Lone Ranger cake marks birthday
Happy Groundhog Day and happy birthday to me — we celebrated by giving away a Lone Ranger cake at my store, Speeding Bullet Comics. The second issue of Dynamite’s new “Lone Ranger” comic is out this week.
See previous comic-related cakes decorated by my wife, Annette Price, here and here.
- Matt Price
Noir, Old West meet in “Red Plains” comic
WORD BALLOONS
Writer Caryn A. Tate takes a noir-inspired trek through the Old West in “Red Plains,” a Web comic available via Graphic.ly and MyDigitalComics.com.
Tate aims for her Western to have an authentic flavor. Having grown up throughout the West, including spending time on a working ranch, Tate finds it difficult to stomach stereotypical Westerns.
“When we see cowboys in ‘Red Plains,’ they’re usually doing actual ranch work; people don’t have an endless supply of ammo, their horses get tired, violence has consequences, and there are no gunfights at high noon in the middle of the street,” she said in an interview with The Oklahoman.
The writer, who has lived in Colorado, New Mexico, Montana and Washington, said she spends extensive time researching period details for the late 1800s setting of “Red Plains.”
“The artists and I make a concerted effort to be as historically accurate as possible,” she said. “For the look of it, I give the artists a lot of reference material — descriptions, photos and illustrations — to pull from as they help construct a story line. From something as detailed as period-accurate weapons to more general things that I tend to take for granted (like cowboy hats or getting on a horse on the left-hand side, not the right), we put a lot of effort into making ‘Red Plains’ a world.”
The morals and attitudes of the period are reflected in the characters actions as well.
“The handling of suspects, attitudes about intimacy, and medicine were wildly different,” Tate said. “Those are things that not only add to the feel of our stories but also become springboards into other tales as well.”
“Red Plains” follows three families and the conflict among them.
“‘Red Plains’ is the story of a town that’s full of violence, lust and corruption,” Tate said. “It’s a realistic and authentic tale that is set in the West, in 1880 currently. It’s historically accurate while being exciting and dramatic.”
The series is serialized at www.topshelfcomix.com/ts2.0/. The first story line, “Red Plains: Range War” is also available for digital purchase at Graphic.ly and MyDigitalComics.com.
“Range War” is illustrated by artist Noel Tuazon.
“He’s amazing at portraying the body language and facial expressions of the characters, as well as the dark, looming shadows, all of which worked great on that story line,” Tate said. Artists Larry Watts, Gary Fitzgerald, Patrick Bezanson and Butch Mapa have worked on subsequent story lines.
“All the artists I’ve worked with are fantastic,” Tate said. “It’s really fun to work with such a variety of talent and see their take on the world of ‘Red Plains.’”
Crime noir and true crime mark a strong influence on “Red Plains.” Tate referenced “The Hitch Hiker” and “DOA” among her inspirations for the series. She said “The Wire” and “Homicide: Life on the Street” influenced her development of “Red Plains.”
“With both series, there is a lot more to them than initially meets the eye, and that had a profound effect on how I approach ‘Red Plains,’” she said.
- By Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman
Megan Fox in Jonah Hex may make your brain melt
Head over to MovieGab to see photos of Megan Fox in costume for the adaptation of DC Comics’ “Jonah Hex.” I’m not sure they wore anything quite that revealing in the Old West, but who are we to complain?
“High Moon” continues on Zuda
If you haven’t been following the Zuda comic-book series “High Moon,” here’s two good local-interest reasons:
1. ”Season Two” of “High Moon” is set in Ragged Rock, Oklahoma
2. Writer David Gallaher is something of a Sooner himself, having attended college at the University of Oklahoma.
“High Moon” is a supernatural/werewolf Western, which was one of Zuda’s initial launches in 2007.
– Matt Price
DVD review: The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers, Vol. 1
From Friday’s The Oklahoman:
One of the earlier manga-inspired animated series, “The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers” mixed science fiction with Westerns to create an action-packed and innovative 1980s cartoon. One part “Robotech” and one part “High Plains Drifter,” the “Galaxy Rangers” series featured space lawmen fighting for Earth and the rights of Earthmen.
Like the “Seven Samurai,” the four Rangers who star in “Galaxy Rangers” also have a mission — to protect friendly aliens from destruction by the forces of the Queen of the Crown.
The four lead Galaxy Rangers are part of “Series Five,” indicating their special abilities. Zachery Fox (Jerry Orbach) is the leader, with bionic implants including a laser arm.
