Original Sin
A Gunfighters in Hell Prequel.
Illustrated by Joe Vigil
Written by David Barbour and Joe Vigil
Art Direction by Tim Vigil
I first got to see Original Sin a couple of years ago when Joe and I met for lunch in Sacramento. At the time, I seem to remember thinking how much I hated the guy for having so much talent. The story was somewhat different. A time and place in Hell, when gunfighters battled each other for the chance to escape to the world above.
“Not a bad idea,” I thought to myself. And it wasn’t. Although it has taken Joe a while to get the thing finished, he has done a job worthy of Sergio Leone or Lee Van Cleef.
In my first review of Original Sin #1, I said that I felt that Joe Vigil is an under looked genius in Comics.
This book does nothing but reinforce my opinion of his ability.
Starting off with a poker game where a blind man is winning against a pair of outlaws is nothing but a blast. It is here that we meet the man who is at the start of it all, who’s name is lost to antiquity, but is called “The Keeper”, since he knows all the secret’s of Hell and wants to know more about the denizens of Hell.
He is here to tell the story of how he came to know the true backgrounds and identities of Hell’s two greatest names, The Gunfighter and Anna Sinbuck and he offers to trade them for some unknown to us prize to the two men he is playing cards with.
As I said in the aforementioned article, Vigil has created a world filled with demons, devils and beautiful women. I expected nothing less then a thrilling story, excellent artwork and a possible mystery, and my expectations were exceeded and brought to roost.
Reading the story of how the Keeper first becomes involved with the Gunfighter and Anna is both funny and fascinating. Finding that the Keeper was the cause of the burring of the Library at Alexandria left a bad taste in my mouth, and I found that his curse in Hell was somewhat easy going.
Still, it is not his story that is important; it is Anna and the Gunfighter. And I will not divulge those stories in a review of the book. Suffice it to say, it is well worth the price just to read the story, forget the art.
But, it is the art that so many Comic fans rejoice over and argue over. With that in mind, I have to say that you won’t be disappointed here. The work is detailed and dramatic as well as nerve wracking and tender when it is needed.
The images of Hell are both gut wrenching and scary, but serve to give a wonderful backdrop to the story that is taking place around it.
The gunfight at the Library of Yuggoth is something that would look great in an old style Italian western. The band of cutthroats and killers the Gunfighter has brought together for the sole purpose of attacking and winning a prize in the library would make any mother shudder.
The detail of the gun battle is great, with very little left to the imagination. And in this sort of book, that is a good thing. Yes, I normally like for something to be left to my ‘minds eye’ to create for myself, but here I don’t think anything I could come up with would match what Joe has done.
I would be hard pressed to say which pages were my ‘favorite’. If I had to choose, I would say the first appearance of the Keeper at work in the Library on pages 12-13, or the two-page spread on pages 22-23. But, the image of the Gunfighter on page 32 would make a great poster.
The book makes great use of the blend of horror and spaghetti westerns, and builds on the idea that Hell is certainly not a nice place to visit, and everyone wants out. With the dismal feelings Hell that surround everyone, it is almost difficult for the humor that has to be there to rise, but Joe does it with almost no apparent trouble.
Which sort of makes me worry about the boy; but still, even in Hell there has to be something to laugh at now and then, and the two faced bartender is a great start, as well as the idea of losing at poker to a man with his eyes sewn shut. This is an amazing story, and to finally have it all together in one sitting is nothing short of wonderful. No it is not a book for children, but it is certainly one that Clint Eastwood westerns of Lee Van Cleef fans will enjoy.
You can find the book online at http://www.brokenhalos.com/ or you can contact you local dealer to ask them to get you a copy.
Along with the book, you can also find the original Gunfighters in Hell trade paperback, and several prints including the Sinbuck Death of A Rose and Welcome to Hell prints.
Also, look around the Broken Halo site to see what else you can find. There is always something there to tickle the fancy of a young deviant like myself…. Uhm…. Of a hardcore Comic collector.
Yes, that is right; that’s what I meant to say.
Way to go Joe. This is great story telling and first class art. I can’t wait for the sequel, “Sinbuck: Angel Eyes.”