Welcome back, you wily varmints, to Haunted Trails! Your behind the scenes look at Oni Press’ western epic The Sixth Gun courtesy of the man behind the curtain, Cullen Bunn! February brings us deeper into the story of the town of Penance and machinations of the morally gray (at best) Knights of Solomon. Twists and turns are abound this issue, and Cullen has more than a few nuggets of wisdom to share with us this month!
Plus, debuting right here (above, in fact), is our brand new logo courtesy of graphic designer extraordinaire Tim Daniel! (cue oohs and aahs now, people.)
What’re you waiting for? Clickity click on down and figure out what you missed between the lines!
Joshua Mocle: That first monologue at the beginning of the issue is more than a little telling. Is there any relationship between the penance that comes from being bonded to the guns and the town of Penance itself?
Cullen Bunn: If nothing else, there are definitely parallels between Becky being bound to the Sixth Gun and the current plight of the people of Penance. As we learn later in the issue, the townsfolk can’t live without the water drawn from that well… so they are bound to the place as surely as Becky is tethered to the gun.
JM: While the concept of the guns having a soul of their own is not a new one, bringing it up now given some of Becky’s recent actions is also a little telling. Just how much is the gun influencing Becky right around now?
CB: There’s a battle of wills going on to be sure. The gun doesn’t control Becky or anything so overt, but the weapon has a way of getting what it wants. This is really the first time we’ve started pointing out that the gun has desires of its own… and those desires, as we will see, don;t necessarily suit Becky.
JM: What was it about the Knights of Solomon that lead Drake to them after fleeing the General?
CB: As I see it, when Drake left the General’s service, he was at a low point in his life. He was completely powerless and helpless in many ways. And he knew the General and his henchmen would be looking for him. The Knights of Solomon are a group that craves power–in the form of ancient relics–and that suited Drake just fine.
JM: What is the nature of Drake’s concern for Becky’s safety? Pity? Love? Or something else?
CB: We’re going to be exploring this in a lot more detail as the series goes on. For now, let’s suffice it to say that Drake feels something toward Becky that he has never really felt before… but it is definitely not pity.
JM: Why would he send Billjohn and the guns to her in the first place if he was really all that concerned about her?
CB: This goes back to the previous question. You guys are really trying to get this out of me, aren’t you? In the end, who else would he send them to?
JM: The Seers of the Knights of Solomon are one of the most visually distinct groups of characters, despite their relatively simple design. How did you initially envision the general look of the Seers and what did Brian bring to their design?
CB: Brian nailed the look of these characters. I believe I described them as mysterious, hooded figures whose faces were hidden in shadow. I love the way Brian upped the creepiness factor on the bunch simply by stitching up the robes a bit.
JM: Until the Knights mentioned Becky, Drake was holding his own against the Seers and their mind probing. How did Drake learn how to mask his thoughts like that?
CB: Drake is one of the sneakiest snakes to ever slither through the Old West. He’s certainly picked up a few tricks along the way. As we offer hints at Drake’s past, we’ll reveal more and more about that.
Continued belowJM: First a hand of glory and now mind-readers. How is it that the Knights of Solomon have accrued such a dark magic arsenal?
CB: They’ve been playing at the game of collecting powerful items for a long, long time. The Knights are an extremely powerful group. And even without all of the weapons at their disposal, they are very dangerous.
JM: Having the water be the source of the deformities is an interesting twist. Does the source of this magically evil liquid have anything to do with the hatch deep in the Maw that only the six guns can open? Or, perhaps the more obvious answer, the foreboding underground lake we saw last issue?
CB: You guys are so clever. Stay tuned.
JM: Two Penances, huh? What made you want to introduce a new layer of conflict to this story?
CB: Honestly, this was one of those last minute decisions that came to me as I was scripting the scene at the well. It just sort of unfolded on the page. As I stumbled onto that notion, though, it all seemed to fall into place and added a whole new dimension to the story.
JM: Is there more to the split between the two towns than simply a dispute over magic, evil water?
CB: Yep.
JM: Is it reasonable to assume that the Knights had something to do with the split? If that is the case, how could they possibly benefit from this mini-civil war?
CB: The Knights are involved with what’s going on. The feud between the two towns doesn’t concern them in the least, though. They have a completely different–and much more sinister–stake in all this.
JM: The residents of Old Penance are distinctly more deformed (or at the very least more gruesomely deformed) than the residents of New Penance (oddly shaped facial hair not withstanding). In your mind, is there any kind of formula for how deformed someone gets by the water, or is it simply a matter of the more you drink, the more you change?
CB: In my mind, the folks of Old Penance have more access to the water, so they’ve been drinking more of it for a much longer period of time.
JM: It stuck out last issue and this issue you even draw attention to it; Maze is definitely less deformed than the other residents of either Penance. What is it about him that makes him immune to, at least, the physical changes of the water? Is there more to him than we’ve seen?
CB: I still say he’s pretty disfigured. But I had this idea that the water can corrupt both flesh and spirit. Maybe Maze is one of those who is more spiritually corrupt.
JM: It seems like you’re building up Maze and Bunt to primary character status, or at the very least lead secondary status. Are there any other characters we’ve met recently that we should be keeping an eye on?
CB: There are a few characters who will be playing important roles in the series. In particular, I’d suggest keeping an eye on Jesup, the Knight Drake meets when he is taken before the seers. He plays a huge role in the story to come.
JM: Given their history as archetypal antagonists in the Western genre, it’s a little surprising (but not terribly so) that you hadn’t brought in any Native Americans or Native American subplots into the story before now. Is this an element of the genre you plan to explore, or was this more of a one-off to define Drake’s separation from the Knights?
CB: I’ve planned for a Native American storyline to appear in the book since day one, but it was something I didn’t want to rush into. It’s coming, though, and you’ll see that it ties all the way back to our very first issue.
JM: Will we ever see more of Drake’s relationship and dealings with the Comanche?
CB: It’s almost too cool to forget, isn’t it?
JM: Since the Knights are now very invested in the task of killing Becky. One could assume that they wish do to so to gain control of The Sixth Gun. Given that, are they just keeping Drake around until they find his guns before offing him as well? If so, why bother making him any sort of offer in the first place?
CB: Oh, man! You guys have no idea what’s coming! Believe me, it’s a game-changer! And it’s coming very soon!
