Is there anything not to love about this comic book? I mean, it ends with this beautifully paced reveal of the big villain–and I quote–a “giant mummy.” In the Old West. It’s just fantastic how Bunn and Hurtt pull off these fantastical reveals and make them work perfectly.

Speaking of Hurtt, this issue features some more of those wonderful Sixth Gun double page action spreads. It’s a great approach to action sequences, though I think Hurtt doing the art makes it work.

Bunn opens the issue–the first of a new arc–with a little recap, something Gun hasn’t had before. He works it nicely into the story, giving the issue a gradual start. Things get disturbing pretty fast, though Gun‘s handling of the supernatural is always somewhat genial.

If the book were too disturbing, it would overshadow the Western feel.

It’s truly an exemplar comic book.

Almost the entire issue is horizontal, meaning the pages are read across. It must have been a lot of work for Hurtt, but it’s done to excellent effect. The issue is another all action issue, but it’s this huge, layered battle scene. There’s an epilogue to it (The Sixth Gun, I believe, was initially a limited series ending here and so the epilogue makes sense as a teaser for what could come next). The epilogue is on regular, vertical pages.

What’s so good about the issue isn’t particularly the battle–though Bunn does plot it rather well. The ending is unexpected and there are some really nice smaller sequences, like Becky going up against Mrs. Hume.

But what’s best about it is how much Bunn infers instead of explains. The Sixth Gun‘s lack of overall exposition should be the standard, not the exception.

It’s a fantastic finish, better than expected.

CREDITS

Writer, Cullen Bunn; artist, colorist and letterer, Brian Hurtt; editors, Charlie Chu and James Lucas Jones; publisher, Oni Press.

Okay, it’s Drake, Becky and Billjohn. Can’t believe I forgot Billjohn.

No real action this issue, not even during the last quarter, which means Bunn wasn’t establishing it as an regular formula the first few issues, it’s just how he played them.

Or maybe this issue, with General Hume raising a graveyard of zombies to attack our heroes, didn’t need the tension raised.

We get a lot of backstory this issue, including some backstory on new characters. Bunn introduces a new character–a black insurgent (I can never figure good terms for these things) who fought the Confederacy. I hate to be obvious, but it’s like Lando Calrissian shows up or something. And we get backstory on him. More than we’ve gotten on Drake–we’re hearing a lot more about him being a somewhat evil man, but it’s not a clear definition.

Bunn’s giving Sixth Gun a lot of depth.

CREDITS

Writer, Cullen Bunn; artist, colorist and letterer, Brian Hurtt; editors, Charlie Chu and James Lucas Jones; publisher, Oni Press.

The girl’s name is Becky. It’s mentioned twice this issue, so maybe I’m not the only one who was confused.

This issue is Bunn’s take an all action issue. There’s the main event, the bad guys against this huge, electrically charge bird monster. But Drake and his sidekick–who definitely has a name, but I’m not aware of it–have to get to the fight, which brings in some backstory. And then there’s the girl–sorry, Becky–getting to the fight too.

Some great artwork here. Hurtt’s not a guy you really except to do heart-stopping visuals–I love him, but he doesn’t tend to do the stupendous visuals. Well, except here, of course–he’s got this panel of the giant bird monster’s wings peeking out of a canyon and it’s just incredible.

The series just keeps getting better.

Bunn’s inventiveness in a presumably tried genre is constant pleasure.

CREDITS

Writer, Cullen Bunn; artist, colorist and letterer, Brian Hurtt; editors, Charlie Chu and James Lucas Jones; publisher, Oni Press.

A couple things.

First, the girl doesn’t have a name yet. They would have mentioned it this issue.

Second, Bunn’s pacing. He does the same thing this issue–dense first three-quarters, fast ending. It might just be accelerating to raise tension for a cliffhanger, but in this issue, I was surprised where they finished. It felt like it needed one more page of explanation.

Hurtt’s got some really lovely panels this issue, very little ones in some cases. He uses a lot of sound effects titles here, beautifully rendered. The book would be worth picking up regardless of story.

Speaking of story, Bunn’s plot improves here. Well, maybe it doesn’t improve so much as not do the obvious, bad things I was dreading. The series has a particular pace–Bunn is taking his time with revelations, so they all need to be worth it.

Lovely Monument Valley sequence too.

It’s excellent work.

CREDITS

Writer, Cullen Bunn; artist, colorist and letterer, Brian Hurtt; editor, James Lucas Jones; publisher, Oni Press.

The Sixth Gun is really unpleasantly creepy this issue. I’m not talking about the undead Old West guys, they’re creepy and all, but undead Old West guys aren’t new.

I’m talking about the villain, Mrs. Hume (her husband being the undead bad guys’ leader). She’s really cruel to the girl (whose name isn’t repeated this issue and I didn’t note it the first so she’s just the girl for now) and it’s a disquieting scene.

Luckily, the protagonist, Drake, shows up and rescues her….

I found that move interesting, since the first issue sets Drake up as less than a hero. Again, there are some pacing issues (the present action of the issue is mostly continuous), but Bunn does some really nice work here.

As usual, Hurtt’s just fantastic. It’s amazing how much detail he fits into the pages, since he’s got a lot of panels per page.

Strong stuff.

CREDITS

Writer, Cullen Bunn; artist, colorist and letterer, Brian Hurtt; editor, James Lucas Jones; publisher, Oni Press.

I’d heard the colors are amazing in The Sixth Gun and whoever does them deserves as much credit as Hurtt. Turns out Hurtt does the colors.

It’s an interesting setup. Bunn fills the first three-quarters of the issue with information, whether about the titular artifact (it seems to be a pistol giving its user flawless aim and some kind of telepathy) or just dialogue. He takes his time, using full scenes to introduce the guy and the girl protagonists… assuming they’re the eventual protagonists.

But then he rushes through the finish. It’s a big elaborate action sequence with a bunch of monks using artillery against the undead. It looks great thanks to Hurtt but Bunn is padding it out. There’s no reason for the storytelling to slow down so much, not after the previous, rather full action sequences.

It’s a good first issue, but needed a little more story.

CREDITS

Writer, Cullen Bunn; artist, colorist and letterer, Brian Hurtt; editors, Jill Beaton,
Charlie Chu and James Lucas Jones; publisher, Oni Press.