Science-fiction writers Brian Daley (“Fall of the White Ship Avatar,” “Star Wars: The Han Solo Trilogy”) and Tom DeHaven (“It’s Superman”) provided stories for “Rangers,” with writing that was ahead of its time for American animation.
“Galaxy Rangers” attempted to do a different type of show in an era where toy tie-ins were the end-all of television animation. As such, it ran for just 65 episodes (32 are included on this collection), but has remained popular with dedicated fans.
— Matthew Price
Comics podcast: Green Lantern Corps, Last Defenders, Serenity, Lone Ranger & Tonto, Gamekeeper vol 2
Kyle Roberts and I run down some of this week’s releases in the comics podcast.
Matt: Dynamite is doing, I think, a really good job with a lot of different genre Western stuff … (Lone Ranger & Tonto) is a little bit of a dark Western but a very good one. I was a little disturbed by parts of the story, but I can’t really say that it was a bad story. There’s some people being murdered on the frontier, and the Lone Ranger and Tonto investigate. They think that one thing is happening and find out that another thing is happening that is maybe even a little darker and creepier than what we’d expected. … This is another one that I enjoy, and I’m glad to see more options for Western characters. … If you’re enjoying the regular Lone Ranger, give Lone Ranger & Tonto a look. It’s got a nice John Cassaday cover, it’s written by Brett Matthews with John Abrams, and the art is by Marco Guevara.
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Western comics require a little prospecting
At one time, Western comic books were a ubiquitous part of the American market. In the 1950s, comics based on Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Billy the Kid, Jesse James and dozens of other comics starring real and fictional heroes and outlaws dotted the comics landscape. Today, Western comics require some more prospecting to find.
Fans may not be able to find most Western comics on the spur of the moment, but there are some diamonds in the rough.
DC Comics is currently running two Western series — the ongoing series Jonah Hex, about the scarred bounty hunter; and the miniseries Bat Lash, starring the at-times self-indulgent gunslinger.
Marvel Comics’ most popular Western characters — the Rawhide Kid, Kid Colt and the Two-Gun Kid — appear from time to time, and in 2006, Marvel showcased these and other of their Old West characters in the “Marvel Westerns” miniseries. Now collected in hardcover format, “Marvel Westerns” features many of Marvel’s most acclaimed writers, including Dan Slott (“She-Hulk,” “Amazing Spider-Man”), Jeff Parker (“Marvel Adventures: The Avengers”) and Fred Van Lente (“The Incredible Hercules”).
Meanwhile, Moonstone Books has more than a half-dozen historical figures — including Wyatt Earp and Belle Starr — set to appear in upcoming graphic novels.
Three Western legends star in “Wild West Triple Feature: Wyatt Earp, The Cisco Kid, Belle Star.”
In 1877 Dodge City, Kansas, Wyatt Earp is the town’s new marshal. In this story by Chuck Dixon (“Robin,” “Batman and the Outsiders”), Earp quickly gets on the wrong side of several Dodge City outlaws. Earp saddles up with Doc Holliday and Bat and Ed Masterson to clean up the town.
Belle Starr recounts her life story in the story by Mark Ricketts, and in Len Cody’s “The Cisco Kid,” Cisco faces off against a powerful shaman. The Cisco Kid, also known as Ben Thompson, was a real-life desperado who was immortalized in the stories of O. Henry.
This 240-page graphic novel will retail for $23.95 and ship in March.
For more on Wyatt Earp, Richard Dean Starr’s “Wyatt Earp: The Justice Riders” features 96 pages of the marshal, teaming up with Geronimo, Belle Starr, Annie Oakley and the Cisco Kid.
“The Justice Riders” is historical fiction which takes documented events and spins them into a story of retribution that might have been. The art is by Dan Dougherty.
The introduction of the book is by Wyatt Earp himself — not the historical figure, but the actor who is the lawman’s namesake. “Justice Riders” is also set for a March release.
– Matt Price
Brandvold dishes on “Bat Lash”
Western writer Peter Brandvold, co-writing the new “Bat Lash” series with Sergio Aragones, talked about the new series with Comic Book Resources:
Brandvold did however tease who he’d love to drop by for a game of cards with Bartholomew Alouysius Lash if he had the chance. “No cameos, so far, but if the series keeps going I’d love to involve one my favorite Western stars of all time, Jonah Hex,” confessed Brandvold. “I can imagine a wonderful combination, one in which the two are on equal footing while maintaining their own unique personas. There are some great dialogue possibilities there that haven’t come anywhere close to being exploited.”
I’d like to see “Bat Lash” do well enough for some sequels, or even more Western comics from DC and other publishers. Anybody else enjoying any of the current or past crop of Western comics?
— Matt Price
