Tim Truman returns to the Weird West with Hawken!

Besides Joe Lansdale, the other comics creator that does Weird Western Comics really REALLY well is Tim Truman. Both him and Lansdale worked together on the DC Jonah Hex Vertigo Minis, they also did a great Lone Ranger Weird Western for Topps. Well Timothy Truman is on his own (with his son Ben) on a new Mini Series called Hawken coming out in November. Here is the Official (very long) Press release:

Continuing the assent to San Diego Comic-Con, IDW Publishing today announced HAWKEN, an all-new, six-issue comics series illustrated and co-created by comics legend Tim Truman, best known for his reinvention of Jonah Hex and Hawkman, as well as his groundbreaking work on Scout and Grimjack. HAWKEN will be scripted by Ben Truman, who co-developed the series with his father.

HAWKEN tells the story of aging gunman Kitchell Hawken and his bloody, one-man vendetta against the Tucson Ring, a brotherhood of arms merchants and corrupt politicians who once employed him.

“Hawken has been many things in his day,” said Tim Truman. “Scout, tracker, scalp-hunter, raider, hired gun… But mostly, he’s been a nasty son-of-a-bitch.”

In each issue, the team will reveal new pieces of the character’s past. “Suffice it to say that after a lifetime spent doing some very bad things, Hawken had one last shot at redemption. The Ring took it away. Just what a any good Western revenge epic needs. However, in HAWKEN, that’s where things get strange.”

Strange indeed. Hawken has unusual companions on his war trail: The ghosts of every person he's ever killed, cursed to assist the old man against their wills. “In many ways, it’s not the ghosts who haunt Hawken. It’s Hawken who haunts them. They try to trip him up at every turn.”

Renowned for depicting hard-scrabble, violent heroes, Tim admits that the new book ups the ante. “Folks would be hard pressed to find a character as ruthless and pissed-off as Kit Hawken. He has good reasons for his rampage, and believe me, a rampage it is. For once, the bad men have truly messed with the wrong guy.”

Scripter Ben Truman, who also works as an educator in Tucson, described the project starting almost by accident. “My parents were visiting here in Arizona, and while driving through Sunset Crater Park I asked Dad if he’s ever seen any accounts where a man had survived a scalping. Somehow, that kicked it off. Hawken grew from the landscapes of each new place we visited: His name in Flagstaff, his past in Bisbee, the curse in Tempe, his vendetta in Tombstone. By the time we left San Xavier Mission, the first issue was plotted. A year later, we signed a contract with IDW. We all hope this story will grab people like it did us.

“HAWKEN takes people to unexplored corners of the Wild West, paying homage to spaghetti westerns and the like.” Along the way, the creative team grabs familiar Old West themes by the throat and twists them inside out.

“When I first heard about this project, I jumped at the chance to work with an industry legend,” says editor Denton J. Tipton. “Tim continues to produce at the highest level, and working with Ben has pushed him even harder to exceed expectations. And they surely don’t disappoint with HAWKEN.”

HAWKEN #1 (of 6, $3.99, 32 pages, duo-tone) will be available in stores in November 2011.

Sounds great! Also, here is an INTERVIEW Truman did in July with a few preview pages as well....Enjoy!

9-Page Preview of Helldorado!

What is Helldorado you ask?

Gunfights! Kung fu! Monsters! If Hammer Films had hired a band of Hong Kong filmmakers to create a Spaghetti Western, they’d have created HELLDORADO! An unspeakable act of violence has altered reality itself, and a supernatural evil looms over the town of El Dorado. The most horrific myths of the Far East threaten to engulf the American West in darkness, and the only thing standing between a vengeful Chinese vampire, its army of undead minions, and the end of humankind is an unlikely band of erstwhile heroes: an heiress, a gambler, an aging sheriff, his deputy, and a warrior priest. Horror, fantasy, kung fu, and Western action combine in this bizarre genre mash-up!

