One of the few authors still writing for the Western genre today is Robert J. Randisi. It always brightens my reading pile when I see a new title from him. GALLOWS is no different, and Randisi likes to get right into the action.
It opens with a drifter named Lancaster looking for water for his horse, but steps into a whole hornets’ nest of trouble. He finds water, but it’s located on someone’s property, so he knows he needs to ask permission first. When he heads to the homestead to do so, he finds three men dragging a woman by her hair and beating on her. He tries to avoid confrontation, but the men threaten him while they keep beating on her at the same time.
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In THOR GOD-SIZE SPECIAL #1, a burly gent named Skurge the Executioner is killed in battle. Afterward, everyone — Thor included — has a different memory of him, thanks to the mind-altering doings of a trickster. Thor and his pals aim to restore his true reputation, and doing so requires fighting some giant beasts. Matt Fraction’s story is told in four parts, with each tackled by a different artist. This allows for styles that vary from painted to classic comics, but by far, Mike and Laura Allred’s unmistakable approach is the one that pops with color and life. A 1985 issue of THE MIGHTY THOR featuring Skurge fills the back half of the book, and it’s an epic fantasy as only Walter Simonson could do them.
For a buck, you can get a look of some of IDW’s upcoming slate with IDW COMING ATTRACTIONS #1, fronted by Darwyn Cooke’s acclaimed 
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #600 isn’t just a celebration of reaching a numerical milestone, but of the entire series’ characters and mythology. It’s a giant issue, and the lead story details Spidey trying to stop Doctor Octopus from destroying New York on the same day that Aunt May is due to marry J. Jonah Jameson’s father. Brace yourself for a surprise ending. There are four backup short stories, most notably a Stan Lee-penned affair in which Spider-Man visits a psychiatrist, allowing Lee to go to town poking fun at 47 years’ worth of stories. Another is Mark Waid’s Uncle Ben tale that might bring tears to your eyes. Scattered throughout are some amusing “Covers You’ll Never See!” This one’s a party, people. 
A Western character from Marvel’s yesteryear is revived in KID COLT #1. The titular teenage antihero is Blaine Cole, who was forced to become an outlaw when a corrupt sheriff had his family murdered over their land. The law is looking for Cole because of a farmer he’s supposed to have shot, but he claims his innocence. A bounty hunter tells him finding an eyewitness might help his case, so that’s exactly what he tries to do. Unfortunately, everywhere he goes, people are trying to kill him or capture him. Guns a-blazin’ in this four-chapter tale — originally a webcomic — written by Tom DeFalco and drawn by Rick Burchett. Western comics aren’t exactly a dime a dozen these days, so when they do come out, you should snap them up. 
Del Rey Comics’ THE TALISMAN #0 provides a peek into its eagerly awaited title — its first for the label — and one that adapts the Stephen King/Peter Straub bestseller of the ’80s, of course. Doing the duties are Robin Furth with the words, and Tony Shasteen with the pictures. But while the latter’s work comes through loud and clear, the former’s does not. I know that only 17 pages’ worth of story, it’s bound to be a tease, but I couldn’t comprehend just what was going on — and I read the book when it first came out (granted, I’ve slept since then). It involves a boy named Jack, his dad, dimension-hopping, hunting accidents and a goat monster. At least I think. Hopefully, the threads of the fantasy will make much more sense as the series gets underway in November.
Fan-favorite writer J. Michael Straczynski is updating a quartet of superheroes that were once under the Archie Comics family of the 1940s, in a series of one-shots. First up is THE RED CIRCLE: THE HANGMAN #1, and it tells the story of Dr. Dickering, who unwillingly inherits a Civil War-era curse that has him become the titular terror — a masked, immortal man who gets to decide who’s guilty and who’s innocent. If they’re innocent, he fights to protect them. If they’re not … well, that’s obviously the fun part. You can’t go wrong with vigilante justice, and Straczynski gets this reboot off to a rousing start, complemented by Tom Derenick’s pencils and Bill Sienkiewicz’s color. If you’re into THE PUNISHER, odds are you’ll like this. —Rod Lott
