Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Oni Press' The Mysterious Strangers and The Sixth Gun


Two of my fave comic books on the racks today are Oni Press' The Mysterious Strangers and The Sixth Gun. I picked up the comic books on a whim and tremendously enjoyed them that I began to collect them. 

The Sixth Gun (written by Cullen Bunn and drawn by Brian Hurtt) is a horror comic book set in the Wild West and is one of the best written and illustrated books out there. It follows the adventures of a band of strangers led by Drake Sinclair and Becky Montcrief who are bonded because of these mysterious six shooters that have the capability to change or even end the world. They are pursued by the previous owners of the guns who will stop at nothing to get them back and re-arrange the world according to their nefarious visions. The story is more than just mens shooting at each other. It's heavily into the supernatural. Especially issues #30-35 that is collected in the sixth volume of the series. 

The Mysterious Strangers (written by Chris Roberson and drawn by Scott Kowalchuk) on the other hand has the feel of the Avengers of John Steed and Emma Peel. It's a spy adventure series with the Strangers led by the wheelchair bound Absalom Quince and features the lovely Verity Mills, a platinum-haired blonde lady who can manipulate time; Michael Kono who has telekinesis; and Sandoval a former luchadore who has a death touch. 

It has a 1960s feel to it that I love so much. The story arcs are wrapped up in two issues before moving on into the next. I love it because it's not a heavy read but is instantly enjoyable. It's got a dash of X-Files with a nod to Charles Xavier. It has references to music (the Beatlesque Scarabs) and aliens and villainous organizations (O.C.CU.L.T.). Somehow, this series has that feel of the late Image Comic book Leave It To Chance that has a similar vibe.

I have all the issues so far but still picked up the trade paperback collecting all six issues that have been published so far. 

These aren't the only two books that I love from Oni Press. I also pick up Courtney Crumrin and Toys In Warland. I have yet to try The Damned that is supposedly good. 

Indie stuff. It's good for ya.

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