Whats interesting about this description is that Hammer actually DID do a mash-up film. It was a co-production with The Shaw Brothers, a Kung Fu Vampire film called THE LEGEND OF THE 7 GOLDEN VAMPIRES. It isn't a Weird Western but it IS a fun cheesy Kung Fu Vampire movie.....and Ive always considered Kung Fu films to be the Western genre of China (Just like the Samurai film is the Western genre of Japan)

But what about Helldorado? Well check it out HERE and see for yourself! It was written by C. Michael Hall with art by Martin Coccolo. No release date yet (that I can find) but Ill let you know as soon as I do.

Enjoy!

DEADLANDS One-Shot Comics!

So one of the bigger Weird West properties out there, that I haven't talked about yet (mostly because I don't know anything about it) has been Deadlands. From what I can gather, its the granddaddy of Weird Western RPGs. The term "Weird West" was even coined by them. I'm certain there has been a select group of people who have come to the Emporium expecting it to be a Deadlands site....but alas, I'm sorry to disappoint. I do hope they have found other things here to scratch their Weird West itch however!

Recently though, Deadlands has ventured into Comics. Before they had a series of Anthology Books called the Trilogy with No Name, that you can read about HERE.

Now, they have a growing series of One-Shot Comics. The First of them being The Devils Six Gun by David Gallaher & Steve Ellis:

In classic Faustian tradition, a weapons maker comes to America to pursue the American dream in the former colonies. Instead, he becomes immersed in plots and manipulations to gain unearthly power though the supernatural Ghost Rock. His goal? To make a gun that can kill anything, including the powerful Hellstromme! Its a journey that will cost him everything he loves, including his soul!

That sounds pretty darn cool! I would be tempted to run out and get this, but the whole series might be collected soon after the last one is published, so I can wait...maybe.

Next Up was Massacre at Red Wing by the writers of DC Comic's excellent Jonah Hex series Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray & Lee Moder:

Clementime is a young woman, a shaman, with a tragic past and a mysterious destiny. She's on a quest to learn the truth of her family and to seek vengeance against the man who ruined her life...her father. A tale of mysticism and mayhem by the writing team of Jonah Hex.

Last week, the next book came out Death was Silent:

A silent bounty hunter rides into a remote town, but the town holds dark secrets that may turn the hunter into the hunted.

And last on the list (At least as far as I know) is a book by the excellent Steve Niles and Francesco Francavilla called Hopeless Roads:

Masters of the macabre and noire, Steve Niles and Francesco Francavilla tell a frightening tale of a family who must struggle against overwhelming odds in the barren Deadlands of the Old West!

If I get a chance, Ill try and pick up Death was Silent and give you guys a report...until then however, you can see art from of the released books at the links above. As I learn more about about Deadlands Ill do more posts about it. Like Joe R. Lansdale, no respectable Weird West site is complete without SOMETHING involving Deadlands. Of course Deadlands is Hardly the only Weird West RPG out there.

There is also Stuart Robertson's RPG Weird West, and it's quite easy to pick up and play from what Ive heard. Ive been meaning to report on this, and will soon, but until then you can read about it HERE.

More Cowboys and Aliens Stuff!

The new international poster for Cowboys and Aliens was just released, as well as a quick behind the scenes video. I just found the video yesterday. I was hoping for more, it shows mostly footage from the trailers, but it has some behind the scenes stuff with them filming along with talking head interviews.

There is something I have to disagree with Steven Spielberg on, the original Graphic Novel wasn't very good. Any longtime reader of the Emporium should know that I hated the original graphic novel this is based on. It was incredibly derivative of generic action movie writing. However, the movie looks to be nothing like it, AND the idea is solid...sort of Independence Day meets The Valley of Gwangi, so I'm very excited! Please-be-good-Please-be-good-Please-be-good!

Does anything need to be said??! New Cowboys and Aliens Trailer!

.....and its a good one. The first trailer was pretty darn good, this one kicks it out of the park! It really gets into the story more and some of the new footage they show is equal parts VERY cool, and a little unsettling (like what looks like some of the Towns folk hanging from alien crafted wires in some hidden location, creeepy). Also, as if the big budget Weird West-ness of it wasn't enough, it also has Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, and Clancy Brown.....I mean Come ON! I can not wait for this film!



I really hope it does well so that the studios see that Weird Western ARE a viable genre to be explored and not just the fare of the passionate but (a lot of the time) either underfunded or under-talented lot. I guess we'll find out.

