Gunslinger# 39 // Review
They had used a K-9 unit to try to tack down the guy with the guns. It made perfect sense. They were hunting down somebody with a very distinct smell about him. One can only imagine how he smelled. However, his smell comes from another realm. And so it’s only understandable that things are going to be kind of difficult once the dogs get within range. He’s almost dead, but he’s not out of the fight in. Gunslinger# 39. Writer Todd McFarlane and artist Carlo Barberi bring their bedeviled cowboy hero to his next destination with style and poise that doesn’t allow for a whole lot of depth.
They’re shooting at him. Just completely opening a fire. And it’s a blaze of glory. But it’s not exactly the type of thing that they would normally be engaging in. And the dogs are a little bit concerned. Their eyes begin to glow red. Like they’re hell hounds or something like that. And that makes some sense. But it’s not like they’re going to understand. And it’s not like dispatch is going to understand either. The police are going to be quite upset about the whole situation. The gunslinger could easily kill the police. But he’s not going to. He’s on the run. He needs to get going. Send the dogs off in one direction. Goes in the other. Clearly he knows tactics. Clearly he’s been in a sort of a situation before.
McFarlane is telling a pretty simple supernatural drama. There isn’t much in it that isn’t really painfully apparent on the first reading. That being said, the action in question is appealing enough in and of itself to keep the pages turning. The overall rhythm and percussion of a bad ass hero from hell continues to hold some of the old without holding any real doubt. It has its own timelessness. It’s not terribly compelling beyond the surface level.
Barbieri keeps the action quite tight. There are a lot of close-ups throughout the issue that continue to pay homage to some of the cinematography of western filmmakers like.Sergio Leone. It’s a cliché, sure. And it seems kind of silly in its own way. But it is very effective at delivering a certain mood. And occasionally the visuals open up into a much more impressive splash of action. There are a few rather impressive moments in the snow at the issues, and that seem very pleasantly overwhelming in their own way.
It’s hard to get the sense of vulnerability in a character like gunslinger. Sure, he’s a model now. Or something like that. But he still got his name on the cover and there’s still quite a bit going for him. So it’s hard to really feel like he’s truly vulnerable. And that’s kind of a problem with a character like this. Desperado on the run from the wall is heroic by virtue of the fact that danger alerts in every corner. Kind of hard to get there at that, and I was super powered character, though.
