Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Tyler CrookDrake has faced strange enemies, but none more enigmatic than Asher Cobb! What’s the secret of his powers? How did he become the living dead? And what did he pass on to Drake at the end of last issue? Cullen Bunn and special guest artist Tyler Crook (B.P.R.D., Petrograd) answer these questions and more!
The Sixth Gun is ridiculously great comics. It has been through 13 issues, but with series artist Brian Hurtt off the book for one issue and BPRD artist Tyler Crook here, does it continue that streak?
Find out after the jump.
Some regular readers of The Sixth Gun will pick up the 14th issue and respond with a very loud “what the hell?!” when they read it.
After all, the previous issue ended with Becky searching for Drake on the train in which they had just participated in a major battle on, and finding nothing but a pool of blood.
Most readers would be looking for answers of some variety, but it’s decisions like this – one in which they decide to explore the history of the 9-foot tall mummy who had just done battle with Drake – from series creators Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt that have led this book to be so great. This issue focuses on that mummy, the man formerly known as Asher Roth, and features illustrations from guest artist Tyler Crook.
While it is hard not to miss Hurtt’s art – the guy is one of the best in the business, after all – Crook does a superb job throughout this issue. I think it is interesting that if I had not already known that Crook was the new ongoing artist for BPRD, I would have thought “man, this guy’s work would really fit on a Mignola book.” His art is spectacular for a horror type story, as he draws with heavy brushstrokes and a real sense of atmosphere and lighting that excels in this type of storytelling.
My favorite moments of the issue, at least from an art standpoint, are when Asher is beset by “The Sight,” an ability he has in which he catches glimpses of the future. Crook renders those as nightmares come to life, creating a mosaic of imagery that would be sure to haunt even the strongest of resolves.
Meanwhile, the story itself is mostly designed to reveal what Asher (in 9-foot mummy form) said to Drake on the train before Drake booted him off. While that was the goal, in the process, Bunn gives this character and his quest significant emotional weight. In a week in which something like Justice League #1 can have 20 pages to accomplish very little, Bunn manages to tell a man’s life story while introducing story beats into the equation that further expand the overarching story The Sixth Gun is developing (namely, the man in the shadows who is behind Hume).
For an issue that many could easily consider off-path, or even a waste, I found this issue to be remarkably well told as well as important. The Sixth Gun isn’t like every other comic, and that’s part of the reason why it is so great. It is focused on telling its story in the best and most powerful way it can, and with this issue, it moves us forward while showing us the past.
As per usual, the worst part of The Sixth Gun is the simple fact the issue ends. And that is something I can rarely say about most comics.
Final Verdict: 8.5 – Buy