The official synopsis: Blockbuster filmmaker Jon Favreau directs Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in an event film for summer 2011 that crosses the classic Western with the alien-invasion movie in a blazingly original way: Cowboys & Aliens. Joined by an arsenal of top moviemakers—Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci—he brings an all-new action thriller that will take audiences into the Old West, where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world.

1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It’s a town that lives in fear.

But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.

Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he’s been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors—all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

WITCHFINDER: LOST AND GONE FOREVER

I LOVE Mike Mignola. He has an amazing way of making the things in his comics just....cool, and cool in a "First time you read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and wanted a Nautilus of your own"-type of cool). When I first read Hellboy I wasn't expecting the dive into mythology, Cryptozoology, and the Occult that the stories took, but was extremely pleased when they did. Amazing Screw-on head is a high point of Steampunk in comics, with equal parts horror, adventure, a little Romance, with a very generous helping of surreal mixed into the pot...everything that makes Steampunk great.

Alas, I haven't read The Witchfinder yet. Not the mini series showcased here, the one that came before it, Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels:

Mike Mignola teams up with artist Ben Stenbeck (B.P.R.D.: The Ectoplasmic Man) for a look into one of the Hellboy universe's greatest enigmas: nineteenth-century occult investigator Edward Grey! In one of Grey's first cases as an agent of the queen, he goes from the sparkling echelons of Victorian London to its dark underbelly, facing occult conspiracies, a rampaging monster, and the city's most infamous secret society: the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra.

It sounded cool, but it isn't a Weird Western. However if Mike Mignola had had his hands on it, it was bound to be good. Then I head about the sequel, and my head went through the roof. Edward Grey follows the Heliopic Brotherhood to the Old West!

In the hellish frontiers of the American Wild West, nineteenth--century occult investigator Edward Grey hunts down a fiendish member of the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra. What he finds is a town harboring bloodthirsty criminals and terrible supernatural horrors!

Wow, that sounds REALLY cool, I'm sold. Mignola doing an Old West occult story with a kick ass British Occult Investigator? Sounds amazing.

Mike Mignola and John Acula did the story, while the great John Severin did the artwork (with Mignola doing the some of the covers) It was released this past Wednesday (February 2nd) and its costs $2.99

Also, CBR: The Comic Book Resource site has posted a 6 page preview which you can see HERE.

As soon as I'm able to get my hands on a copy, Ill give you guys a review!

More Old West Zombies in Rotten!

Zombies and the Old West seem to be the current trend lately. The Western is becoming something of a go-to genre to plop the undead into. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Zombie Western as much as the next guy (Undead Nightmare and others), but as I scour the aethernet for fresh material for the Emporium it seems like the most common "Weirdness" I come across is...Zombies. Joe Casual-Weird-West-Fan might not realize it with all of the flesh eaters popping up lately, but the Weird West is so much more than just Zombies (Thank goodness for Cowboys and Aliens!) Over the next few months Ill be doing posts about the glut of Zombies in the Old West as I come across more and more of those little fellers.

(Actually as a side note, some reviews of Undead Nightmare actually thought the idea of Zombies in the Old West was a really weird idea, and some even mocked it. It got to the point where Rockstar Games had too defend their position with examples of the Weird West in popular media. Kids nowdays.)

With all of that said, however, there are actually some very interesting Zombie Westerns I want to report on soon, such as a new film I JUST heard about last night called Revelation Trail, which Ill talk about in a few weeks.

...but until then...

Mark Rahner, Robert Horton, and Dan Dougherty have come out with a post civil war Weird Western comic called Rotten published through Moonstone comics. The artwork looks really nice, and I'm interested in getting my hands on the first trade paperback to see how the story reads.

The story synopsis sounds pretty interesting: Meet William Wade, Civil War vet, reluctant secret agent answering to President Rutherford B. Hayes, and zombie-hunter! In Reactivated, Agent Wade begins his mission with partner J.J. Flynn in a mining town locked down in a labor dispute and a siege of the undead. Plus, the two agents go undercover in an isolated, snowbound, debauched Army fort under slow attack by the undead - uncovering a Donner-like party and the fact that the wretched things are arising in different species everywhere. Collecting the first six issues of Moonstone's acclaimed zombie-Western epic with an edgy topical bite.


