Native Ground comes to a close in this issue. The majority of it was a Tonto flashback, definitely a character defining arc. Soon the story shifted to modern day with the Ranger. Tonto is dying, so he had to find the legendary ‘Ute Healer.’ In the last issue he found her, with the shock that she wasn’t a Native American at all. In this issue we get some pretty interesting backstory from her and plenty of deep stuff not really seen in other comic books.

Here’s the official description from Dynamite:

The epic conclusion of the Native Ground arc. The Lone Ranger has traveled through Indian lands in search of a healer for his friend Tonto. Now, the healer has been found, and she is not at all what the Ranger expected. Has the Ranger come all this way just to watch his friend die? The battle for Tonto’s life and soul will be resolved. Your understanding of this iconic character will be forever changed.

It starts out with the Lone Ranger heading back into the village and confronting the Chief about the sneak attack. Later the Healer, Rebecca, attempts to heal Tonto. Ande Parks continues to impress with such great writing throughout. This isn’t an action based series. On the outside it may appear to be simple as a wild western thing, but it goes far deeper. Almost every named character has backstory. The Chief and the Ranger have a very interesting conversation on the attack and about the Chief’s younger days to when he became chief of the tribe. The highlight was definitely Rebecca, the Ute Healer. She has a certain demeanor of meekness that is lacking from the rest of the cast, her backstory was well established. I hope we’ll see more characters like her down the road. One part that stood out to me was when she said that the kids of both sides (meaning  whites and redskins) hear lies about how evil the other is, really great stuff.

Esteve Poll’s art doesn’t disappoint. It’s not too dynamic, the facial expressions are simple but effective. While there are no standout pages, there was one panel in particular I liked, when the Ranger turns around and faces the Native Americans. He’s colored into the background like a shadow, a very cool shot. The cover is once again not overly dynamic, just a simple one with Tonto’s face in the background with the Ranger in the front. (The latter’s face does look just slightly off.)

Overall, another great issue of The Lone Ranger. Each of the major characters, the Ranger, Tonto, Rebecca  the Chief, all get insightful scenes. This book is one of the best on the stands, for it doesn’t rely on big action sequences, but on its story. Native Ground is over, I look forward to seeing what comes next.

4.5/5

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My name is Daniel (@Destroyer_199), the main guy for comic reviews here at Unleash the Fanboy. I was born in 1995 in the Big Apple, spent my formative years in Staten Island, and currently reside in the awesome state that is New Jersey.