Written by Cullen Bunn
Illustrated by Brian HurttNature itself revolts as a fiendish new enemy makes a play against Becky, Drake, and Gord… and the goal is to leave no man or woman alive! Plus, the budding romance between Becky and the charming gunslinger Kirby Hale heats up… but is Becky setting herself up for disaster?
The best book on the stands that you probably aren’t reading continues its march on the road to awesome. The action heats up for our motley crew of gun slingers this chapter, so clickity click for all the juicy bits of commentary!
It’s slightly uncanny how consistently good this book utilizes traditional storytelling tropes to their absolute fullest. Not bogged down with perceived relevance, its clear that Bunn and Hurtt are preoccupied with one thing and one thing only: telling a fantastic, mystically tinged period pieces. And oh, do they.
After last issue’s blow out between Drake Sinclair and dastardly machinations of Woodmael, most of this issue would prove to be the eye of the evil mysticism storm. As Gord share’s the results of his research last issue with Sinclair, we learn a tidbit more about the nature of the guns and their place in history. It seems they have a much more sinister backstory than even Drake could perceive, but there will have to be much more research done to learn the absolute extent of it. Meanwhile, Becky and the mysterious Kirby Hale get intimate and Becky loosens her lips a lot more than she probably should have. However the full consequences of her blabbermouth are put on hold as Woodmael proceeds to launch three separate attacks on Sinclair, Gord and Becky respectfully.
These way these attacks are plotted, built toward and implemented represent two of the greatest aspects of this book. One is the book’s sense of timing, since all three attacks are built simultaneously (through the use of a rather large amount of panels per page.) This really helps convey the feeling of “don’t turn that corner!” suspense and makes perfectly illustrates the fact that the characters have no idea what is about to befall them. Second is, as I mentioned above, the succinct, no frills, pop pop execution of the attacks, and the specificity of each specific mode of attack used on all three characters. Last issue brought us a giant demon alligator, this one brought us a horde of possessed owls. This kind of streamlined ingenuity is a breath of fresh air in an industry that constantly tries to one-up itself with the challenges it throws at its protagonists. Sometimes a simple idea like possessed wild stock and voodoo shape shifters just WORKS, which is part and parcel of why this book succeeds.
However, as strong as the storytelling may be, it is nothing without the art. As I’ve said in previous reviews, Hurtt’s clean, sleek and somewhat polished style ends up suiting this story perfectly, as he manages to not only capture the whole spectrum of human emotion in the facial expressions of the cast, but manages to use distance and perspective to create a sense of ambiance and fear. Plus, the man draws some mean mystical creatures with a level of detail not seen by many. He deserves just as many accolades as Bunn in this case, and certainly a lot more pencil work.
Simply put, this is one of the absolute best comics out there and its a damn shame that it hasn’t seemed to catch on as much as it could have. It isn’t in danger by any means, near as I can tell, but there could certainly be more chatter a’brewin for this perfectly crafted, engaging and mysterious comic that provides pure pop entertainment in its finest form.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
