Broken Frontier

Shee-ooot! I been reviewin’ a whole slew of anthological works lately and this last one durn near done me in, but good! An’ I mean that in the most flatterin’ way possible.

Thanks to the good folks at Blackjack Press, I was able to mosey into the sunset and explore the majestic and often unforgiving American Badlands, as depicted by those notorious back country bards, the Brothers Fahey. If it’s not already evident, I had great fun with their new black-and-white, online Western anthology, Tall Tales from the Badlands.

Harkening back to what many would call a simpler time, Sean and Seamus Kevin Fahey have compiled a picture-book of old-fashioned adventure stories showcasing the bravery, strength of character, and plain old toughness of the settlers who carved a nation out of the American West. Unlike recent Western offerings such as Loveless or even The Sixth Gun, Badlands isn’t overrun by undead Civil War soldiers hellbent on opening the gates of Hades. There isn’t even any sex or cussin’ at all. Rather, the Fahey Brothers spin yarns of heroism, bravery, and down-home family values, a refreshing change of pace from the so-called grim and gritty realism of contemporary Westerns.

Each story is character-driven and ends with a clever, often poignant twist. The black-and-white artwork matches each tale well, servicing the scripts with clear, consistent storytelling. The Faheys deserve credit for producing a nice-looking book, with a cohesive visual tone from one story to the next, without losing the distinctiveness of each artist’s style. My favorite story? Call me a sentimental sap if you must but I was most partial to “The Runt” by Sean Fahey and J. C. Grande. A simple little tale of loyalty to the death, well-told and starkly realized in beautiful black-and-white by Grande, “The Runt” is representative of what readers will discover in Badlands.

More traditional than cutting edge, Tall Tales from the Badlands helps fill a void in the modern comics market by offering stories readers of all ages can enjoy. Loaded for bear with action, adventure, and acts both brave and treacherous, Badlands transports us back to a time when comics were still funny books and heroes packed iron instead of eyebeams.

Tall Tales from the Badlands is on sale now at Drivethru Comics for $0.99.