Written by Roy Thomas
Art by Steve Kurth; Cam Smith; Virtual Calligraphy’s Joe Caramagna; & June Chung
Cover Art by Alex Maleev
SUMMARY:
For its six-part adaptation, Marvel Comics released this second issue for August 2007. The first page summarizes the storyline thus far. In 1757, facing imminent doom from a Huron assault, Natty “Hawkeye” Bumppo and his six companions are trapped on an island at Glenn’s Falls. Sensing they have no other choice, Natty and his Mohican allies reluctantly concur with Cora’s idea to leave the two Munro sisters behind to the Hurons’ mercy. Staying behind, Major Hayward and David Gamut are captured with the Munro sisters by Magua’s forces.
Cora’s sister, Alice, and Hayward protest, as Cora considers sacrificing herself as Magua’s new bride. An irate Hayward’s defiance stalls the group’s imminent execution. It’s enough of a diversion for Natty, Uncas, and Chingachgook to attack the Huron renegades.
Note: To Marvel’s credit, a ‘parental advisory’ on the cover alerts one to the visuals depicting frontier mayhem.
REVIEW:
Cued by the lavish, high-caliber cover, Marvel’s art team’s visual inspiration comes from Michael Mann’s breath-taking 1992 film starring Daniel Day Lewis and Madeleine Stowe. The result is a beautifully-illustrated, painting-like gem with writer Roy Thomas at the top of his game adapting James Fenimore Cooper’s text. Including the relevant back-up feature, this issue is a stellar read.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Writer: Roy Thomas & Art: Dennis Medri; Virtual Calligraphy’s Joe Caramagna; and Irene Lee
Impressively rendered, the five-page back-up feature continues a pivotal tale from Natty Bumppo’s youth in The Deerslayer. Natty declines the Hurons’ demand that he deliver Judith Hutter and Hist-oh-Hist as intended new brides for the tribe. Judith bequeaths the rifle, Killdeer, to Natty. Resigned to a grim fate, Natty returns to the Huron Tribe. An impromptu clash with the resentful brother-in-law of a tribal member Natty killed has deadly consequences.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 10 Stars
