I don’t know about you, but I was super excited when I first found out this issue was going to be released. If you’re a fan of Orc Dave and want to learn more about his past and how he met the Rat Queens you have come to the right place. I’ll be sure to review plot points that will keep you interested, but I’ll do my best to avoid spoilers. This issue starts off with Dave enjoying a bath. And, quickly being interrupted by his father.
Dave and his father take off together to meet with the Tarbark Trees. The Tarbark live deep in the woods. This race of trees are watchers and protectors of the forest and it seems only the Orc’s have the ability to talk to them. So far Dave and his father have a pretty normal father and son relationship. And, by that I mean that they have some conflict. They talk as they travel and you learn a good bit about them both. Once they arrive to speak with the tarbark they discover something disturbing at the scene. As they commune with the trees about what horrible beast could have caused the disturbing scene, they grow concerned about the forest overall.
As our hero Orc’s are continuing on their journey Dave finds 4 women that have crashed a carriage into a tree. Some of them are still in the tree. He goes to help them by waking up a red-haired girl you may recognize. Of course it’s Violet and the rest of the Rat Queens. David is amazed that they were able to get 2 horses and a carriage that deep into the woods. I won’t go super into detail with their interaction, but I will tell you Dave was super happy to see them. His father seemed annoyed by their presence unfortunately. I get the sense that Dave doesn’t get to see outsiders very often, or leave the woods for that matter.
As Dave and his father continue to sacred lands they encounter a Skult. The Skult is fast to mistake Dave’s father for food. Dave tackles the skult before he can inflict too much more damage on his father. As the beast is knocked out Dave uses his ability to talk to him. He discovers that the skult is merely hungry and desperate for food. Once the skult awakens Dave offers it a vegetarian muffin and the skult complies. Dave’s father is shocked by this revelation. He wanted to “put the poor thing out of its misery.” Which leads back to some of their conflict I had mentioned before.
Dave and his father then reach their destination with the Skult. I really want to tell you every beautiful thing that happens here, but I really don’t want to give away any spoilers. So, I’m just going to recommend that you pick up this issue so you can see how Violet and Dave met. And, you will get a full understanding and Dave and the Orc’s culture when you read this one too. I loved learning all of these things. Dave’s rite of passage is pretty amazing. The writers are great at mixing plot, humor, and adventure. This issue is no different. Make sure you pick up this issue at your local comic shop today.
Rating: 9/10
