Comic Book Review: The Sixth Gun Book 2: Crossroads written by Cullen Bunn, illustrated by Brian Hurtt
Note: This review contains SPOILERS for Book 1.
Quick recap: Becky Montcrief discovered after her stepfather’s death that she’d inherited the Sixth Gun, one of a set of six firearms with supernatural powers, that when gathered will bring about calamity. To protect herself, she teamed up with Drake Sinclair as the least evil of her options, and together with some others they battled the undead General Hume, would be master of the guns.
As a result of the battle at the end of the first volume, Hume is a corpse again, at least for now, Drake Sinclair has four of the guns, and our protagonists are now working with Gord Cantrell, an ex-convict who is surprisingly learned. They’ve come to New Orleans in hopes of learning more about the guns and how to safely prevent them from causing more harm.
Drake goes deep into the Louisiana swamp, looking for a man called Henri Fournier, who knows much about cursed items. He encounters other things in the swamp as well, and one, Marinette Dry-Arms, follows him out.
Gord goes looking for a book that might have some answers, leaving Becky at loose ends. She encounters handsome gunslinger Kirby Hale, and they swiftly take a shine to each other. Pity he’s got an agenda beyond simply bedding her.
Add a group of gun-toting priests to the mix, and the graveyard where the guns are concealed will be filled with violent action!
This horror-Western continues to deliver gory violence and twisted creatures, lovingly detailed. Bill Crabtree’s coloring enhances the mood nicely.
Kirby is perhaps a little cliche, of course the first friendly person our heroine meets in a new town will turn out to be a rotter. He may, however, have gotten in over his head.
Not a whole lot gets resolved in this volume, it’s more of a stop on the journey. Quite a few volumes to go in the series!
Content note: The afore-mentioned gory violence, a man suggests in a roundabout way that Becky is a prostitute, peek-a-boo nudity, and extramarital sex is heavily implied. Late teens and up should be able to handle it.
Recommended to horror-Western fans.
