Dead West; A Hardcore Review *SPOILERS*

After going damn near a month without a review, I decided to start reading and rereading graphic novels I have in my library. As you may know, my favorite graphic novel of all time is Teenagers from Mars, written by Rick Spears and drawn by Rob Goodridge, better known in the industry as Rob G. Even his wife calls him Rob G. It's kind of like how a group of friends in a sketchbook all refer to one guy by his full name of Paul Fini. The same Paul Fini who does a book called Bliss from his own comic book imprint Indie Only Press. But that's a whole other story.
This story takes a two different genres and mashes them together in a bomb digity comic book. Spears and Goodridge strike again in this 2005 original graphic novel from Gigantic Press the same people who put out the Teenagers from Mars trade. It reads fast paced with seriously cool action in a zombie spaghetti western of movie quality proportions. Dead West could easily translate into either a full length live action movie or an animated movie with all the trimmings.
Dead West marks the revenge of a young native man, who longed to be a hunter and a brave. When his tribe was slaughtered by greedy white men, the brave, who is only ever referred as "Cub" hatches a plot to bring revenge on those responsible. Invoking some sort of death pact, the young brave makes a circle around the nearby town and then commits ritual suicide. But.... the young man comes back from the dead, along with everyone else in the cemetery. The key is the circle cannot be broken by the undead.
In the nearby town a man has been hanged for stealing livestock. A young woman, who is also a whore, pregnant, possibly with his child is forced, along with the rest of the town to witness the "justice." The way he comes back is awesome. Lifting himself up on the noose and biting the rope in half. Dozens of the dead come back to terrorize the town.
There was very little dialog in this book, but some of the lines were classics. When the pregnant whore is given a gun by the man with no name who is being chased by a bounty hunter, she shoots the owner of the whore house and laughs, "I got you! I fucking got you!" I largely suspect the man had raped her.
When "Cub" finds his zombie father, the chief about to take his final resting place, he tells his father that he has enacted revenge. His father tells him something so profound. He says, "Did you take a wife? Have a son?" When the tribe was killed all "Cub" did was live for revenge. When he should have kept the tribe going on.
The story closes with the formerly pregnant, now mother and the man with no name leaving the town and breaking the circle. And a vulture leaves the circle too.
This book is awesome on a lot of levels. True, Goodridge's style can be a bit stiff where his people look like mannequins. But altogether, this book is fucking solid as they come. And even better it's small press.
This Hardcore Review regards Dead West with the grade of a true old school tough son of a bitch who never got his due in the United States, until he got a World Heavyweight Title shot. "Dr. Death" Steve Williams took on the then Extreme Championship Wrestling World Championship Raven in a fight that saw "Dr. Death" bleed on American soil, which is super rare. But it was the end of the match that saw just how hardcore Steve Williams really was. It took three super kicks from leader of the Blue World Order, Big Stevie Cool and a DDT from Raven to stop the man who was an All-American in both collegiate wrestling and football and one of the most dominant American wrestlers who ever stepped foot into a Japanese ring.

Teenagers from Mars; A Hardcore Review

So, you get in fights a lot?
Yeah.
You always get your ass kicked?
Yeah.
Aren't you ever afraid?
No.

The words that adorn the back cover of Teenagers From Mars. Basically summing up the entire story. Today's review is of an eight issue series from early 2000's. The series is the pentultimate teamup for Rob G and Rick Spears. This story follows Mall-Mart employee Macon Blair as he stand up to the man to defend comic books. Loses his job. And gets his ass kicked, by a balding middle aged manager of Mall-Mart.
A series of graverobbings is linked to a Satanic cult in the area. Isn't it always. Three kids are responsible. They rob the graves and then sell the loot to a pawn shop. All in the attempt to make enough money to buy Beyond Adventure #75 which is the first appearance of Captain Tomorrow.
Macon Blair is a former employee of mega giant Mall-Mart. He writes and draws a local comic called Lines on Paper. And he has just met the girl of his dreams.
Madison Lee is a super hot punk chick, with a penchant for the violent. She gets busted for assault in the aforementioned Mall-Mart after kicking the shit out of a pervert who looked up her skirt. No charges were filed on the pervert.
Macon and Madison meet up at a zombie house party. Trust me, you gotta see it to believe it. She befriends perenial loser Macon and walks him home afterwards. A romance is soon to follow. But not it any traditional sense. Macon is a proponnent of the 1st Ammendment. SO much so that he thinks kids should see scary zombie flicks and read whatever kind of comics they want. After he and Madison trash the Mall-Mart a prohibition on comic books is started in the quaint little town of Mars.
Macon's book, Lines on Paper is confiscated by the feds, and Macon is determined to get it back. This leads to the best exchange in comics history, as Macon doesn't want to risk any harm coming to Madison. She belts him in the gut and calls him a pussy. Citing that she's nobody's damsel in distress.
Macon comes back the next day and meets he on her roof. They exchange looks and then BAM! Macon pops his in the jaw. True love is never an easy thing folks. The two make like gang busters on the Mayor's office, fully rendering him to a ruthless rectal assault via gavel. Take the pages back and make off like Mickey and Malory. In the exchange of gunfire, Madison is hit and wounded pretty badly. Macon, rushes her to the hospital in which the doctor reveals himself to be a member of the Comic Book Liberation Army, giving the duo a headstart.
I have read this book a plethora of times. And I am ammused every time I read it. I have recommended this title to as many people as I can think of and more than any other book. Even my own. This made it's way to my top five and then took down the perrenial number one, The Dark Knight Retuns after I reread it for the third or fourth time. Everything that is good about comics is what makes this book a classic. I just want a hardcover copy so my paperback can be retired. I own every issue of this series ( I get mentioned in the letteres column in issue 6 although my name is butchered) and two copies of the trade paper back. One signed by writer Rick SPears. I even own a piece of artwork by Rob G that he did at APE Con several years ago. And I have charged Rob with drawing an original piece of Macon and Madison dressed up like zombies for a tattoo concept I have. He said he's up for it and then I can die happy. Although I plan to give the comic book world a run for it's money by taking what I love about TFM and making it my own in YiA.
This comic is so hardcore it was tough coming up with a grade for it. But here goes. The day before the Dudley Boys left ECW they fought little brother Spike Dudley and Balls Mahoney for the tag straps. In a moment that has to be seen to be believed and I think a first in wrestling history, Bubba and D Von set ablaze two tables outside of the ring, one on top of the other and proceed to powerbomb Little Spike Dudley through the flaming wreckage and onto the cold, hard unforgiving concrete floor below. Chants of, "Holy Shit!" "EC Dub" and, "He's Hardcore," followed. And the wrestling world would never be the same.