4 out of 5

Reed Gunther is a bit less “all ages” than something like Bone, or Ryan North’s Adventure Time work, in that it definitely leans pretty squarely on kid sensibilities; as an adult, I’m entertained, but I’m not laughing out loud of amused at the layered cleverness as I might be while reading books from those other examples.  However, what RG does do mighty well is embrace a more classic version of what all-ages meant.  Letter writers to the book mention Chuck Jones-era animation, and I definitely agree that Shane and brother Chris Houghton’s sense of visual humor inherits that Golden Age vibe, but with characters a’shootin’ guns and drinkin’ and smoking, and with occasion bloodless bouts of “fun” violence, I’m also reminded of the 80s era of kid flicks, a la Goonies, or the goofier moments of the original Gremlins.  At some point, this evolved into a lot of meme humor, toilet humor, and CGI, but there was that time when a PG flick could just be sorta silly fun, and didn’t necessarily have to strike a cool pose or be a 100% role model template to be memorable.

And Reed Gunther absolutely succeeds at being silly fun.  A bear riding, mustachioed cowboy – Reed (the bear is named Spencer) – teams up with tough rancher Carla to lasso and bag creatures Reed may have inadvertently let loose across the States of the late 1800s.  Originally a set of four self-published black and white issues, Image smartly picked them up for republication, colored them, and let the Houghtons tack on six more issues.  While there is the ongoing creature hunt, the majority of the issues essentially function as standalone antics, with some fun spotlights on Reed’s past, and a somewhat solo adventure for Carla.

The Houghtons absolutely get better at their craft along the way as well: the republished issues are clearly a learning ground, getting timing and framing  and the pitch of the jokes right, but once they hit issue 6, they really become quite special: Shane finds the right balance of yuks-to-plot, and Chris absolutely nails the humor, with his lively, emotive pencils rivaling modern masters of this brand of comic art, like Chris Schweizer.  Finding a consistent colorist in Josh Ulrich was also a boon: as soon as he hops on, the images start to take on a noticeable depth and richness.

So while Reed Gunther might not be the most riveting or raucous read for those of us in pull-up pampers, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it for your favorite kid (fine, even the lesser-favorite one as well), safe in the knowledge that it’s primo kid fare, done up bright and smart enough to keep you entertained as well.