Where Do I Start With... Westerns

Wh-- Huh?

Taking a break from the usual format to remind y'all that comic books aren't just about superheroes. Sometimes they're about ordinary men (and women, but mostly men) taking the law into their own hands with naught but their guns and their wits.

And westerns are just as classically American as superheroes are; set in the last years of the wild frontier when the world was getting smaller and the outlaws getting meaner. Westerns received something of a resurgence in late 60s/early 70s mainstream cinema, and comics jumped on the bandwagon too. Even today there seems to be yet another cultural love affair with the Wild West, proving that, like superheroes, they just won't go away.

Okay, so where do I start?

Perhaps the most popular and successful western comic being published right now is DC's Jonah Hex. Created in the anthology series Weird Western Tales and eventually given his own spin-off, Hex remains one of the most interesting characters in all fiction.

An ex-Confederate bounty hunter raised by the Apache, Jonah Hex finds himself in all manner of grisly and dangerous scenarios, much like the man himself. The first collection of the consistently amazing modern series by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti (with various guest artists) is titled Face Full of Violence, but the trades can be read in any order. Earlier stories can be found in either a black-and-white Showcase Presents volume or a full-colour collection called Welcome to Paradise. These are equally as good as the current run.

Many other characters were created during DC's Weird Western Tales and at least two of them -- gentleman outlaw Bat Lash and spirit of vengeance El Diablo -- are featured in Jonah Hex too, but can also be found in their own respective collections. There is a Showcase Presents for Lash, as well as Guns and Roses, detailing his status as "tragic outlaw", although it is not as light-hearted as his other appearances. As for El Diablo, there is The Haunted Horseman, but I don't know if that's any good or not.

Not to be outdone, Marvel also has some western heroes of its own. Blaze of Glory by John Ostrander and Leonardo Maco is not unlike the Unforgiven of western comics; telling the tale of what happens to the clear-cut "white hat" heroes of the Silver Age west in a more realistic, grittier setting. It was followed up with Apache Skies featuring the Rawhide Kid who also stars in a few, somewhat controversial, stories of his own.

But how could I possibly write this article without mentioning the Lone Ranger? When one thinks of the American westerns, one thinks of the Ranger. As I said in my review for the first trade, the current series from Sergio Cariello and Brett Matthews is sensational, capturing the spirit of the Lone Ranger perfectly, as well as the spirit of both the classic and modern western.

If all this gritty, grisly stuff is too much for ye, then you might want to check out more comedic westerns, such as Iron West from Image Comics, mixing robots with cowboys, or Eric Powell and Kyle Hotz' Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities from Dark Horse, in which Billy the Kid fights Dr. Frankenstein. If neither of those concepts appeals, then there's nothing more I can do for you.

What next?

Not too big a fan of the western but love sci-fi action? Then check out Cowboys & Aliens soon to be a major motion picture, depicting exactly what it says on the tin.

If yer willing to branch out from trades and dive into the back-issue bins, there was an Elseworlds one-shot from DC called Justice Riders with the Justice League reimagined as cowboys. If you find it, let me know, 'cause it sounds awesome.

The Sixth Gun from Oni Press is also a little more surreal and imaginative, about some magical six-shooters and the quest to find them. It's an on-going series (Cold Dead Fingers is the first trade) by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt, and it's quite enjoyable.

Hope this helped. Do let me know of any suggestions. This article ain't big enough for the two of us.