Deadlands: Blackwater
Deadlands: Black Water, written by Jeff Mariotte and illustrated by Brook Turner, joins last summer’s three Deadlands one-shots from Image Comics. Unless you’re already a major fan of the tabletop RPG of the same name or absolutely can’t get enough weird western fiction, there’s little to like here, and no soul at all.
This issue follows a Civil War veteran on his mindless pursuit of a mysterious woman from his past. A visit to a soothsayer provokes a cross-country quest to find the ghostly woman, ending in the cracked fjord remains of what once was California in this alternate-history western universe. (In the Deadlands universe, a major even in the 19th Century sends history in a very different direction.) The plot and dialog move forward in a formulaic and predictable manner, and each new character seems weaker than the last. Unfortunately the story ends just as it shows even the slightest bit of interest.
Its no surprise that this book was created. The weird western genre, boosted by recent steampunk influences, has made a minor comeback in comics. It’s also no surprise that, as a licensed product, it mostly falls short. Licenses that start their lives as tabletop games rarely make a splash in other media.
Image’s site calls the creative teams behind these Deadlands books “comics superstars.” It’s clear from reading the books that, while these talented writers and artists know how to get paid to create licensed property tie-ins, superstars they are not. Even Mariotte’s Wikipedia page states he “is best known for writing novels and comic books based on licensed properties.”
While the art shines at times (the cover of this final installment is particularly nice), interiors mostly look hurried. Crowded panels, boring colors and amateur-looking lettering leave the reader feeling like they are holding an inferior product.
Deadlands Blackwater-spread
A backup story concludes a four-part Billy the Kid tale that explains the gunslinger’s incarnation in the Deadlands universe, and is by far the more interesting comic. Unfortunately the backup suffers from even worse art than the main quest.
Deadlands seems like an interesting place to spend some RPG hours, and its Savage Worlds system has garnered some tabletop gaming press as of late. But as comic book entertainment, these books fail an execution (-2) check big time. You’ll be much happier reading The Sixth Gun.
