Broken Frontier

Cowboys, Indians, and zombies do the monster mash in this low key but well-done issue one.

The Ancestral Pueblo disappeared around 1275 AD, without explanation. 500 years later, two cowboys and one cowgirl out for revenge may have found the cause. When the dead walk west Texas, Jed, Sam, and Tess may be the only thing to stop the zombie apocalypse from ravaging the Wild West, or may accidentally cause the downfall of their nation.

There's no doubt that the creative crew behind this book are largely unknowns. Thankfully, for what seems to be an early work out of the team, it succeeds and bests some professional work at times. Alfonso Ruiz has a good balance between cartoony and sketchy, and yet doesn't belie the horrors and violence of such a situation, but falls short at times when it comes to backgrounds and buildings, largely ignoring them as set pieces and more letting the action play out naturally. It's a different take that helps guide the reader with the eye, but go all or nothing; don't mix what looks like stock images or computer graphics for backgrounds (and even unfinished lines on one, seeming as if the building mechanically runs out before the panel does) with enjoyable pencil work on the cast of characters. When Mister Terrific did digital backgrounds, it stood out and was hard-pressed to find fans.

Writer Scott Chitwood has fun with the story, mixing modern zombie tales with that of the Wild West legends and tales of mystical shamans and magical Native Americans. Much like the indifferent Cowboys and Aliens, the book doesn't offer much more than its original pitch. It may have cowboys, Indians, and zombies, and those three tropes are rarely seen together, but it doesn't mean the mixture is something you'd want to have on a regular basis. For a four issue series, the book moves at a quick pace in the first issue, but it's also so quick that it doesn't seem to be able to keep momentum. Unless things drastically change, the reader can see where this is going; the three cowboys will have to team up with some of their enemies to stop the curse that's creating zombies, someone unexpectedly will die, and it'll tease a sequel that may or may not get made.

It looks to be a fun ride, but like many roller coasters, you only want to ride for a little bit before going off to the next thing. The dialogue works, and doesn't force the era much. Visually, there's a good start here, and Alfonso Ruiz needs to go full-blast with the art instead of being afraid to push it with backgrounds. There's a good start here, and hopefully the ride pans out.