Dead West [Paperback]

Rick Spears (Author), Rob G. (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2005

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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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From School Library Journal

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
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Gigantic Graphic Novels (August 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976303817
• ISBN-13: 978-0976303817
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,309,952 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Guiness Brilliant, October 23, 2006

By 

K. Lindeman (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead West (Paperback)

The book was absolutely genius in so many ways...my favorite being: Rob G...as usual, he has pulled off the stunning artwork that brings this book together. Pen and ink is a terribly difficult medium to work with, and he makes it look like a walk in the park- It has effortless grace (yes, even in the zombies) and lends a herd-of-zebras chaos to the whole scheme.
Hands down, one of my favorite Graphic novels of the era.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SPAGHETTI WESTERN ZOMBIE STORY, October 12, 2005

By 

Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dead West (Paperback)

It's always a treat when something from a small publisher just jumps out and grabs you and doesn't let go. Dead West from Gigantic Graphic Novels is just such a book. A blending of spaghetti western and zombie films...Clint Eastwood meets George Romero.
Produced by Rick Spears & Rob Goodridge, Dead West takes these two unique film genres and blends them together for one horrific ride.

The story opens as a group of Native American Indians warmly welcomes the white man into their small village, only to have the white men lay claim to the lands. The men return as raiders, killing all of the Indians except for the young son of the tribe's chief who escapes. Move forward a number of years to the town of Lazarus on the very land stolen from the Native Americans. That lone survivor of the raid, now a man, performs a ghoulish ritual atop the Lazarus cemetery, taking his own life and letting his blood spill over the graves. Soon the dead claw their way out of the ground, and shuffle forth towards the town, led by the same Indian Shaman, now returned to life himself, to avenge his tribe.

The residents of Lazarus now find themselves under attack by the undead zombies, and returning to life when they die themselves to attack their former friends and neighbors. The survivors take refuge where they can and try to fight off the living dead as a mysterious man, looking remarkably like Clint Eastwood from one of his spaghetti westerns, comes to town in search of a man with a price on his head, and finds himself caught up in this hellish struggle with the dead.

I am always a sucker for a good zombie story and Dead West certainly was that. The black & white art, while not remarkable, was very reminiscent of the kind of art in the old Warren horror magazines like Creepy or Eerie back in the day. In fact the art somewhat reminded me of Pat Boyette's work on those same magazines from the 60's and 70's. I also like the fact that dialog was kept to a minimum as Spears and Goodridge let the visuals tell the story. There's nothing worse than a story that gets too "talky", especially a horror story. They have a very good handle on the zombie concept and a good flair for the dramatic as well. A very well done story and I look forward to seeing more from this pair.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare and excellent horror western, August 26, 2009

By 

Joel C. Furches - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead West (Paperback)

This simply-drawn graphic novel achieves everything it sets out to do. It tells a frightening and exciting story with a classic western anti-hero combined with the classic elements of the zombie-horror story. It is a perfect combination which leads you to wonder "Why have we never seen this before?"