They put together a trailer for the book that looks, brutal and scary and really really good, so I cant wait to check the book out:



Yowza!

Rotten even has its own WEBSITE that has samples of the artwork and other stuff for the curious to check out. You should also keep an eye out at the Amazon Page for when the trade paperback is finally released.

New Weird West comic book series The Sixth Gun!

I could honestly kick myself. Doing research for Yesterday's post I came across the cover of a new Weird Western comic called The Sixth Gun from Oni Press. The reason for the self kickage-ness is that they released the entire first issue, absolutely free, on Free Comic Book Day 2010.....which I purposefully missed due to a lack of titles that I was interested in...I suppose I should have done better research...

If you can't tell by the name, Free Comic Book Day is the first Saturday in May when comic book companies release free issues of certain comics to promote them. The Sixth Gun was a good choice because it has just begun an ongoing run last month.

Oni Press decribes the title like this:

During the darkest days of the Civil War, wicked cutthroats came into possession of six pistols of otherworldly power. The Sixth Gun - the most dangerous of the weapons - has vanished. When the gun surfaces in the hands of an innocent girl, dark forces reawaken. Villains thought long dead set their sights on retrieving the gun and killing anyone in their path. Only Drake Sinclair, a gunslinger with a shadowy past, stands in their way.

Nice! and as luck would have it, all is not lost. Robot 6 has posted the entire first issue online for our weekend reading pleasure (in two formats even, you can read it right on the site, or download a PDF of the issue to keep forever and ever).

Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt's The Sixth Gun is 32 pages of Weird West awesomeness...And it can be read right HERE....Enjoy!

The Weird West in DC comics...

Two new books have come out from DC comics recently and both seem fairly rooted in the Weird West! The first is issue 4 of the mini series The Return of Bruce Wayne and the other is Secret Six #24 - Unforgivable.

If you dont know, last year sometime Bruce Wayne was killed (or was thought to have been) and for the past year people have been racing to reestablish Batman's presence in Gotham City. The story is a bit complicated so in a nutshell, Bruce wasn't killed, he was catapulted back into time to the stone age.....and now, for some unknown reason, he's being pulled irresistibly forward to his correct time (Our present) stopping in certain eras as he goes. The current issue has him stopping in the Old West. I haven't read the issue yet, but from the following preview the opening is a doozy!

Grant Morrison’s can’t-miss Batman story rolls on as Bruce Wayne’s next stop on his amazing journey through time brings him to the Wild West – but will he escape alive? Artist Georges Jeanty joins Morrison to take The Dark Knight on a ride.

You can check out the exciting opening pages to issue 4 right HERE



The second book that came out last week is Secret Six: Unforgivable.

I dont know a lot about the Secret Six, except that they are a group of Super villains who are trying to make good.....or at best are Anti Heroes. Since I dont read the series I'm not sure where a Western Adventure fits in.....but I'm not complaining!

I like the art work and I like the dialogue in the opening pages. The Cowboy is a villain named Deadshot (he's one of the "six") and it seems MORE than appropriate to recast him as Gunslinger. Here's what DC has to say about the issue:

In a small, corrupt mining boom-town, six remarkable strangers who hate each other band together in a bloody last stand against an army set on destroying them all!

The issue was written by Gail Simone and drawn by J. Calafiore and you can read the first 4 pages right HERE!

The Buzzard and Billy the Kid's Old-Timey Oddities!

I wish I could I could say that I was a reader of Eric Powell's The Goon, but I'm not....I AM, however, a fan of his artwork and especially his mini series Billy the Kid's Old-Timey Oddities, a BIG fan. So imagine my surprise when I heard that not only is there a new Weird West comic coming (actually it came out last week June 9th) called The Buzzard, but also a back-up story featuring the new adventures of Billy the Kid and the Traveling Freakshow he got caught up with.

Very excited is a good way to explain it!

I wish I knew more about The Buzzard, but here's the official word on the series:

The mysterious man known as Buzzard is lost, wondering what manner of creature he is, following his brutal showdown with the loathsome Zombie Priest in Eric Powell's celebrated Goon Year.

