I was a youngster in 1975-76, when the American Bicentennial celebrations were underway, and I was obsessed. I dove into the American Revolution with all the passion you might expect a 10-year-old to bring to say, Star Wars or some such. I have always been a history nerd. I watched Disney’s Johnny Tremain in school, the kids cheering when the … [Read more...] about Worlds Turned Upside Down

W. Michael Farmer has announced that his new series of Apache novels — this one focusing on the controversial Chato, will publish in December. Farmer knows the land and its history very well, and I expect this will be a good un. DESPERATE WARRIOR, DAYS OF WAR, DAYS OF PEACE, CHATO’S CHIRICAHUA APACHE LEGACY, VOLUME ONE, is based on a true … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Apaches, Treasure & Spanish Ladies

By Deuce Richardson Jim Steranko turned 85 the other day, and respects must be paid. In my humble opinion, he is one of America's greatest living artists. Steranko grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in Reading, Pennsylvania.He started drawing soon after he started walking. It wasn't long before Jim began teaching himself stage magic … [Read more...] about Steranko’s Gunslingers

By Rick Schwertfeger, Captain Frontier Partisans Southern Command, Austin, Texas * Spells, enchantments, history, songs, tales, culture…who can tell the difference between one and the other? * You come from La Frontera. You know how complicated it can be, at the place where two nations meet. I wanted a read for Halloween. You know: … [Read more...] about Into The Valley Of Shadows

Guest post by Matthew Ilseman Sometimes the best comics I find are ones I pick up without knowing anything about. This was true of horror comic The Rush. It is also true of The Far South, a title I found in my local shop emblazoned with Crooks, Pimps, and Gauchos. Having been fascinated by gauchos since I first discovered them by reading … [Read more...] about Dark Noir In ’The Far South’

Another young man safely strummed his silver-stringed guitar... — Gram Parsons, In My Hour of Darkness Looks like I’ll be riding out for Fennario. Again. Author James Alderdice scouted up this new release of John the Balladeer stories (October 27). I’d have to have it for that glorious cover alone, not to mention an introduction by the … [Read more...] about Riding Out For Fennario

I’m a little late getting this out there, but there’s still plenty of time to sign on with the Neal Fargo brigade. The crowdfunding campaign for Howard Chaykin’s Fargo: Hell on Wheels is underway, and you can join Wild Bunch at https://zoop.gg/c/fargo. I just put down my pledge. Hell yes I did. Chaykin gets Continuity & Persistence, … [Read more...] about Neal Fargo Is On Campaign

There is an abundance of weird tales headed our way... HBO just released a new teaser trailer for True Detective: Night Country, which seems deliciously creepy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDP5shkxocQ * The shade of the mighty Cimmerian keeps looming over my path. I bagged a handful of Conan tales through Cimmerian September (Rogues in … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Weird Tales

Vera Cruz (1954) By Matthew Ilseman It’s generally believed that Spaghetti Westerns brought moral ambiguity to the western. It is sometime acknowledge that The Wild Bunch also played a part in this. The reality is a bit more complicated than that. Despite what a lot of people think, including the actor himself, John Wayne played some more … [Read more...] about Greed And Treachery In Mexico

By Matthew Ilseman One summer when I was a teenager I decided to read War and Peace. I spent much of that summer in my room going through Leo Tolstoy’s magnum opus. I remember my pride at having finished it and my disappointment at discovering it was an abridged version. Leo Tolstoy is known of course as one of the greatest writers of … [Read more...] about The Cossacks & The Raid