Sending a lone scout off to track a deadly enemy into the heart of their territory is the kind of plan that carries a lot of risks with it, and Cal is learning this the hard way in the latest issue of The Hunger and the Dusk as Mikil has gone missing, and the rest of the Last Men Standing will have to put their lives on the line in order to save him; a rescue that might cost something more than just lives.
The issue focuses solely on the human side of the story this month, with no cut aways to show what the orcish side of the new alliance are doing; which is a good decision as the last issue's politics focused scenes need some time to breathe, and the human led drama of this issue would feel underserved if it was having to be interrupted.
Driven into a marshland thanks to summer wild fires, they eventually find Mikil, having been tied up outside a small Vangol camp. Despite knowing that it's a trap, the team goes in to save him, and end up getting into a skirmish with several of the towering creatures, including what appears to be one of their leaders; a creature covered in ornamentation, carrying a giant sword, and able to speak the human language. Whilst Cal ends up in combat with this Vangol, he doesn't have the skills to beat it, and looks set to die until Tara uses her magic to save him.
Despite having won the day, the Last Men Standing are in bad shape, and Tara has reached a breaking point. Cal went into the trap despite her warnings, and is demanding that his people keep travelling despite their wounds, a course of action that would undo much of Tara's healing. This makes her snap, and the two of them end up arguing, bringing up long festering arguments that humans and orcs have had for years. It ends with Tara and Cal having given up on the alliance, and Tara leaving the group.
And the arguments they use, the things that show us more of what this world is like. Through them we see how both sides see the conflict, how one side is complaining about their farms are destroyed, whilst the other yells back about stealing land. You can very much see that both orcs and humans see themselves as the wronged party, and it shows that if perhaps they'd have come to the negotiation table before this, had just talked to each other, then maybe centuries of conflict and hate could have been avoided. It's a nice way of adding to the lore and world building in way that feels natural that G. Willow Wilson has done wonderfully across the series. We also get some insight into the Vangol at the start of the issue that doesn't make them seem any less of monsters, but absolutely makes them feel richer and more thought out than just 'big scary people'.
The art on this issue is absolutely superb, and Christian Wildgoose does phenomenal work during the action scenes. Everything is packed with movement and speed, and you feel like you're in the middle of a fight that's raging all around you, rather than just looking at a static image. There's always a character swinging a weapon or charging at an enemy, so things always feel in motion. The action scenes in this series have been great since the start, but this issue feels a lot more frantic and fraught with danger than ones that we've had before, and you get a big sense that the Last Men Standing could die at any moment.
The Hunger and the Dusk has been one of the books I've looked forward to each month since it came out, and made it onto my top comics of 2023 list, and the quality looks set to continue on into the new year. With the relationship between Cal and Tara at an all time low, and her leaving the group at the end, I'm going to be counting down the days until the next chapter comes out, as I need to find out what happens next.
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