The Sixth Gun, Book 1: Cold Dead Fingers

The beginning of a great Weird Western

I love Weird Western stories, and I love ongoing comics that tell a single, ongoing story. So the idea of a monthly Weird Western comic was pretty much irresistible. Having said that, it took a few issues for this series to grow on me, but by the end of the first, six-issue story (collected in this volume), The Sixth Gun had become one of my new favorite comics. Telling the story of six supernatural guns, the book focuses on Rebecca Moncrief, who inherits one of the guns from her father. The gun allows her to see visions of the past and the future, and is an important part of a mysterious plot by General Oleander Hume, the dead-and-resurrected former owner of the gun. Rebecca finds herself allied with Drake Sinclair, one of the general's former subordinates, and together, they work to stop him from uniting the six guns, which would bring about dire consequences. Writer Cullen Bunn tells a fairly complete story in this book, while setting up some intriguing mysteries for future installments. Artist Brian Hurt's art is clear and straightforward, while still detailed. His characters are clear and distinct, and he makes the supernatural weirdness fit right in with the regular setting. The historical detail feels accurate without having to hit the reader over the head with it. All in all, loads of fun. Can't wait to see where the story goes next. (As I type this, the comic is only up to seven issues, but the second story is already heading off in weird, different directions.) Read more