Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Saddle up for an Awesome Read: The Man with No Name #1


When I was just a wee nipper, my dad would flip through the TV channels, always stopping on any old movie or show with guys in cowboy hats and horses. Now, to my young eyes, those old westerns usually seemed pretty lame. The heroes seemed too clean-cut and two-dimensional, riding around on white horses, and always sure to tip their hats and say, "Howdy, Ma'am," to the ladies. Every once in a while, though, we'd land on something different. The hero was a grizzled, mean, surly cuss wearing a dirty poncho and a bad attitude. He didn't say much, but when he did, it usually meant someone was gonna die. Back then, I didn't know he was played by Clint Eastwood. I didn't even know the hero's name. Come to find out he didn't even have one.

The Man with No Name #1 from Dynamite is the first in a new series based on those awesome Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns, starring Eastwood's nameless drifter of an anti-hero. This series is written by Christos Gage, with art from Wellington Dias. The story and the art work together to perfectly capture the feel of this tough-as-nails hero and the rough, dirty world he inhabits.You can almost feel the baking desert heat as our hero rides recklessly out into the mid-day sun. (And all the hot, flying lead doesn't really help matters much.)

The first issue finds the drifter heading into town pursued by soldiers from both the North and the South. One side wants him for treason, the other for a bag of stolen gold. For most hombres, two armies out for your hide would be trouble enough, but when a priest in need of help crosses his path, our hero finds himself with one more thing to deal with. It's a darn good thing this nameless gunslinger ain't the nervous type, 'cause he has a whole heap of trouble in his path.

Even if you've never seen the movies (What are you waiting for? Go rent The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly!), you will want to try out this book. You get everything you need to know about the character in one panel of his stubbled, steely face. This guy is one of the first great anti-heroes, with a chance to ride the plains again in a whole new medium. If you say you won't read this book, well, you best smile when you say that. Saddle up and ride on out to Four Color Fantasies now to read this guaranteed Book of the Week! We promise not to ask your name.

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