Customer Reviews

Billy the Kids Old-Timey Oddities

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

William Henry McCarty, a.k.a. William H. Bonney, a.k.a Billy the Kid, was gunned down by lawman Pat Garrett in 1881. Or was he? Writer Eric Powell posits otherwise, working with the assumption that Garrett unknowingly killed the wrong man and Billy, wanting the law off his back, took the opportunity to change his name and disappear. In Powell's version of events, however, Billy doesn't just vanish into obscurity. Instead, he's recruited by a band of sideshow freaks (or "biological curiosities") to take on the vile Dr. Victor Frankenstein (whose death was also exaggerated) and his minions in Europe, where a valuable treasure awaits them.

"Billy the Kid's Old-Timey Oddities" is a hoot and a holler, a fun, yet vaguely disturbing book that blends Old West attitudes and gunslingin' with Old World atmosphere and a varied bag of macabre, malformed grotesqueries.

The story is illustrated along unsettling lines by Kyle Hotz and leads readers through a twisted tale filled with tentacles, decapitations, manacles, syringes, blood and other fluids. Let's hope there's more to come.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.NET editor

When I first clapped eyes on the beautiful (supposed) cover by Eric Powell, I was sold. I'm a big fan of Westerns and of Powell's artwork and sense of humor, so this seemed like an easy sell.

The first bit of disappointment hit when I received the book. The cover was not the Powell cover that Amazon shows. Instead it was done by a different artist. This development lead quickly to more disappointment as I found that all of the art was done by this same guy. Now, he's not a terrible artist or anything, but I would have much rather seen Powell's art carry the story. I didn't care for the actual artist's style much.

More disappointment came when I found that the story had none of the Powell humor I came to love by reading his Goon series. And with a name like Billy the Kid's Old-Timey Oddities, you expect a bit of that humor.

I quickly turned around and sold the book to someone else, so no harm done. But I'd love to see Powell tackle a Western-themed book all by himself.

So...Billy the Kid fakes his death and ends up travelling with a freak show trying to track down the golems heart and find Dr. Frankenstein. Freakin' Hilarious!!! The art is great, the story is very amusing and the ending is good. I like how it leaves things open if Powell wants to continue, but it also makes it a complete story so you are not waiting for more. I recommend this highly....If you like The Goon, you will like this.

I had mixed feelings about picking up this book, but I'm glad I did. The artwork is very enjoyable and the characters are very intriguing. In reading the story it wasn't until the end of the book that the story really grew on me. No, it doesn't have your typical Eric Powell humor in it, but that's not what this story is trying to be. If you take it for what it is, and block out your "Goon" expectations of the book, then I think you will like it more. There is also some really great art in it that went well with the Wild West, Freak Show, Gothic feel to the book. Give it a honest try and by the end you will find yourself starting to get attached to some of the characters in the book.

Blending the Western and Horror genres? Genius! Yet hardly original -- it's been going on since at least the 1930s, starting with pulp magazine stories. There's even a name for this kind of genre hybrid -- "Weird West," look it up on Wikipedia for plenty of examples from film, tv, comics, fiction, and even a roleplaying system (Deadlands). This particular iteration begins with the premise that Billy the Kid faked his own death in order to flee into obscurity. Alas, his well-laid plans are undone by a strange collection of circus freaks, whose leader has used some mystic powers to foretell the need to recruit Billy to help them retrieve an enchanted jewel. Billy is thus blackmailed into joining the long journey East and across to Europe, where the grotesque gang must raid the castle of Dr. Frankenstein! It's a wild and wacky adventure, mixing humor with some very dark horror overtones, gunslinging action, and plenty of blood and guts. The full-color artwork manages to be both clean and claustrophobic, as each panel is filled with twisting, curling lines reminiscent of the best horror art. Fun stuff!

This story is a Western with a sprinkling of horror:

The story starts with Billy the Kid travelling after he has faked his own death. He expects that he will get away scott-free without people recognizing him, and trying to turn in him into the police. However, someone does recognize him and threatens to expose him. He is brought before a group of sideshow freaks that are planning a treasure hunt expedition to Dr. Frankenstein's castle. Billy the Kid reluctantly excepts a place in this motley crue and goes on the expidition. Throughout the tale you get see Billy the Kid develop as a character and have more depth than just rascally outlaw. The use of Dr. Frankenstein in this story as a continuation of the original story was fun even if it wasn't completely accurate to his original character.

I will say the story was a little bit tamer than I expected but still has bite, enough to think an acceptable age would be around 16 for this tale. The idea of a western story with some horror story connections lends itself to more grittier tales, but this story still fits well in both genres. It definitely seems reminiscent in spirit to either The League of Extraorinary Gentlemen or The Dark Tower Series. Also makes me think of the Doomtown card game. (Which probably means very little to most people who read this review.)

The art was good, but nothing spectacular.
All and all the comic is pretty much what I expected. There was enough humor, action, and story to entertain, but not necessarily be memorable. The humanity of Billy the Kid, shown by the shadow of his past makes this comic above average. A good read for everyone, regardless of what genre they enjoy, but unless you reallly like westerns or the concept sounds really good I don't think I would recommned buying it. Their are so many other graphic novels out there and this is just a good one, not a fantastic one.