Committed to her master’s oath, Orphan Mo sets out to confront the five beasts, former protégés of her master, now overlords of the land. 
Her first target is the beast of the valley, Thunderthighs, monster of destruction. It’s going to be a bloody slugfest, but who will be the victor?
Much like the previous issue, I had one thought that came to mind: Is there anything that James Stokoe can’t do? In regards to the writing, the story is tight, focusing on Mo’s journey of restoring the land from her Master’s former protégés. Thankfully, Stokoe ensured to provide readers with a bit of backstory for the first antagonist known as Thunderthighs. Readers get to witness Thunderthigh’s fall from grace, corrupted by his own power and greed, leaving nothing salvageable for redemption.
Stokoe provides a great balance of brutality and humor, but never deviating the stakes that Mo is tasked to deal with. The story wastes no time getting to the nitty gritty, as Mo faces down with Thunderthighs, providing one of the most entertaining fights that can only be compared to Daniel Warren Johnson’s level of caliber, which is a genuine compliment.
Not only does Stokoe provide great writing, he also delivers with stellar art and choreography within all his layouts! He knows how to stay in the pocket when illustrating beautiful set pieces mired in bloody fisticuffs, making this book a blast from start to finish. The battle between Mo and Thunderthighs is both humorous and disgustingly enjoyable that it’ll leave readers hollering near the end in amazement. The color work by Stokoe is splendid along with the lettering making this a fantastic book through and through.
If you dig Daniel Warren Johnson’s Wonder Woman: Dead Earth, or Murder Falcon, or if you enjoy anime, or manga such as Beserk, Ninja Scroll, Gantz, Mortal Kombat, and Fist of the Northstar, then this is definitely going to be a delightful read that is worth your while. I can’t stress this enough, go out to your local comic shop, or go to comixology, wherever you can, and get this book. Add it to your pull list! I highly recommend it, heavily.
Newsdesk