps the best example of the Scout standards set by Dr. Hancock is a female. Regardless of what the Scoutmaster says. Needless to say, Pepose has set us up for an exciting grand finale. All I can say is, I’m prepared.
Artwork that Brings it
By now, Luca Casalanguida has pretty much proven his wide ranging artistic skills in this series. From intense action sequences, grotesque creatures and gut wrenching dramatic moments, Casalanguida has been up to the challenge and then some. This issue gave him ample opportunities to explore every kind of scene and dig deep into Kit’s anguish and her resolution. He brought his A-Game and it showed. His diverse skill set is just what the series has called for from the very start. Along with colorist Matt Milla, and letterer Carlos M. Mangual, they have helped to make Scouts Honor a must read. I’m really looking forward to what the final will bring.
AfterShock’s Scouts Honor is available where all great comics are sold.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 50 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove head first over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 18 year old boy with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
