The Sixth Gun #19

Written by Cullen Bunn
Art by Brian Hurtt

It gets hard to find new things to say about a series as consistently good as The Sixth Gun, especially when it is in the middle of a story arc, as this issue is.

Becky Moncrief has come to the strange and disturbing town of Penance to try to find and rescue her friend and fellow adventurer Drake Sinclair, who has been abducted by his former confederates in the Knights of Solomon.  Becky is often easily manipulated in this series, as when the sheriff of the town sends her to another settlement, which we learn is the real town of Penance.

It seems there's something in the water in these parts, which explains why just about everybody in both places look like they'd be perfectly at home in a circus sideshow.  Beyond that, we learn a little more about Drake's situation, as he tries to convince his captors of his good intentions towards them.

Cullen Bunn takes his time in spinning out his stories in this series, and that works very well here.  There is a sense of menace and distrust throughout this issue, and it works well as a horror comic.  Brian Hurtt's created some disturbing characters in his day, but the bearded lady in the pink dress in this issue is haunting.