The stoic adventurer has been a mainstay throughout literature in one form or the other.  In the crime genre, the lone vigilante or hard-boiled detective, usually takes center stage and remains the immovable force in the story. These characters are all over Patricia Cornwell’s books as well as Michael Connelly’s, as these characters are the readers eyes and ears into these worlds. The primary genre that these characters usually thrive in, are westerns.

I remember when I watched Lonesome Dove for the first time and immediately fell in love with the genre. After that, I read every book Louis Lamour had put out to that point, as each story took the reader back in time to when every man was for himself. As a fan of multiple genres, always wanted to see how fantasy would mix westerns? In Jason Beirens’ Grayhat, we get a mix of these genres as we follow one man on his way home across the wild.

The book opens up on a mouse who just found food in the desert and must divert death at every step and is saved by a buffalo, as we find out that buffalo’ name is Bea ad the mouse name is Neda and Bea’s human keeper, Grayhat. As they cross this vast wilderness, they are not alone, a Bird is tracking their whereabouts and only time will tell if they are friend or foe. Eventually the Bird confronts Grayhat, sensing he will do harm, stops him in his tracks and engages in a faceoff between the two.

Overall, it’s an amazing story that blends genres so deftly that one has to be reminded that these story elements never really play in the same sandbox. The story by Beirens is eerie, smart funny and enjoyable. The art by Beirens is gorgeous. Altogether, an excellent debut issue that pushes the very idea of genre and puts emphasis back on what matters most, a well told story.

Story: J.R. Beirens Art: J.R. Beirens
Story: 9.7 Art: 9.8 Overall: 9.8 Recommendation: Buy