Dead West [Anglais] [Broché]

This story starts, as all stories about the American West do, with the white man murdering the American Indian for his land. In this case there is one survivor, the son of a chief who lives only to seek revenge. Years later, a town has sprung up on the site of the massacre. A sheriff who shows no mercy, a fugitive, a pregnant whore and a bounty hunter all converge here, where civilization is losing its hold. The orphaned American Indian returns to cast an ancient curse. Next thing we know, the dead are rising from their graves and it's every man—and woman—for himself as the townsfolk face the zombie horror. This story has all the conventions of the Western, from the bounty hunter to the showdown, but the walking undead make every cliché unpredictable. Spears and Rob G almost pull off this horror/western hybrid. However, the scratchy pen-and-ink drawings that make the zombies so gruesome also make it difficult to distinguish the myriad main characters from one another, and the disparate story lines flash by without much development. Despite the weaknesses, the story's novelty carries the day. (Sept.)
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Grade 10 Up–This edgy graphic novel, which wonderfully blends the tropes of the Western with the zombie horror story, opens with a short prequel. A Native American village is wiped out to make way for a town called Lazarus. Years later, the lone survivor returns and places a curse on the bustling burg. The dead rise from their graves and start attacking and snacking on the inhabitants. Speed ahead one week and a bounty hunter arrives, searching for a fugitive. He finds himself helping the trapped people so he can reach his target. Spears balances heart-pounding action with quick side moments that give readers a chance to catch their breath. The tale reaches its inevitably violent-yet-campy conclusion when the cavalry arrives with guns and cannons blazing. Rob G's artwork adds to the fast-paced plotting through a sketchy, frenetic, and angular style. His depiction of violence will satisfy horror enthusiasts but is not so gore-intensive that it will shock average readers. Fans may be surprised by the lack of character development and deep themes that the pair's Teenagers from Mars (Gigantic, 2005) provided so skillfully. But the intent here is one of pure fun and guilty pleasures. Devotees of zombies, Westerns, and zombie-Westerns will rejoice over this thrilling story. As different as it is from this team's other work, it points to a powerful collaboration that is heading toward a promising and diverse career.–Matthew L. Moffett, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale
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Spears and G follow the grim, hopeless, utterly riveting noir exercise Filler (2005) and the well-received Teenagers from Mars (2005) with what could be labeled a spaghetti western from hell. A prologue shows a trusting Indian community destroyed by white men with a deed to its land. Only a boy survives the massacre, to show up, grown, in the town built on the stolen land, in order to curse it with zombies. Into the town, in which two parties of the still-living are holed up against the shambling cannibals, ride two strangers, the second in pursuit of the first because the first is an outlaw and the second a Leone-Eastwood man with no name. The first joins one besieged group, the second the other, and when the smoke clears . . . Nope, can't give that away. G in particular plunges into this project with gusto, assuring that, however predictably the plot twists, it always looks dusty, ghoulish, and tough as dried boot leather. Ray Olson
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Dead West combines the best of two genres, zombie horror movies and westerns, to create an all-new manga adventure. During America's westward expansion, a small Indian village was wiped out to make way for the town of Lazarus. Only one Indian, a child, survived, and years later he returns to Lazarus to claim revenge, placing a curse on the town. Soon, the dead have risen from their graves and a mob of zombies is ransacking Lazarus. While the sheriff and cowboys fight the undead, a bounty hunter slips into town looking for a fugitive. Instead, he comes upon a pregnant whore and reluctantly becomes her protector against the zombie onslaught. The bounty hunter is a dangerous man and the sheriff and cowboys are armed to the teeth, but it may not be enough to stop the Indian's curse. Featuring beautiful illustrations and sharp prose by the award-nominated duo of Rick Spears and Rob G. Dead West delivers high-impact heart-throbbing action.