IDW Publishing 2016
Written by Tim Rozon & Beau Smith
Illustrated by Chris Evenhuis
Coloured by Jay Fotos
Lettered by Robbie Robbins
Wynonna Earp and Doc Holliday have faced off against demons and Revenants, but nothing can prepare them to square off against the infamous Pinkertons. When Doc catches wind of an abandoned stash of gold from a train robbery, he and Wynonna race to track it down before Pinkerton agents get their hands on it.
Well I have to say I do like that the guys are expanding this universe from beyond just the usual revenants and demons. Granted it starts off kind of the same way as usual with Wynonna, Doc and Val on the lookout for someone or something. It’s a good solid setup and it’s a chance to not only keep the series alive during its hiatus between seasons but in concert with the other comic series as well.
So with all three of them there it’s really Doc’s characterisation that immediately catches the ear and steals the show. I mean his mutterings to himself about how many people are around and how he sees them, “dreadful sea of unwashed humanity” is some of the best narration around. I know this is a spotlight on him but normally we don’t get much past Wynonna’s verbal sparring.
Chris and Jay do some nice work on the interiors here. The characters are instantly recognisable, the individuality that we see of the folks milling about is great. The use of page layouts with angles, perspective and backgrounds really flesh out the story nicely. The flow of the book visually is nicely done and the subtlety of the bad guy is great because he looks “normal” and yet there are little clues to tell us otherwise.
There’s a new big bad in town and he’s not only familiar with Wyatt but with Doc as well and it’ll be interesting to see how his familiarity with the Earp’s and Holliday plays out. As if that weren’t enough, because let’s face it it never is, there’s another faction that comes into play here and one I thought was defunct. Though a quick search and a wikipedia entry later shows that the evolution is there and it may not exactly be what it once was it’s still around. Though I have a feeling that this version is going to be a lot different than we should be expecting.
This is a great first issue that introduces us to an exciting new story arc. It expands this universe wonderfully beyond what we’ve already seen established. With new rivals, enemies and friends, all of which are interchangeable here, being brought to light there’s never been a better time to grab a copy and see what this is all about. This is both new reader friendly as well as something that longtime fans won’t want to miss.