The Lone Ranger rides again!
Creative Staff:
Story: Mark Russell
Art & Colors: Bob Q
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover Artist: John Cassady
What They Say:
1883. The advent of barbed wire is creating havoc in the Texas panhandle. A corrupted state senator conspires with Dirty Ranchers to make land unnavigable for open ranchers and native tribes, passing new laws allowing cattlemen to kill anyone caught cutting the wire. Good people are getting hurt, and The Lone Ranger must act. But to stop this rampant villainy, he’ll need to go all the way to the top, and rely on an old friend for help…
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Dynamite Entertainment has had a few iterations of The Lone Ranger in print for quite some time. The character’s iconography has existed for almost a century Dynamite has made many attempts to feature the masked hero to tell great Western tales for modern audiences. This latest volume is imbued with the talents of Mark Russell and Bob Q, who have put together not only one of the best comics that I’ve read this year, but an engaging Western story that also feels relevant.
The book opens with a brutal and unjustly murder of a cattle rancher that was questioning a neighboring rancher that was veering into his land via a barbed wire fence. Shortly afterward, we see that this practice is being handled at a state level, where senators, cotton landowners and other nefarious types are plotting to reap the benefits of breaking up Deaf Smith county with barbed wire all over. The Lone Ranger happens to find out about these plans while tracking down the murder of the cattle rancher, but realizes that he cannot do it alone. He decides to enlist the help of Tonto, who left the Lone Ranger and trusty steed, Silver, to his own devices and to never see him again. Realizing that these government officials will turn against him sooner rather than later, Tonto decides to once again ride his former partner for the greater good.
Seeing how these landowners and state officials feel like a representation of modern corporate greed makes The Lone Ranger feel relevant today. What made me feel like Mark Russells’ characterizations for the evil doers were larger than like is that they’re never named. Not a single bad character, minus the muscle that killed the initial cattle rancher, is named. The fact that he positions these men to be able to hide behind their corporate façade and obtain wealth off both the land and the people that live and depend on it feels so raw, real and immediate. Bob Q’s pencils come off as very simple in the first few panels, but after getting into the book, it was very noticeable that he’s great at setting up his panels. Focal points are used in both vista shots and action sequences, where Bob guides you to the exact moment that your eyes are supposed to get to from panel to panel. His sense of coloring also shows a deft hand, in that the colors aren’t popping off the page, like something Dave Stewart color, but are more about setting a tone to give way to the time that the story takes place. The Lone Ranger’s costume still stands out amongst the brown and grey tones, and you can even tell the difference between dirt and dead grass, even though they’re shades of brown in Bob’s work.
In Summary:
I’ve never even cared to bother with anything related to The Lone Ranger. Yet, I cannot deny that this book is an absolute treasure and kept me wanting more. Maybe it’s the fact that its different from most of the superhero fare that’s out there. All I know is that I want more of this Lone Ranger and I can’t wait to read what’s next!
Grade: A+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: October 3rd, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
