Shayla and her grandmother, Mother Wolf, continue on the revenge quest against the monsters that murdered their family.  These fiends, “The Overseer,” “The Clown,” “The Cowboy,” and “the Man Who Walks” personify the vices that mortally affect the lower classes.  In this unique Christmas yarn, Shayla, a young woman battling to keep herself free from addiction, must fight her demons and avenge her brother’s death at the hands of these monstrosities. Shayla and dying Mother Wolf hunt down the Man Who Walks to a barn nestled in the snow on a cold night.  The mission is to kill the embodiment of alcoholism while rescuing a young girl’s family.  The battle intensifies when one last monster makes his attack.

In the way that a Dickensian yuletide ghost story imparts readers with a strong warning about change, so, too, does “Slay Ride.”  The ending to this issue, bitter and cold as the snowy night of the book’s setting, leaves a terrible and frightening message: those vices that plague so much of society will eventually tear it apart.

As a cautionary tale, this book works well.  As a Grindhouse homage, this book comes off as frightfully plain.  Whereas this did not suffer from the usual soft ending that happens from time to time in this series, “Slay Ride” did lack the excessive elements of the series that made it unique and engrossing.

Overall, this book incorporated a great theme and format, and the artwork was broody and terrifying.  With no happy ending, “Slay Ride” gave a tone of Greek Tragedy to this cautionary story.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Alex De Campi Artist: R. M. Guéra Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Price: $3.99 Release Date: 12/24/14 Format: Mini-Series; Print/Digital