Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns
Page 12
The Crimson Skull (1921) film poster.
Crux
[Comic book; SFW]
Caprica revives fellow Atlanteans Danik, Tug, Zephre, Verityn and Galvan from stasis, 100,000 years into the future.
“COWBOYS & AZTECS”
First publication: November 2002, Crux #19; Story: Chuck Dixon; Art: Steve Epting, Rick Magyar; Publisher: Cross Generation Entertainment.
Zephyre and Verityn visit Geromi in the Old West section of theme park Earth. Their visit takes a turn for the worse when the god-like Gannish and Yala assume control in this two-issue storyline.
“The Cuckoo's Nest”
[Pulp fiction; WW]
Author: Lon Williams; Character: Lee Winters; Real Western Stories (April 1956).
Deputy Winters is chosen to play the doomed King Charles I by a strange group of Shakespearean actors who might be vicious murderers or ghosts.
“The Curse of Apache Canyon”
[Pulp fiction; UK; WMW]
First publication: Second Round Up With the Riders of the Range (1953); Story: Charles Chilton: Art: Frank R. Grey; Publisher: Juvenile Productions Ltd.-The Thames Publishing Co.
Jeff Arnold and old cowhand Luke explore deserted Apache Canyon in a quest to discover the truth behind tales of ghosts and an Apache curse on the gold mine.
[H]e described the ghost town and the deserted adobe huts, but declared there was no sign of any mine. But there were other things few men that saw them lived to tell about. Ghosts! Yes, ghosts! He'd seen 'em and heard their screams and mournful cries. And no wonder, for weren't they the ghosts of the murdered miners, screaming and yelling as the Apaches tortured them to death?
Curse of the Forty-Niner
(2003) [Film; WW]
Premiere: 2003; Main Cast: Karen Black as Aunt Nelly, John Phillip Law as Sheriff Murphy, Richard Lynch as Old Man Prichard, Vernon Wells as Jeremiah Stone, Martin Kove as Caleb; Executive Producer: Peter Lupus; Story: Antonio Olivas; Director: John Carl Buechler; 86 min.; Wanted Entertainment LLC; Color.
A group of friends on a camping trip to Suttersville discover buried gold in an abandoned mine. But Old West miner Jeremiah Stone is still possessive of his treasure and returns from the grave to protect it.
See: Miner's Massacre
Curse of the Undead
(1959) [Film; WW]
Premiere: May 1959; Main Cast: Eric Fleming as Preacher Dan Young, Michael Pate as Drake Robey, Kathleen Crowley as Dolores Carter, John Hoyt as Dr. John Carter; Producer: Joseph Gershenson; Story: Edward Dein, Mildred Dein; Director: Edward Dein; 79 min.; Universal-International Pictures; B/W.
Gunslinger Drake Robey's thirst for blood is concentrated on beautiful young women. Preacher Dan Young uncovers Robey's secret and attempts to release Dolores from the power of the vampire.
Custer's Last Jump and Other Collaborations
[Book anthology; SFW]
Authors Howard Waldrop with Steven Utley; First publication: Urbana, IL: Golden Gryphon Press, 2003.
In the title story of this anthology of science fiction, fantasy and horror, General Custer's cavalry parachutes into an ambush by Crazy Horse and his Sioux-piloted Confederate monoplanes in an alternative history.
Cyborgs
[RPG book; WW]
Author: John Hopler; First publication: 1999; Setting: Deadlands: Hell on Earth; Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
Rules for creating a Cyborg-soldier and weapons.
Dadgum Martians Invade the Lucky Nickel Saloon
[Novel; WW]
Author: Ken Rand; First publication: Alma, Arkansas: Yard Dog Press, 2006.
Three dadgum Martians who resemble chickens with lips invade the Lucky Nickel Saloon in Laramie, Wyoming.
See: Fairy BrewHaHa at the Lucky Nickel Saloon
Daisy Kutter: The Last Train
[Comic book; SFW]
First issue: August 2004; Creator: Kazu Kibuishi; four-issue mini-series; b/w; Publisher: Viper Comics.
