The Hunger and the Dusk #2: Willow is forced into exposition once again here, but she handles it beautifully as it emerges from dialogue that feels natural. The issue is essentially about two couples of strangers getting to know each other.
In the Fading Hills to the North, Callum introduces Tara to some of the Last Men Standing, namely Sev the bard, Nera the warrior, Mikil the rogue, Conwy the archer, and Loris the lover. (Theran, Jov, Sal, Brudo, and Vikandim are clearly the red shirts.). As they march, Sev confides to Callum that all the songs he knows involves orcs doing terrible things (which won't work with Tara on the team), a sign of how deep the distrust between humans and orcs run.
Meanwhile, Troth and Faran are on their wedding hunt. Troth acknowledges he isn't the groom he should be, as they're only marrying to unify the Stoneback and Icemane dynasties. Faran is understanding, confirming that everyone knows that Troth wanted to marry Tara. In their tent that night, Faran notes that all their futures rely on new alliances: between dynasties, between races.
Faran then hears wolves, so they get moving. (She complains that they should've followed the wedding hunt of her lowland people, where they could be in the South, "where it's already warm, feasting on giant turtle flesh." Troth takes out a wolf, but its mate is ready to pounce on him when Faran saves him. She worries she did something wrong in saving him until he embraces her. At their wedding at the Silent Shore, the priest invokes the twins the orcs often mention, Ugrim and Uma, who apparently wed each other.
On the West Coast, the Last Men stumble upon Vangols on the beach, and Callum develops a plan. Tara is shocked he's contemplating attacking them, since an orc overlord wouldn't even imagine trying with less than half a "dynasty" of warriors. As they return to camp, Tara mentions she should write down these moments, which prompts Callum to tell her he can't read.
Willow uses this revelation to tease out their respective histories. Callum tells Tara that a raider from the Barren Lands raped his mother when they attacked her farm and comments that a "bastard born of a war crime" wasn't worth teaching. He observes that his last name, Battlechild, is what kids like him - at least, the ones not left for wolves - are named. Tara confides that she knows what it's like not to be wanted, which surprises Callum since she's the daughter of a powerful orc dynasty. It turns out Tara's mother was an overlord, but she (Tara's mother) and Tara's father were killed during the first Vangol raid. The people blamed them - and thus Tara - for not protecting them. It meant Troth couldn't marry her, since alliances are so important right now.
At this point, the shit hits the fan. The Vangols are somehow now coming from the East. Callum leaves Loris to protect Tara and helps the team holds off the Vangols, but Tara calls for help. Callum and the Last Men arrive to learn the Vangols killed Loris. It's clear the Last Men are going to believe Tara killed her or at least question why she wasn't able to use her powers to save her, so, oof.
Star Wars #38: This issue unfolds mostly as you'd expect. For someone who believes in luck, Lando gets a mixed hand. He and Lobot arrive at Jabba's Palace just after the Scourge has taken over almost all the droids, significantly increasingly the difficulty of the mission. Thankfully, the Talky has evaded the Scourge's efforts to assimilate him (which it desperately wants to do given his 1,000 year knowledge) and agrees to cure Lobot if Lando frees him. But that mixed hand is evident given Lando has this conversation with the Talky in the rancor pit, where he's hiding. The rancor looks hungry, too...
Also Read: IDW Endless Summer: Dungeons & Dragons – Saturday Morning Adventures #1
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