Okay, not really but I had to do something to get your attention.

First off, I’d like to apologize for not keeping up with my column. It’s inexcusable and I’ll try to make it up to y’all. And I’d like to thank Steve for putting up with my absence without throwing any guilt or grief my way. I’m still working out how many reviews I can feasibly do in a month but my goal is to do four or about one a week. But don’t be surprised if I initially start out with only two a month. Just giving you a forewarning. Now, onto to the Big Show..

Daisy Cutter: The Last Train (Viper; Graphic Novel; B&W with gray hues)
Creator: Kazu Kibuishi

Synopsis: Life is hard for Daisy. Ya see she’s trying to live the quiet life of a store owner in an outpost in the New West town called Middleton. But it just doesn’t seem to hold a candle to her old life as a gunslinging train robber. And to make matters worse, her former partner Tom, the Clyde to her Bonnie, is now the area lawman and enjoys his new job. So as Daisy struggles with this extremely different lifestyle change, a mysterious man with his robot partner approach her with an opportunity for one last job to get away with a ton of cash. Will she take it and go for the cash? Or will she just stick it out as being a bored shop owner? If you guessed the latter, it really wouldn’t make for a very interesting book, now would it?

Review: This book has a bit of everything. The plot was brisk with some deft touches of humor and understated warmth between Daisy and Tom that I wasn’t really expecting initially. The action was very reminiscent of those old westerns about the retiring gunfighter looking for one last score. There was even the inclusion of the hottest thing in pop culture at the moment, Texas Hold’Em. Plus, the book has a decent explanation of the rules to this new phenomenon (just in case there are people on this earth who still haven’t been exposed it).

While I liked the story, I loved the art. Kibuishi has created a very believable world without coming off as a clone of the Yul Brynner classic “Westworld”. It’s a clean and crisp style of Manga but without using the usual stereotypical devices (like the oversized eyes and the overuse of motion lines). Daisy looked more like a regular woman than in most comic books around. Even the robots do not look like they were rejects from Gundam or Robotech, which is a plus in my book.

Overall, this trade gave me the impression that it was more like an indy book than a Manga one. It was truly engrossing from beginning to end and I hope that there will be future installments of Miss Daisy’s exploits in the New West. Take note; Kazu Kibuishi is truly a creator on the rise, not only in Manga genre but in the comic industry as a whole.

Extras: A great page breakdown (from thumbnails to finished productm the book as well as a cover and pinup gallery.

Price: $10.95

Highly Recommended

Britt Schramm reviews trades and graphic novels at 4CR. He also has a bi-weekly column about comics called Preachin’ From The Longbox at Moviepoopshoot.com

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