Retired gunslinger Daisy Kutter is forced out of retirement to fight robots and outlaws in the Western town of Middleton.
Dances with Demons
[Comic book; UK; WW]
First issue: September 1993; Story: Simon Jowett; Art: Charlie Adlard; Publisher: Marvel Frontier Comics UK.
Nathaniel Great Owl inherits his Hopi ancestral role as Ghost Dancer and a mission to serve as gatekeeper to the spirit realm. The evil trickster god Iktomi and the Clown Demons fight Nathaniel and his son James Owl for domination of the world of spirits.
“The Dancing Trees”
[Pulp Fiction; WW]
Author: Lon Williams; Character: Lee Winters; Real Western Stories (August 1957)
Lee Winters encounters the mythological figures of Orpheus and Eurydice in Tallyho Canyon.
“...Winters, do you see those aspen trees just there?”
Winters looked. He recalled having seen them before. “Yeah,” he said. Then his mouth opened in astonishment. “What's happening to them? At first I thought it was only wind that moved them.”
“They are dancing to my music,” said Orpheus.
Winters stared in awe. Truly they were dancing. Their roots had become twisting, writhing feet. As Orpheus played a more lively tune, they waved their branches, also, and began to go round in a great circle.
At length as spaces opened and closed between tree branches, Winters understood what Orpheus had meant by prison. Before a vine-covered shelter within that circle of dancing trees stood a young woman of exquisite charm. Glimpses revealed by degrees that her hair, adorned with a blue or purple flower, was fastened round her head in silvery braids; that her garments were white and flimsy; that her figure had fawn-like grace and shapeliness; that she was looking in his direction and with a countenance filled with excitement and expectancy.
Danielle Moonstar
[Comic book character; WW]
First appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel #4 (December 1982); Creators: Chris Claremont, Bob McLeod; Publisher: Marvel Comics.
A Native American Indian of the Cheyenne Nation, raised on a ranch in Colorado, Moonstar began to exhibit strange powers during puberty including the ability to transform the greatest fear of a person into a physical image. Her grandfather Black Eagle was murdered shortly before he had arranged her to meet mutant leader Professor Charles Xavier. She joined the New Mutants following the defeat of her grandfather's killer. She subsequently experienced visions of a “Demon Bear” which she believed was responsible for the death of her parents, William and Peg Lonestar.
Moonstar was also entrusted by Odin with Brightwind, an immortal winged horse of Asgard, thus making her a Valkyrie.
See: Mirage; Psyche
Daredevil, the Man Without Fear
[Comic book]
“PROPHESY” [WW]
First publication: #215 (February 1985); Story: Denny O'Neil: Art: David Mazzucchelli.
Lawyers Matt Murdock (Daredevil) and Matt Hawk (Two-Gun Kid) find themselves communicating across time as an Indian land-grabbing scheme by the unscrupulous Mr. Keeno in the Old West is mysteriously echoed in the present.
“The Dark Boy”
[Magazine fiction; WW]
Author: August Derleth; First publication; The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (February 1957).
See: Rod Serling's Night Gallery
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger
[Novel; WW]
Author: Stephen King; First publication: West Kingston, RI: Donald M. Grant, 1982; Illustrated by Michael Whelan.
Naked between the unforgiving sun and the sterile sand, blind in the bowels of the mountains where no light penetrates, shadowed by dangers both magic and physical, the gunslinger moved steadily on his destined path.
The first in a series of King novels sees The Gunslinger pursuing The Man in Black across a desert landscape, accompanied by the youngster Jake. Based on a series of short stories originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, the novel was origin
ally confined to a 10,000-hardback print run because King felt it only appealed to a limited audience.
Cover of The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger by Stephen King (1988). Illustrated by Michael Whelan.
