10 Best Western Comics (That Aren’t Marvel or DC), Ranked

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Many genres have made up the backbone of comics throughout the medium’s history, but some of the most famous genres have to be crime-thriller, romance, horror, superhero, and, of course, the Western. There’s been a fascination with the Wild West for decades and decades, both in the US and overseas, to the extent that period doesn’t feel like a real setting as much of a fantasy.

The enduring popularity of the West has led to many fantastic stories being told within the confines of the genre, and comic fans are likely familiar with many of the greats from Marvel and DC. Rawhide Kid, Jonah Hex, and Preacher come to mind as notable westerns from the Big Two, but the genre has gotten a lot more love from many more corners of the industry.

10

The Sixth Gun Is Dynamic Fun

The average Western can be a very moody affair, languishing in the heat and misery of the Wild West with occasional bursts of action punctuating the violence of the setting. Comics like The Sixth Gun, however, waste precious little time, throwing readers right into the heart of the action.

The titular sixth gun within the comic is part of a magical set of weapons, all capable of extraordinary power—the thing is, the sixth gun is the most deadly of the bunch, making it a valuable MacGuffin for the characters of the comic to try and hunt for. The book features continuous action that blends all sorts of genres, like fantasy and horror, and often transcends just being a simple Western many times across its fifty issues. The Sixth Gun may be a great fit for those interested in long-running sagas set in the Wild West.

9

High Moon Goes All-Out With Gore

Westerns are a truly versatile genre. They can obviously stand on their own, as they have for decades, and also can be combined with many other genres—comedy, romance, and, most notably, horror. High Moon was a webseries by Zuda that’d later get some of its story printed in collected editions, with Steve Ellis’ wonderfully inky art getting its chance to shine on proper paper.

High Moon starts simple, following a Pinkerton agent in the business of hunting mythical beasts wreaking havoc in a world filled with them, all while harboring a lethal secret himself. The comic is full of high-octane action, never letting its foot off the gas with pure rule of cool factor. The story’s anthology element progresses and keeps readers on their toes in this ultra-violent Western epic. While too much of it hasn’t been physically collected, the webseries is still available to read online for free.

8

Two Moons Gives Focus To An Oft-Overlooked Aspect Of Westerns

Many Western comics focus on the raucous adventures of cowboys tearing up the Wild West, with little thought to any other people who made that land their home. Two Moons diverge from that, with its lead character being a Pawnee man named Virgil, and his story takes place right in the middle of the Civil War. As he battles for the Union, the ability to come into contact with the supernatural is thrust onto Virgil’s shoulders, completely throwing his life upside-down.

This supernatural gift allows Virgil to see demons nobody else can, and it pushes him to kill them—something that gets him into heaps of trouble and really kicks off his adventure. Two Moons is an enjoyable story cut down in its prime, but it treats readers to a great supernatural western, with rather imaginative designs for the supernatural demons Virgil encounters.

7

West of Sundown Is A Seamless Genre-Blend

As mentioned earlier, horror is a genre that thrives with Western stories. Something about the vast desert and tough lifestyle seems to attract stories about legitimate monsters inhabiting these new frontiers, ready to devour anyone who crosses their path. This is taken advantage of to the fullest by West of Sundown. The comic places old European monsters within the belly of the new American frontier, and the combination is memorable.

The mythologies of classic monsters and slightly more modern depictions, like the Universal or Hammer horror films, are drawn on for the story of West of Sundown; many of these creatures are woefully out of place in this new frontier. Most notable among them is a vampire named Constance Der Abend, awoken from her coffin-bound slumber and searching for the earth on which she was born. The book is energetic, entertaining, and full of literary references in a unique spin on gothic horror and westerns, a perfect fit for fans of films like Sundown: The Vampire In Retreat.

6

Pulp Is A Highlight Of Brubaker And Phillips’ Collabs

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ collaborations go back decades at this point. If the two aren’t working together on an ongoing series, they’re working together on one of their many graphic novels. They have made names for themselves with this comic format, with stories like Night Fever, Reckless, and many more using it to its fullest potential. Pulp is another standout collaboration from the iconic comic duo.

Pulp is a bit of a meta-story that follows Max Winters, a retired outlaw writing pulp magazine stories about cowboys. He lives in relative peace until demons from his past come for him, and the ensuing story is fantastic. Phillips is as skilled as ever with his art, doing excellent work using color palettes to denote the two halves of Winters’ life in New York and the Wild West.