Buzzard leaves home, wandering into the shadowy spirit realm of the forest. A dark path leads to a village living in fear of a bestial race of savages. More animal than man, these creatures hunt the villagers and drag them from their slumber in the depth of night



As for Billy The Kid, which Powell did with Co-Creator Kyle Hotz, Comic Book Resource explains the original series like this:

The original "Billy the Kid" series ran for four issues in 2005, with the outlaw having faked his death and joined a traveling carnival. Though none would count him a friend, Billy embarks with this unusual crew on a quest to steal a mystical artifact from the castle of Victor Frankenstein. Things go poorly, on the whole

The new series pics up where the original left off, with Billy and his crew in some obscure part of Europe - "It's actually a nice little creepy story about what happens to them along their way on an errand to help a friend of the Oddities in England" says Powell.

If you get a chance to pick the original you should, its great...The artwork, while deceptively simple and "sloppy" is actually very sophisticated and tight. And the story is fantastic. When I was reading it, I couldn't put it down...and then it was over. Very fun read.

I can't imagine this new one will be any less enjoyable. I'll let you know my thoughts after Ive picked it up.

American Vampire!

A Quick post today to remind everyone who didn't already know that DC/Vertigo's American Vampire, written by Stephen King and Scott Snyder, was released last week. I haven't had a chance to pick it up yet, but it is most definitely on my To Do list this weekend (providing it isn't sold out)...

The Daily Beast has provided a spectacular 4 page preview and, right off the bat, Rafael Albuquerque's art work is spectacular.

Expect a review soon, but until then ENJOY

American Vampire Issue 2 Artwork

Just a quick update today, here is some just released cover art for Issue 2 of the DC/Vertigo Comics Vampire comics American Vampire. The Book is being written by Scott Snyder and Stephen King, and will be drawn by Rafael Albuquerque. You can see some concepts for the cover and alternate color takes by Mr. Albuquerque HERE

American Vampire on the Horizon!

If you read my previous post about it, you know I'm pretty dern excited about the new Scott Snyder/Stephen King/Rafael Albuquerque half Weird Western Vampire comic American Vampire from DC/Vertigo. Well the solicitation just came out today and goodness it looks to be fun!

The official word is this:

Witness the birth of a brand new species of vampire in this new ongoing series that begins with five extra-sized issues featuring back-to-back stories by exciting new writer Scott Snyder and the master of horror himself, Stephen King! When notorious outlaw Skinner Sweet is attacked by an old enemy (who happens to be a member of the undead), the first American vampire is born... a vampire powered by the sun, stronger, fiercer, and meaner than anything that came before. Plus... Pearl Jones is a struggling young actress in 1920s Los Angeles. But when her big break brings her face-to-face with an ancient evil, her Hollywood dream quickly turns into a brutal, shocking nightmare.

The book comes out on March 17, so save some of that Christmas money!....or don't, its only 4 bucks...

Stephen King to Write Weird West Vampire Comic!

The book is called American Vampire and Newsarama is reporting that King will be involved with the first 5 issue story. The official word, from The DC/Vertigo Blog Graphic Content is this:

Celebrated short story writer Scott Snyder and artist Rafael Albuquerque will launch a new monthly comic book series from Vertigo in March 2010 with a unique contribution from New York Times bestselling novelist Stephen King. The new ongoing series, AMERICAN VAMPIRE, will introduce readers to a new breed of vampire—a more muscular and vicious species of vampire with distinctly American characteristics. The series’ first story arc, to be told over the course of five issues, will feature two different stories, one written by Snyder, the other by King.

Snyder’s storyline is one of decadence and deception and Jazz Age glamour. Pearl is an ambitious modern woman with starlet dreams. She frequents Hollywood’s speakeasies and dance-halls searching for her first big break, only to find something far more sinister waiting for her.

King’s story provides the origin of the very first American vampire: Skinner Sweet, a bank robbing, murdering cowboy of the 1880s. Skinner is stronger and faster than previous vampires; he has rattlesnake fangs and is powered by…. the sun?

Following the conclusion of the first story arc, Snyder and Albuquerque will trace Skinner’s bloodline through various decades of American history.