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born
[Comic book; WW]
First publication: April 2007; Story adaptation: Peter David, Robin Furth; Art: Jae Lee, Richard Isanove; Seven-part mini-series; Publisher: Marvel.
Adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger.
Darkwatch: Curse of the West
[Video game; WW]
Release date: August 16, 2005; Voice Cast: Peter Jason as Narrator, Rose McGowan as Tala-Stalking Wolf, Jennifer Hale as Cassidy Sharp, Michael Bell as Cartwright, Keith Szarabajka as Lazarus Malkoth; First-person-shooter (FPS); Sammy Studios, High Moon Studios; Publisher: Capcom Entertainment; USA.
Outlaw Jericho Cross is the latest agent to join the vampire-hunting organization known as Darkwatch. He must hunt vampire lord Lazarus Malkoth and his undead minions through the Old West frontier and capture him before turning into a vampire himself.
First-person-shooter that incorporates Vampire, horror and Western genres.
Dawnstar
[Comic book character; WW]
First appearance: Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #226 (April 1977); Creators: Mike Grell, Paul Levitz; Publisher: DC Comics.
Born on the planet Starhaven, colonized by “Amerinds,” descendants of American Indians are renowned for their deep space navigation and skilled piloting.
Dawnstar is the result of centuries of inbreeding. A mutant with a highly sensitive tracking sense, she is capable of flying faster-than-light through the vacuum of intergalactic space. After graduating from the Legion Academy, she joined the Legion of Super-Heroes.
DC Special
[Anthology comic book]
“BEHOLD THE WILD FRONTIER” [SFW]
First publication: DC Special #6, January-March 1970; Story: Mike Friedrich, Art: Gil Kane, Nick Cardy; Publisher: DC Comics.
Introductory new strip that leads into conventional Western reprint strips including Daniel Boone, Davy Crocket, Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill, Tomahawk and Pow-Wow Smith.
This issue features striking Neal Adams cover art of cowboys and Indians watching in awe as a rocketship lifts off in the desert.
Dead in the West
[Novel; Comic book; WW]
1. Author: Joe R. Lansdale; First publication: New York: Space and Time, 1986.
An Indian medicine man curses the town and people of Mud Creek as he is lynched by a mob. Zombies rise from their graves and disillusioned Reverend Jebidiah Mercer is the only man who can save the town.
2. Comic book: First publication: October 1993; Original Story: Joe R. Lansdale; Adaptation: Neal Barrett Jr.; Art: Jack Jackson; two-issue mini-series; Publisher: Dark Horse Comics.
Black & white adaptation of Lansdale's novel about a community cursed for their prejudice.
Cover of Dead in the West #1 by Joe Lansdale. Dead in the West TM & © 1993, 2008 Joe R. Lansdale. All rights reserved. Published by Dark Horse Comics, Inc. Dark Horse Comics & the Dark Horse logo are registered trademarks of Dark Horse Comics, Inc.
Dead Man
(1996) [Film; USA-Germany; WW]
Premiere: May 10, 1996; Main Cast: Johnny Depp as William Blake, Gary Farmer as Nobody, Robert Mitchum as John Dickinson, Lance Henriksen as Cole Wilson, John Hurt as John Scholfield, Gabriel Byrne as Charlie Dickinson; Producer: Demetra J. MacBride; Story-Director: Jim Jarmusch; 121 min.; Pandora Filmproduktion, 12-Gauge Productions, FFA Berlin Filmboard, Berlin-Brandenburg, Filmstiftung NRW; B/W.
William Blake leaves his native Cleveland for a factory job in the frontier town of Machine, and discovers the job has been taken. A comforting one-night stand results in the angry boyfriend (Byrne) killing the woman and Blake killing him in return. Fleeing the town with a bullet lodged next to his heart, Blake encounters an American Indian named “Nobody” who mistakes him for the visionary English artist and poet William Blake and takes him on both a physical and spiritual journey.
A mystical Western from independent film director Jim Jarmusch, noted for his dislike of American pop culture and for his interest in marginal characters and themes.
