Writer: Kevin Eastman

Artist: Simon Bisley

Colorist: Tomi Varga

I don’t read or watch a lot of westerns but a “Fistful of Blood #1”, hits the spot. Fistful of Blood is a re-mastering of the original four-part series which was featured in Heavy Metal magazine fifteen years ago and is a parody of the Sergio Leone film “Fistful of Dollars”. You know, the film about the mysterious gunman that comes into town and starts cleaning up the bad guys, well this time the gunman is a woman. That’s pretty much all you need to know going into the story and it’s not bad. Also the bad guys are vampires and zombies.

Kevin Eastman does a great job of setting up the story and introducing us to the characters. Our protagonist is silent and her actions speak louder than her words. I like her and there has been some hints in the book that makes her seem she’s more than meets the eye. The villains are bad and in just the first few couple of pages, you can tell what these guys are capable of. There is one more character that acts as comedy relief whic brings some levity to a dark story and it works. He covers the protagonist lack of words and tells you what is going on and how everything got to where it is now. The story is fun and the use of zombie cowboys is in perfect use. We haven’t seen the vampires as of yet, but there is a teaser toward the end.

Simon Bisley does a fantastic job on art that shows you the rough landscapes and interesting looking characters. Eastman goes back over Bisley’s art to give it a updated look which looks great. Bullets fly, heads get shot to pieces, and Bisley nails the look of the book. Bisley does an amazing job on the cowboy zombies giving them a menacing and slender look while our silent gun woman is more curvaceous than they are. Varga’s colors blend well together to get that rustic and old look which creates some nice scenery to the story. The artwork may not be for everyone and this title is for mature for certain reasons like our scantily clad protagonist in the beginning.

For a first issue, it wasn’t bad and gives you enough to want more. Characters are interesting and our woman with no name is badass. Eastman gives you a simple story that is easy to follow which works. Simon Bisley’s art is fantastic and gorgeous to look at. Tomi Varga works his magic on the colors and makes every scene look rustic and dusty. This is a matures title so be careful when picking the title up, but if you like westerns and zombies check it out.

4 Bullets out of 5