I'm already on board! I love the idea of a breed of Vampire that has adapted to the distinct American climate; and starting the line in the Old West is perfect! We've always just had European Vampires, now we have a Vampire breed all our own.....well, for as long as this comic is out anyway.

I suggest you mozie on over to Newsarama for even more in depth details on the book (and some more art work as well) and also check out the Graphic Content blog for links to other sites reporting the story....if ya still haven't gotten enough, that is!

Mark your calenders, the first issue of American Vampire comes out March 2010.

I'll report on this some more when I hear stuff.

The Weird, Haunted, Eldrich, Occult Old West of Tex Arcana!

If you read Heavy Metal in the 1980's, than you probably remember a funny/scary little Weird West strip called Tex Arcana by John Findley. I used to read Heavy Metal in high school, but I only came across Tex once, in a tenth anniversary issue. The story was called The Ballad of the Witch's Daughter and it was a conventional Horror Western with a few of the regular Tex Arcana characters....and it sure left an impression.

Hosted by the Old Claim Jumper, a Crypt Keeper type of character who, though dead, lives in his grave with the epitaph Here lies the Old Claim Jumper, ? - 1850, His dyin' were hard an' he deserved it . Tex Arcana hearkens back to the old EC horror books, but then takes the idea and does something new with it. Its black and white illustrations have a creepy Underground comix feel to them and yet it can't seem to escape its Heavy Metal, drug era roots, mostly with two of its characters. The inter-dimensional demons Herp and Sweaz are right out of the animated Heavy Metal movie or the underground comix scene. I don't hate them as characters, or even dislike them....but I do wish they were only temporary...(Ive got mushroom demon in my Weird Western comic)....however since their introduction, they've become two of the major characters.

I had no idea that the strip was a long running, Weird Western graphic novel in the works when I first read it. A few years ago, however, I found that it had been collected into book form, so of course I bought it. I haven't read the whole thing yet so I can't really make any judgment on its content as a whole, but the story I DID read (Book 1: The Stranger) was a really good Vampire story about a mysterious stranger who comes to the town of Hangman's Corners and infects it, turning its citizens into Vampires. The story also introduced the characters we would be following into the rest of the stories. I enjoyed the it very much and was surprised by a few things, like Tex Arcana was an actual character, a magical Cowboy, who's whole face is never seen. He tends to show up to trouble too late (if at all) and is always accompanied by the mysterious Lady in White who is WAY more powerful than he is, and speaks in a foreign tongue that no one understands. Personally I wish there had been more Tex, he seems pretty interesting, but doesn't show up a lot throughout the stories, which I guess adds to his mystery.

Honestly, though, you don't need me to review this book, there is this website, you see, for the comic...the official website of John Findley, that not only reprints the entire contents of the Tex Arcana book, but also a brand new story that has yet to be published...it's about Tex's Mysterious Woman in White. So if you have nothing to do this weekend, and don't mind spending a few hours in the town of Hangman's Corners...head on over and rest a spell...Tex, The Woman in White, Doc Mason, and the others are waiting to show you a few cracking good stories from the "Weird, Haunted, Eldrich, Occult Old West of Tex Arcana"!

Enjoy!

Strangeways: The Thirsty

Being part 2 of the Strangeways series, The Thirsty deals with Vampires in the Old West, where Part 1 dealt with Werewolves. I have yet to read this series, but this is how it was described by Comic Book Resources:

Strangeways is the story of ex-Union officer turned expressman Seth Collins, as he finds himself adrift in the closing frontier of the post-Civil War era. Only this frontier is haunted by more than the ghosts of war. Things that are neither man nor beast, but the worst of both, hunt in the shadows and moonlight. Bandits and bad men are the least of your problems out here. Those can usually be solved by way of a little help from misters Smith and Wesson. But sometimes even those forceful persuaders aren't enough.

The Thirsty seems to be publishing online before they collect it onto paper.....so the series is currently HERE for you to enjoy. If you have nothing else to do this weekend, here is a little Old West vampire-ness to while away the time with!

Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr. making 'Cowboys & Aliens'

If you've read my previous post about Cowboys and Aliens, you know that I wasn't a fan of the comic, and with a movie in the works I was skeptical that it would be any good.....but The Hollywood Reporter has just released info that may very well change my mind. According to the industry paper, Jon Favreau has just signed on to direct the film with Robert Downey, Jr starring.