5

Lucky Luke Is A Long-Running Classic

Western comics usually feature gritty, harsh, and violent stories. The Wild West was not a pleasant time or place, and many stories—especially modern ones—about it seek to capture that sensibility with perfect aim. But one of the most famous Western comics of all time had little to do with gritty realism, opting instead to lovingly homage and jokingly parody the American mythology around it.

Lucky Luke was a comic by Belgian creator Maurice De Bevere, better known as Morris. It’s endured since the 1940s, first created by Morris, then helmed by him and René Goscinny, and continued by Hervé Darmenton (aka Achdé) and many other creatives. The comic has stood the test of time as an endearing adventure book with lots of love in Europe and, as such, deserves its place as a truly fantastic, classic Western.

4

Blueberry Is One Of Moebius’ Most Impressive Showings

The French artist Jean Giraud, best known as Moebius, is a legend in the comic space. He’s famous for his lush, gorgeous work and will forever be remembered as a genius creator who passed away too soon. He has produced many excellent works over the decades, all bearing very similar hallmarks of his style—intense detail, surreal settings, and heavy sci-fi inspiration.

It’s somewhat surprising to see Moebius handle a more down-to-earth story, being the series Blueberry. Originating from the comic Fort Navajo, Mike Steve Donovan—the titular Blueberry—became incredibly popular. The breakout star would get his own series that ran for decades, chronicling his adventures across the Wild West. Blueberry was a very grey character that defied many conventions of the standard Western genre protagonist and became incredibly popular in France. While English editions of the comic are hard to track down, it’s worth it to witness Moebius’ artwork.

3

One Of Jonathan Hickman’s Best Works Is East of West

Many know Jonathan Hickman due to the success of his many works at Marvel Comics. He’s responsible for several sagas over many years, from Secret Wars to Krakoa to the New Ultimate Universe and now the upcoming Imperial event, each one topping the last and leaving fans hungering for more—and more they can find, so long as they pivot over to Hickman’s wonderful array of independent comics.

One of Hickman’s best works, illustrated by current Absolute Batman star Nick Dragotta, East of West ranks high in the writer’s catalog. The comic is a sci-fi western with elements of dystopia. It follows the adventures of the mythical Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as they try to take down the president of the United States. The comic is wild and weird, but its wide scope really pushes Hickman to the fullest extent of his abilities as a writer. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in the writer’s works, as well as anyone interested in the Western genre overall.

2

That Texas Blood Was A Promising Debut

Usually, when a comic starts life as a failed script for television or film, that’s not a great marker of its quality. They can often come off as pitches for a medium the writer desperately wants to break into and, as such, read as half-baked, glorified storyboards. But That Texas Blood stands apart from many other comics that began this way and quickly cemented itself as a modern classic.

That Texas Blood fuses the Western genre with neo-noir, and what readers are left with is a fascinating, brutal story that taps into the animalistic undercurrent running through otherwise pleasant settings and characters. The anthology element of the comic only serves to highlight its scope and make it a very accessible read for those interested in a genius melting pot of genres—especially those who want to check out the first real comic series creators Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips wrote and illustrated together.

1

The Enfield Gang Massacre Is A Definitive Western

Some of the most iconic Westerns of all time are short, sweet, and impactful, something up-and-coming writer Chris Codon embodies perfectly in the pages of The Enfield Gang Massacre. A six-issue miniseries set in the past of Condon’s That Texas Blood, the critical darling that is The Enfield Gang Massacre follows a long and violent shootout that culminates in the demise of the titular Enfield Gang.

Yet, all is not what it seems in the pages of The Enfield Gang Massacre. While the titular Enfield Gang is a group of bandits, they seem to be a group of outcasts with a sense of morals trying to get by in the world. The gory inciting incident for their deaths actually may have been a convenient frame job that a group of townsfolk all too zealous for “justice” jumped onto, and Condon brilliantly explores this murky history at the time of the story—and with excerpts of present-day articles detailing the situation littered throughout. All coupled with Jacob Phillips’ wonderful art, The Enfield Gang Massacre is a simple, entertaining, provocative, and gut-wrenching tale that takes full advantage of the Wild, Wild West.

“}]] Western fans can easily dive into some great non-Big Two comics like East of West and The Enfield Gang Massacre to explore their love of the Old West.  Read More