Horizon Zero Dawn: The Sunhawk #3 is the third issue of the Horizon Zero Dawn comic series. It was written by Anne Toole, illustrated by Ann Maulina, and published on October 7, 2020.
Summary[]
A brand-new comic series based on the award-winning game by Guerrilla. Aloy and Talanah return in a new story set after the events of the game! Nature has reclaimed the planet. Awe-inspiring machines dominate the land, as humanity fights for survival on this new Earth. Co-created by one of the writers of the Horizon Zero Dawn game Ann Toole.[1]
Plot Summary[]
Talanah and Amadis find themselves targeted by the bows of the Burnished Sons, cornered on the edge of a cliff. Outraged, Talanah asks Kyran what his quarrel with her is, but he clarifies that his intent is to capture Amadis, who he reveals as "Amadis Beit Raveesh, the traitor of the Southern Spear", and a wanted fugitive of the Kho Veriv. Before he can explain further, Amadis grabs Talanah by the arm and leaps off the cliff, pulling them both into the river below. Kyran instructs his men to pursue them, while the two are swept away by the current.
Talanah and Amadis swim ashore further downriver, near the base of a waterfall. As they take refuge in a cave behind the waterfall and dry their soaked equipment, Talanah demands an explanation from Amadis. He explains that the dilapidated manor they previously visited once belonged to his family, the Beit Raveesh, of which he was the last descendant. Having grown up far from Meridian, Amadis was ignorant of the increasingly tyrannical nature of the reigning Sun-King, Jiran, and so as a young man he enlisted as an officer in the Red Raids, driven by naive patriotism.
Amadis' past[]
In a flashback, it is revealed that Amadis was sent into the Forbidden West, where he witnessed his fellow soldiers commit mass killings against the Utaru. Horrified by the carnage, Amadis attempted to help one of the injured Utaru, but was confronted by another soldier. After a brief scuffle, Amadis accidentally unmasked the other soldier, revealing her to be a woman in disguise. The soldier, Nessa, had pretended to be a man in order to join the army, but was similarly perturbed by the cruelty of the Red Raids; from that point on, Nessa and Amadis secretly worked together to undermine their comrades and protect those targeted by the raids.
One evening, while planning strategy with his superior, General Gediah Kho Veriv, Amadis learned that the general had sent Nessa's unit on a mission to attack a force of Tenakth. Amadis protested that the Carja troops would be completely outnumbered by the united opposition of all three Tenakth clans, and that the engagement was sure to be a slaughter. Gediah, thoroughly drunk, callously dismissed Amadis' concerns, leading Amadis to threaten to report him to Carja high command. Gediah attempted to bar his exit, and after Amadis pushed past him, he pulled a knife, lunging at Amadis from behind. Amadis countered, but in doing so he drove the general's knife into his body, killing him. Realizing he would be considered a traitor, Amadis fled towards the front lines, hoping he could at least prevent the doomed attack and save Nessa. Unfortunately, he arrived too late, and found only Nessa's helmet lodged among corpses and smoldering debris.
Talanah's past[]
In the present, Amadis holds a pendant scavenged from the metal of Nessa's helmet, and laments that he has spent his life since then running, making him a failure. Talanah points out that he has protected Rising Light, but Amadis replies that he has endangered them too, as Gediah's family has placed a bounty on him and burned down his family home in retaliation for his death. Talanah argues that it is still possible to move forward, as she did, and recounts her own history.
In a flashback, Talanah explains that her father spoke out against Jiran during the Red Raids, making him a target. He instructed Talanah to wait for him outside Meridian and prepare to flee. In actuality, both he and Talanah's brother had been sentenced to death in the Sun-Ring, where they fought off multiple waves of machines. Talanah's family eventually perished fighting off Behemoths which had broken through the stands, endangering the very crowd that had come to witness their execution. In the aftermath, Talanah's father and brother were expunged from the roster of the Hunters Lodge, driving Talanah to train until she could win the title of Sunhawk herself.
Moving forward[]
In the present, Amadis questions how the title of Sunhawk could make up for Talanah's loss, and Talanah replies that she gained closure by honoring her family, and ensuring they would never be forgotten, which she suggests he attempt to do for Nessa as well. The two begin to discuss the possibility of moving on afterwards, but are interrupted by the sound of an approaching machine- the black-armored Clawstrider survived its fall into the river, and is limping through the cave despite being heavily damaged. Talanah ambushes the machine and dispatches it with a strike from her spear, completing her hunt. However, when Amadis suggests she can now return to Meridian, Talanah points out that the Clawstrider must have entered the cave for a reason. The two venture further into the cave, where they discover a Cauldron next to an underground lake.
Talanah realizes the Cauldron could produce an endless supply of deadly machines, further threatening the village, and after some discussion with Amadis she devises a plan to block off the Cauldron by causing a cave-in. The two begin to head for the cave's exit, where a nearby herd of Grazers can provide them with the Blaze necessary to cause an explosion, but are stopped in their tracks by the sound of Kyran commanding the Burnished Sons to search the cave. Amadis intends to draw the mercenaries away so Talanah can execute her plan, but Talanah stops him and states that they'll find a way out together. Before they can discuss the matter further, however, a massive Shellsnapper emerges from the subterranean lake, looming threateningly over the duo and emitting a warning screech.
Media[]
Editions[]
- October 7, 2020; Titan Comics
- UPC 79361173567500311; Cover A; Peach Momoko
- UPC 79361173567500321; Cover B; Guerrilla Games
- UPC 79361173567500331; Cover C; Lois "Loish" van Baarle
- UPC 79361173567500341; Cover D; Stanley "Artgerm" Lau
Cover gallery[]
References[]
| Comics | ||
|---|---|---|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | Vol. 1: The Sunhawk | Issue #0 - Issue #1 - Issue #2 - Issue #3 - Issue #4 |
| Vol. 2: Liberation | Issue #1 - Issue #2 - Issue #3 - Issue #4 | |