I have always been a fan of the horror/western hybrid. These genres go together like choclate and peanut butter. Joe R. Lansdale's Dead In The West and Tim Curran's Skin Medicine come immediately to mind. Now, writer Cullen Bunn and artist Brian Hurtt (The Damned) bring us The Sixth Gun, from Oni Press, a wonderfully written and beautifully drawn tale of Pinkerton detectives, cursed objects, ghosts, gunfighters, and a dead man who wants revenge.
Bunn spins a fine yarn, introducing a number of major players without getting too bogged down in backstory. He doles out information in bite sized pieces, leaving a number of questions dangling, as the best comics do. I certainly am looking forward to future issues; I want to know the who, what, and why of the sixth gun.
Brian Hurtt has a crisp, clean artistic style that compliments Bunn's writing, moving the readers eye to all the right places. Surprisingly, not all comic book artists can do this, but Hurtt makes it look easy.
The Sixth Gun issue one was a give-away on Free Comic Book Day. I think it could be the next Umbrella Academy, a book whose FCBD debut was a huge hit, a few years ago. I have already placed a standing order at my comic shop, for the rest of the series.
A good horror/western is always a treat; and The Sixth Gun is a monthly dose of ghostly gunfighting goodness.
