Bigger Than Capes

Publisher: Aftershock
Writer: David Pepose
Artist: Luca Casalanguida
Colourist: Matt Milla
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual

If you have been reading my Twitter, or my reviews, or listened to a few of the podcast episodes you will know that I have been a fan of Scout’s Honor. It’s one of my books of the year. Now here we are at the end of the journey and we see the climax of Kit’s story, Dez’s story, indeed the entire story of the Ranger Scouts, the Highway Men, the badlands and everything about this world. The journey has been wonderful and the end of it is absolutely worth it. 

Last issue we saw Kit galvanise her faith in what the Ranger Scouts should have stood for. It was a beautifully dramatic issue with deep themes all complimented by the art. Everything seemed to be coming together building to a final showdown between Kit, the true believer and the Scoutmaster who had twisted the foundation of the Ranger Scout faith to suit his own ends. Here we finally get that showdown but there’s a real reckoning here for Kit, Dez and their whole world. A battle if you will for the very soul of the world. 

Before that we get a flashback which is just perfect in its simplicity. The stars above us that are always there, unchanging no matter what. Dez’s recitation of his father’s words about the stars gives them a meaning beyond what his father might have intended as he uses them to comfort Kit and build a bond there which has been sorely tested throughout these books. It’s nice to see how that bond began all that time ago. 

What I love is that at the end of the day, both Kit and Dez have to play their parts. They come at this finale from different directions. We have Kit’s absolute faith in the truth, and Dez’s growing uncomfortableness at who he really is versus what his father wants him to be. Ultimately it’s their choices together to be who they are that provide the resolution for each other and indeed the whole book. 

I am not going to go into many plot points because I think that everyone needs to read this book and just absorb it. I will say the book ends on a wonderfully hopeful note with an image that was just so touching because of what it represented. 

You need to discover the final revelations yourself. It’s well worth it. I am a big fan of David Pepose’s writing and honestly he’s really stuck the landing here, Scout’s Honor has been wonderfully plotted and told and the ending is no exception.

The art as always is just so good. All the way through Luca Casanguida’s art has been top notch and so suited to this story, which is still true in this final issue. He’s really not held back and it shows. The action is really engaging and feels very fluid, and if you wanted to see Kit riding into battle on a giant spider – you got it! You can feel the characters moving across the pages. There’s never a moment when a page feels too busy. There’s some great panels which really reflect the motion too. It really helps with the sense of scale as this is a large battle in some regards, but also a small scale one and the art nails that juxtaposition every time. The detail is still here too. From the world itself to the creatures and technology it’s all felt very real.

The colouring by Matt Mila adds to this. The colour palette changing as we go through the various scenes adds to the sense of emotion in them. There’s a richness in what is a relatively simple palette of colours at times.

I would be remiss to not mention the lettering. Carlos M. Mangual is very good. There’s little moments in the speech that are really nicely conveyed. It sounds crazy to say the lettering makes the dialogue feel like real speech but honestly it’s true. 

The entire creative team have done such a good job and made a book that has high levels of writing, art and production. It’s really a pleasure to read when it’s obvious that everyone has made a real effort to make this book as good as it is. 

This book throughout has really got me on an emotional level. I’m not going to lie I shed a tear at reading this final issue because it was just so perfect and fitting. I am thoroughly satisfied by the story we’ve had. I’ve read it in singles and honestly I think Scout’s Honor as a book has really worked in that format whilst still telling one overarching story, a story that has a perfect conclusion. It’s just excellent.

Scout’s Honor is a wonderful, wonderful read. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Don’t wait for the trade, pick it up now. Take it on faith and become a believer.


Want to hear more about Scout’s Honor? Check out Angela’s interview with David Pepose below, or wherever you get your podcasts!