The world of Spawn recently expanded to include a whole host of hell-powered heroes, including the Gunslinger Spawn, or “Gunslinger” as he came to be known. True to his name, Gunslinger often wields twin revolvers and is a skilled marksman. He has to be, since he poured most of his hell powers into the ammunition he wielded to battle forces of Heaven. Now, he’s proven popular enough to headline a second ongoing title: Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger.
Set in the Old West, Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger #1 follows the Gunslinger as he dies and is reborn into his current form, chasing a mysterious evil. Along the way, he encounters a young woman and becomes resolved to defend her or at the very least succeed where he failed in saving his sister. But anyone who’s read Spawn knows that’s easier said than done, especially when the forces of Heaven and Hell come into play.
Spawn creator Todd McFarlane’s been recruiting a veritable army of talent for the “New U” wave of Spawn titles, and for Deadly Tales he turns to Jimmy Palmotti and Patric Reynolds. Palmotti’s no stranger to writing Westerns (see his Jonah Hex run) or gritty antiheroes (see his work on Punisher), so he’s the perfect fit for Deadly Tales. What is shocking is how little Palmotti leans on the supernatural elements; apart from Gunslinger’s first transformation and the mysterious demon shifting faces, this is a straightforward Western.
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But it’s still engaging, as Palmotti spins a tale of murder and retribution. It’s also drawn in a rough, layered style by Reynolds, with each gunfight punctuated by the blitz of bullets or the whizzing of knives. The best sequence, however, concerns Gunslinger’s transformation. It’s horrific – his skin flays away to reveal the trademark black and white colorings of a Spawn – but it also has a poetic edge, as prior to this he’d been beaten, dragged and hanged. In a way he’s shedding one skin for another.
Reynolds’ art is enhanced by the colors of Luis NCT, who brings golden yellow waves of heat to the Old West frontier, shimmering reddish orange to the sunset and a cold, bleak white to a snowy night. The sole constant is the Gunslinger, whose black hat and long red coat stand out like a beacon in the night. In his very first full appearance, it’s as if the Gunslinger has cornered the reader thanks to the focus of NCT’s colors.
Deadly Tales of the Gunslinger #1 is a solid debut for a fan-favorite Spawn character, and is chock full of all the blood and bullets you’d expect. When pitching this title, Todd McFarlane referred to it as a “badass Western.” Having watched Westerns like Tombstone and 3:10 to Yuma, I can say he wasn’t bluffing.
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