4 out of 5

I’m sure my assertions as to what kind of spin-offs I prefer change wildly; I’ll forego any general Do This or Do Thats and just say that Valley of Death is done right: it’s a self-contained story that can absolutely be appreciated on its own, but also sheds some light on one of the curiouser corners of The Sixth Gun universe.  It’s a huge shock that series artist Brian Hurtt could flip-flop to writer and have his debut be so strong without having to lean on Bunn’s characters; while the figures in this mini have mostly appeared in different incarnations, they’re not Drakes or Beckys that have very clear personalities established, so Hurtt had room to make them his own.  And he did.  I’d also venture… that he tops Cullen in mood at points.  Bunn loves his repetition and drifting panels (ellipses that carry a sentence… from one panel… to the next…); while over the course of his years with SG his style has tightened up significantly, Brian’s addition to the world scores points for being much more terse with the dialogue and narration.  It really feels like we’re only getting the words we need to set the tone and move the story along, which is surprising from a first time writer.  The man’s been taking notes over the years.

Where he doesn’t top Cullen, though, is in structure.  While I found Valley’s band-of-warrior quest to capture a vague evil thrilling through and through, it was rather vague in its actual purpose, which would have been a larger problem had the story extended beyond three issues.  For example, the third issues cast of characters describes the main baddy in a way that I don’t think is made clear in the text, and it’s still a little foggy if he was the main baddy or if it was just some larger personification of ‘evil.’  There was forward thrust, and we knew who to root for, but I relied on those interior cover summaries to make sure I was on the right page.

Otherwise, I’d love to see Brian continue to add to this world where he / Bunn see fit, because he obviously has a feel for the style.  And the art by also newcomer A.C. Zamudio was perfect.  I’d liken her solid style and choice detailing to Ben Stenbeck, but I find Stenbeck’s modern work rather boring and too formal.  There was an energy to Zamudio’s every panel, and just the right blend of dreaminess and realism to her environments to give you a feel for the space but allow them to evoke the supernatural tones of the title.  And the scene where our troupe, erm, makes a sudden journey is a shockingly surrealistic and haunting ride that I’d like to some 70s drive-in druggie flick that exists in my mind (a big thanks to Ryan Hill’s colors for this as well).

Valley of Death is a very precise and compact mini that satisfies completely on its own standards and as an “extra” to the main tale.