Broken Frontier

Richard Moore is probably best known as the creator of the cult hit Boneyard. Currently, he writes a book about an angel and a devil doomed with a penance for a grave mistake in Fire and Brimstone. Before all of that, he wrote a little book for Antarctic Press by the title of Far West.

This first book starred as unlikely a pair as Fire and Brimstone. Meg is a gunslinger who also happens to have a penchant for crotchless chaps. She is also an elf. Her partner, Phil, just happens to be a talking bear. Together they hunt outlaws in the old west.

However, this west isn’t populated with singing ranch hands or nameless vagabonds chomping cigars in their colorful ponchos. Instead, the intrepid duo faces enchanted posse leaders, ogres and rather well-endowed dragons.

As with his other works, Moore finds a unique way to tell familiar stories. There are double crosses, shakedowns and cross-dressing. In other words, all the tropes of the 60s technicolor western are present. He skillfully combines these elements with ideas from sword and sorcery-styled fantasy to create an inspired hybrid.

The author’s true talent lies in his dialogue. His ear is better than just about anybody in the business. The back and forth between the two leads creates a kind of friction-filled relationship. Yet, you know these two are the best of friends. Moore’s keen knack for natural speech allows the reader to gain a sense of not only the length of the team’s partnership, but their loyalty for one another. This characterization comes out even through the frantic action of the story. A lesser wordsmith would be unable to establish his characters, but Moore makes it seem effortless.

Through the playful barbs, a reluctance in Phil to do much of anything (especially act like a bear) and Meg’s knee jerk reactions, Moore brings his keen sense of humor. As always, the script is filled with crass jokes and sexual innuendo. His current readers would be hurt by anything less.

Moore isn’t just a talented writer though. No, he has to show off by being a brilliant cartoonist as well. His wildly morphed caricature-like designs are playful, inventive, and distinctive. His line work is strong and consistent. Better yet, his panels lay out a clear concise story.

The first story, "Dragon Train," is told in stunning black and white. There is but a hint of shading here and there. The second opus contained between the covers, "The Hole-in-the-head Gang," is presented in a brilliant washed and highly rendered greyscale. As if all that talent in the writing and drawing department weren’t enough, Moore has to show that he is a versatile inker as well.

The greyscaled story also pulls of the neat feat of making fantastical characters look photorealistic. A nifty trick that makes the lesser of us mere humans sick!

Far West is an inventive journey meant for mature readers. It is genuinely funny and sports great art, writing, and dialogue. It is by definition, the perfect "funny" book.

Far West is available from Antarctic Press priced $14.95