“Sittin’ on the Fence”
Creative Staff
Created by: Johnny O’Bryant, Marcus Johnson, Corey Mikell
Story: Shay Jones
Art: Francis Martelino
What They Say:
In a world where monsters rule supreme, only those belonging to a dwindling group known as rangers can combat them. Armed with a family relic, Reya Moonstone sets out on an adventure to not only become a ranger, but to uncover the mysteries of the vast world that awaits!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The world is plagued by monsters called Teras. They appeared out of nowhere and only thirst for one thing – bloodshed. For a while, it seemed like all hope was lost. But that’s when heroes started to appear! Fast forward to the present, two heroes are doing battle with a boar-like Teras. One of them, Boone, has the beast firmly in his grasp. It’s up to his partner, Reya, to finish it off while he’s got it secured. It’s a shame that she’s a terrible shot. She misses completely. It’s at this point that Reya admits that she can’t aim for crap. That probably would have been helpful to know a bit earlier! And now they’re being chased by the Teras! I love that even though Reya knows she messed up, she continues acting smug in this situation.
Later that day, the duo is getting an earful from their instructor at the academy. Why did they return all banged up? Why weren’t they able to defeat the Category C Teras? It should have been easy for them. Boone immediately blames Reya. It was all her fault. Hey, that’s mean. True, but mean. She was doing her best! He adds that she almost got them killed. She points out that they’re still alive though! She’ll do better next time. You’ve got to love Reya’s optimism. The instructor decides to deal with Boone later. Right now his focus is on Reya. He tells her straight up that as a ranger, she sucks. This man doesn’t mince his words. I respect that. Reya fails every test, has never defeated a Teras, and can’t aim. She’s basically the worst student this academy has ever seen. Okay, she sucks as a ranger. The man was right. But still, she’s trying her best! The instructor remarks that trying your best isn’t enough. He proceeds to kick her out of the academy. Well, that sucks.
Reya is understandably upset by this. Boone tries to poke fun of her as she leaves the academy but she doesn’t have time for his crap right now. After elbowing him in the chest, she goes off somewhere to reflect upon everything. She wanted to become a ranger because of her grandpa. He’s been missing for three years now. He was one of the best. Reya begins reminiscing about her childhood. It’s clear that she loved her grandfather very much. She’s snapped back to reality when a half-dead guy crashes into her arms. This can’t be good! She notices a gigantic Teras chasing him. It was a nice life while it lasted I suppose. Before the Teras can devour them, Boone appears to save the day. Why is he here though? He followed Reya because he was going to apologize to her. I guess Boone is a good dude. But no time for chitchat! This isn’t an ordinary Teras. It’s at least a Category B. Boone unloads a flurry of bullets at the monster but they don’t even scratch it. Reya notices something in the monster’s mouth and runs towards Boone. This was a dumb idea as the monster decides to attack her! But luckily for her, Boone jumps in the way and gets hit by its attack instead. He yells at her for not thinking things through. This is why she fails at everything. Rude, but true. Still, this isn’t the time to argue…and the Teras just ate Boone. He’s dead, I think. Well, things just got real.
What now? Reya is in quite the predicament. She just witnessed Boone getting eaten. We know she can’t aim. What can she do? She clutches her grandfather’s lucky charm that’s around her neck. She can’t give up! At this point, the lucky charm shatters and the next thing you know, she’s got a gun pointed at the Teras. She fires off a beam of light and it blows through the monster’s head! One shot, one kill. Hey, she finally did it! About dang time. This experience has worn her out and she’s about to pass out. Before she does, she proclaims that she will never miss again.
In Summary:
If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again. Reya has been doing that constantly for the past three years. It’s true that she’s not the best ranger but she’s trying her best every day! Granted, she’s definitely the worst ranger and she does suck at her job. Still, you’ve got to admire her determination to keep trying! I certainly do. But hey, now that she can actually hit her shots, perhaps she will finally start making a real difference. It’s a shame about Boone though. I’m hoping she learns from all of this. You can’t always rush into things. You’ve got to take the time and think things through! But let’s be honest, she probably won’t do that. I did enjoy the comedic bits sprinkled throughout all the suspense. Reya has a lot of great facial expressions. She’s definitely a colorful character. Yeehaw Blue was a fun ride and I look forward to seeing where it’s heading. See you, twilight ranger. I really hope someone gets that.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Age Rating: T
Released By: NOiR Caesar
