All throughout July we’re crowdsourcing an Extra Eisners Reading List from comics journalists and critics. Each weekday throughout the month, we’ll post a new pick we would have liked to have seen nominated for an Eisner. There are so many great comics, it’s impossible for the Eisners to recognize them all. This list is to honor and diversify the pool of work praised by the industry.

Today’s pick comes from Brittany Matter…enjoy!

THESE SAVAGE SHORES #5 satisfies the senses with an emotional conclusion and a fearsome monster fight to behold. Though an end to this part of the story, it wraps up its Hindu monster lore by giving the reader a stunning showcase of its main character, Bishan—a supernatural being known as the Raakshas, a beast who drinks blood and can change his shape. Not only that, but the creators also breathe new life into Kori, Bishan’s lover, giving her character arc an intriguing end that could very well be a beginning. Her story leaves the reader appropriately hungry for more.

Furthermore, what makes this issue stand out is its use of wordless panels—employing hand gestures to express the emotions of the characters without having to see their faces—that allow the reader to experience the narrative instead of being told. Overall, THESE SAVAGE SHORES #5 follows through with the same slow-burn carried throughout the previous issues, with the right amount of reveals and a rewarding ending that sinks its teeth in. -Brittany Matter

Brittany Matter is a writer and editor of comics whose work has appeared on Marvel.com.

These Savage Shores #5
Writer: Ram V
Illustrator: Sumit Kumar
Colorist: Vittorio Astone
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: Vault Comics
In the aftermath of war, victories and defeats are counted. But there are things lost that can never be regained. And so, a monster now travels to a civilized land for a final confrontation. A clash of ideologies that will leave in its wake a devastation of the soul. Along These Savage Shores from whence the monsters came to a world full of good men.

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