I have an addiction. I guess acknowledging the fact is the first step in the road to recovery. I buy comic books. Nothing inherently wrong with that, but I have a tendency to buy books even when I know they’re not for me. I buy them out of curiosity, then fume over how poorly executed they were. I should know better. I really should. What message did I send the publisher? That crap sells. You’ve got to vote with your wallet. Kill the completest mentality. Believe me, if you’re not buying then the publisher’s get the message load and clear. I’m turning over a new leaf… starting next week.
Here’s this week’s pull list —
From DC Comics:
Batman & Robin Annual #1
Justice League Dark #16
From Dynamite:
Dark Shadows #13
From Marvel:
Avengers #4
Journey Into Mystery #648
Young Avengers #1
From Oni Press:
The Sixth Gun #28
What I wanted but didn’t get: Daredevil #21, Courtney Crumrin #9
Dropping: All Avengers titles
Four of my favorite books came out this week. Well, five really, but my LCS didn’t and doesn’t order Courtney Crumrin. I’m forced to snag it online (which I’ll soon be doing with all my books). Anyway, of the four I did pick up (and yes I’m ignoring the other books I pulled, as the Avengers books are just awful and, though Batman & Robin was a fun issue, it’s not a title I follow with any real interest) one of them was a major disappointment (Justice League Dark), two were really good (Dark Shadows and Journey Into Mystery), and one was everything I ask for out of a comic book. Let’s talk about it a bit, shall we?
The “it” in question is Oni Press’ The Sixth Gun. Issue Number 28 to be precise. In May of 2011 I was asked to sit on an Alternative Markets panel at Mo*Con alongside Lucien Soulban and The Sixth Gun’s co-creator and wordsmith, Cullen Bunn. I picked up the Volume One TPB: Cold Dead Fingers and my obsession began. The Sixth Gun is a weird western, taking place shortly after the Civil War, centered around six supernatural pistols, each imbued with its own unique dark power. The story follows anti-hero Drake Sinclair and Becky Montcrief, wielder of The Sixth Gun, as they vie to keep these weapons out of the hands of various and nefarious villains intent on procuring the weapons and using them for their own evil purposes.
Awesome, right?
Well, in the latest issue, Part Five of their Winter Wolves arc, Bunn and Hurtt continue to deliver a solid, entertaining, and edge-of-your-seat thrill ride across the Old West. Expertly juggling a large cast of characters, split between our world and the Wendigo’s Endless Winter, Bunn’s tale is expertly complimented by Hurtt’s awesome visuals — from Asher’s two separate beatdowns on the Sword of Abraham to Gord Cantrell’s conjuring up restless spirits out of Dredmond’s Double Cross — and the breakneck pace and nail-biting tension culminates in a marvelous twist at the end that simply leaves you begging for the month to pass by quickly so you can get the next issue in your hands.
The Sixth Gun is everything a comic should be, and now that there’s word an NBC pilot is in the works… well, the world just took a grim and dark turn. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
occultdetective.com 