You can read the full story here

Very exciting news, I like both of them very much; and who knows, with this team and a good script writer, maybe a movie will improved the story!

Desperadoes! Gideon Brood in the Weird, Wild West!

Written by Jeff Mariotte (of Graveslinger fame) and drawn by various artists, the Desperadoes Omnibus is a gorgeous presentation. Published by IDW, someone forgot to tell them how Omnibuses are supposed to look (mostly newsprint with black and white images) because this is full colored and glossy paper'd...yet priced at about the same as the less stellar versions.

The book collects every Desperadoes story that has been published thus far, about 5 mini series', and clocks in at 492 pages; Well worth the price Amazon is selling it for. This book should cost two to three times as much.

Desperadoes is the continuing story of Gideon Brood and his band as they travel and adventure throughout the Weird West tracking down killers and trying to stay out of trouble. Here is what Amazon has to say about it:

Over the course of its decade-plus lifespan, the Western/horror series Desperadoes has traveled some long, strange trails. Since its hard-riding heroes first met while tracking a ritualistic murderer whose crimes gave him supernatural powers, they've experienced quarantine in a haunted town, a reanimated dead boy with a thirst for revenge, a spiritualist's nightmare, and a bizarre quest to the birthplace of the buffalo on behalf of Geronimo himself. For the first time ever, the Desperadoes Omnibus brings all the published Desperadoes stories together in one place, teaming the series' creator, award-winning, bestselling novelist Jeff Mariotte, with a veritable galaxy of superstar artists, new and established. John Cassaday (Astonishing X-Men) became a household name working on the first five-issue run, while John Severin (Bat Lash) made a triumphant return to comics after a long absence with this. John Lucas, Jeremy Haun, and Alberto Dose earned national attention and acclaim from their runs. Saddle up and hang onto the reins, because once you start in on this ride, you won't want to stop!

If you get a chance you should pick this up. The book is thick, and the stories are well worth getting lost in, a very satisfying read.

More Werewolves in the Old West!!

Written by Matt Maxwell, Strangeways: Murder Moon is the story of Werewolves in the Old West. As a tease, a Flickr page has been set up to showcase a lot of the art work!

Huzzah!

But if that isn't enough well, Pard, Take a look at the first chapter right here

Cowboys vs. Aliens?!!............yawn.........

This is supposed to be a movie. Robert Downey Jr. has signed on to star and this is supposed to eventually be turned into a movie. So I thought, Cowboys and Aliens that sounds REALLY fun! They certainly thought it was good enough to make a movie out of it...So I bought it.....

I read this on a plane going over to Japan, in about 20 minutes (Its a fast read, and I'm a slow reader)

I hate to say it, but it sucked....

Imagine that really cool sounding movie from the 1980s that you watch thinking it is going to be fun, and turns out to to be boring and formulaic, (Strange Days comes to mind for me, "you mean the friend did it? Ooooo big surprise!") That's Cowboys and Aliens.

It reads like it was already made to be a movie, they already had figured out where the first and second plot points went, and what the final battle was going to be....but they forgot to tell an intriguing or even an original and interesting story. Everything just kind of happens the way you expect it too, and then its over. This is sort of the Valley of Gwangi with aliens, without the great Harrihausen stop motion and without an ounce of fun.

The story in a nutshell:

In the Old West, settlers and Native Americans wage a bloody battle for control of the land. But when the Earth is threatened by conquerors from the stars, these sworn enemies must work together to save all humanity.

I wont spoil it for you but, not surprisingly, the Cowboys win......(Sorry I just lied about not spoiling it)

The artwork was another point of annoyance. I don't know what it is about comic books artists, but when you see a professional draw a page it looks good, REALLY good. When you see someone who WANTS to be professional (but doesn't have the chops yet) everything looks sloppy and uneven...it LOOKS like a wannabe comic artist drew it.....that's what this book looks like. Boring story, bad artwork, 2 strikes against it...the only thing saving it is the idea which would have potential in the right hands.

Hopefully the movie will take the idea and turn it into something fun, but until then I have to give this:

1 out of 5 Alien Laser Six Shooters