Dead Man (1996), a film starring Johnny Depp as William Blake.
Dead Man's Hand: Five Tales of the Weird West
[Book anthology; WW]
Author: Nancy A. Collins; First publication: 2004; Publisher: Two Wolf Press.
A collection of Collins' novellas Walking Wolf and Lynch, the short stories “Calaverada” and “The Tortuga Hill Gang's Last Ride,” and an all-new vampire Western novella, Hell Come Sundown.
Dead Noon
(2007) [Film; Australia; WW]
Premiere: 2007; Main Cast: Robert Bear as Frank, Lillith Fields as Grace, Robert Milo Andrus as Stuart, Tye Nelson as Kane; Producers: Marianne Myers, Matthew Taggart; Story: Keith Suta, Matthew Taggart, Andrew Wiest; Director: Andrew Wiest; 85 min.; Australia; Blue Collar Pictures; Color.
An outlaw from the Wild West is resurrected to seek revenge on the town of Weston.
Dead Presidents
[RPG book; WW]
Author: Christopher McGlothlin; First publication: 2001; Deadlands: The Weird West Adventure book series; Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group.
When a posse is hired by the Texas Rangers to investigate the Black Circle in Gomorra, they find themselves traveling Back East.
“The Dead Remember”
[Pulp fiction; WW]
Author: Robert E. Howard; First publication: Argosy (August 15, 1936).
Jim Gordon shoots and kills a black farmer and his wife following a drunken incident. Before she dies, the wife places a voodoo curse on the cowboy and tells Gordon she will return to haunt him.
The Dead Rider
[Comic book; WW]
First publication: 2008; Creator-Story-Artist: Kevin Ferrara; Publisher: Dark Horse Comics.
Jacob Bierce is granted immortality by a witch but it comes with a price. Wounds don't heal and soon he becomes nothing more than an immortal rotting corpse at the mercy of the bog witch.
Kevin Ferrara, describing his creation, stated,
The project started life as The Gunslinger. Just as Dark Horse and I joined up, the Dark Tower series looked like it was going to be coming to comics. And that features a character called The Gunslinger. So I ran through a long list of names and came out with Badlander. It turns out a fellow put out a comic a few years back with that title, and he asked my editor that it not be used, so I went back and created another list and came up with Deadlander. After the first issue was published as Deadlander, a role-playing game company made it known they had produced a Western-themed game called Deadlands. They felt that our name was too similar to theirs and they were willing to “discuss” it in court. So back to the list-making again, and Dead Rider became the name.
I think the overarching concept behind The Dead Rider is that immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be and that the vagaries of life and death consist of iconic irrefutable changes that have to be rolled with, rather than railed against. Each character in the series is dealing with mortality in a different way. The Dead Rider has already sold his soul for a compromised immortality, a Faustian bargain that he would like to terminate. Sarah, we learn in issue #3, was Jacob's lost love, who died of “consumption” after they had been happily married and [were] looking forward to a life together. It is that event that triggers Jacob's pursuit of immortality and leads him down the dark path to becoming a rotting corpse of a man.
The Witch has an almost God-like immortality planned for herself, related to the completion of the Crown of Souls. The Cobra, most foolishly, wants to make himself immortal in the publicmind through fame. And The Shaman for theentire issue #3 wrestles with the moment-to-moment knowledge of impending death by gunshot wound.
I'm a big fan of great Westerns. Sam Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch especially.
But also Unforgiven, Tombstone, and the classic High Noon as well as Hawks' and Ford's classic Westerns. There's a rather grim undercurrent in a good Western, arising from the obvious fragility and cheapness of life during that era, that infuses every scene with the gravity of existentialist knowledge. The gun and the strong alcohol are only two manifestations of that reality. I find myself drawn to not only the action of that era, but also the tough-mindedness of so many in the face of the short brutality of their existences and the attendant mental fragmentation of many who cannot hold up under that kind of intense constant psychological pressure.