Apr
2021
Dinosaur Hunter Diaries #128: Son of Stone Part 1
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter #43
Turok and Ravenwing, sitting in a tree.
The issue kicks off hot with Turok and Andy on the run from inner-city drug
runners, having witnessed them murder the only other witness -- an undercover
cop -- and it's not looking good if they stick around. Turok's hasn't quite got
his head in the game; he consistently refers to
Andy as Andar, and envisions themselves in the thick of the Lost Land, being
pursued by velociraptors, only for them to be cut off by an interfering t-rex -- or in reality, a mack
truck.
Andy's got every incentive to lie low, but Turok believes he can take them, lost
in memory of his younger days before the Lost Land. Even as a young man he was
serious and thoughtful; while his peers Noca and Little Bear were interested
more in trophies, Turok is more considerate of his catch, having spared the elder beast
so they could
live on to sire good seed.
His pals ribbed him for having his eye on Ravenwing, the most desirable girl on the
plains. She's the daughter of chief Hawkmoon, and he wouldn't give her hand in
marriage to just anyone; Naiche may have offered fine trophies, but had no
communal spirit. He'd have to give her up sometime, and he couldn't keep waiting on Turok
to make his move.
Turok left to fetch himself a surefire gift to win over not just Ravenwing,
but the goodwill of the tribe, and set out on a mission to the camp of the Nez Perce,
whose fancy-dan spotted horses would make any courtship weak at the knees.
Little Bear and Walking Horse evidently had the same idea, and come nightfall
they descended upon the camp, ready to fight and claim their prize.
A two-issue fill-in that serves as the final contribution from Mike Grell.
These muddled glimpses of Turok and Andy roughing it in the city streets are Grell's only instance of writing the character in the present day — it otherwise
follows his tradition of telling stories set in our hero's past. Action aside,
Grell's flashback stories haven't done much to get me invested; this one at
least is an opportunity to see a little of Turok's life among his tribe, which is clearly
where the writer's interests lie.
We already know it won't work out between Turok and Ravenwing. She'll probably
die under half-baked circumstances, and he'll walk away with an unhealthy dose
of man-pain, blood frenzy, or any number of edgy '90s ailments. At this point,
I'd much rather see the relationship between Andy and Turok evolve.