“To Hell You Ride,” will grab you with Tom Mandrake’s art and a story by two master storytellers, Lance Henriksen (Aliens) and Joseph Maddrey (Nightmares in Red). Judging by this opener mixing Native American myth with horror, this comic could be on par with the classic Vertigo title, “Scalped.” We observe Two Dogs evolving from a troubled young Native American who dismisses his hometown of Telluride as a bunch of mindless reincarnations of gold miners and whores to someone who must grapple with a cosmic connection he had not bargained for although to which he had invested countless hours searching for.
This is what happens when the enigmatic Two Dogs must emerge from his shell. For years, he had been coasting along as the stud without a purpose, even lowering himself to join the ranks of the miners he so despises. But he always knew there was more to his story, that it was likely connected to a multi-generational curse created by his ancestors and placed upon the white gold miners and their descendants. Had the gold miners, back in the 1880s been respectful, and not desecrated ancient burial grounds, this whole story may have gone down quite differently. But, no, the whites had shown nothing but contempt and so a curse that will see flesh melt away from bone has been in place up to the present day.
Had the whites only been hateful in the days of the gold rush, perhaps the curse would have lost some of its potency. But Two Dogs knows better. Also known as “Seven George,” Two Dogs can retell of how his own grandfather, “Five George,” was betrayed. And, even in the present, Two Dogs can still see and feel the animosity the locals have for him. Is it any wonder that, when suddenly the tide turns, something very unexpected, perhaps pre-destined, occurs, that Two Dogs must act? This is not your typical revenge plot but something grounded in a solid character and an intriguing backdrop. It looks very promising and something well worth keeping up with.
“To Hell You Ride” is out December 12. Learn more about it at Dark Horse Comics.
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