Leroy Douresseaux on EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS #4

EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS #4 (OF 4)
RADICAL PUBLISHING

CREATORS: Matt Cirulnick and David Manpearl
STORY: Matt Cirulnick
WRITER: M. Zachary Sherman
ARTIST: Colin Lorimer
COLORS: Kyushik Shin
LETTERS: Rus Wooton
COVER: Alex Maleev
28pp, Color, $3.50

Writers Matt Cirulnick and David Manpearl have created Earp: Saints for Sinners, a comic book miniseries from Radical Publishing. This science fiction with a Western flair takes the classic Western hero, Wyatt Earp, and puts him in a near-future, dystopian setting. With a story by Matt Cirulnick, a script by M. Zachary Sherman, and art by Colin Lorimer and Kyushik Shin (colors), Earp: Saints for Sinners turns out to be a good, violent action graphic novel.

This re-imagined Wyatt Earp rides rough after an event called “Black Thirty,” which sets off a second Great Depression. Out of the chaos rose a new type of bank robber, and Earp was the man who brought them in to justice or shot down the ones he didn’t bring in. After his brother, Virgil Earp, was killed in a train robbery, Wyatt retired and became a businessman, opening the AOK Saloon in the only boomtown left in America, Las Vegas.

As Earp: Saints for Sinners #4 opens, Morgan Earp is dead. Morgan is dead by the hand of Alan Pinkerton and his private security group, Pinkerton Security, in the service of Mayor John Flynn, owner of Flynn Casino and Mayor of Las Vegas. Now, Wyatt Earp is coming for Pinkerton and he’s bringing Hell with him. That’s Hell in the form of Jesse James, a modern day Robin Hood, and the Jesse James Gang, and, of course, Earp’s old pal, Doc Holliday.

Newly reappointed U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp and his deputized army race through the desert to the Pinkerton compound. Earp and Doc Holliday also have scores to settle, and a woman, Josephine “Josie” Marcus, to rescue.

Earp: Saints for Sinners saves its best for last in this fourth issue. This science fiction and crime comic book is part Michael Mann urban action and part John Ford Western. Its finale delivers the gun smoke, the rat-a-tat, and the cap-popping action. Ultimately, Earp: Saints for Sinners does what a book should usually do – leave us wanting more.

A-

Leroy Douresseaux on EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS #3

EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS #3
RADICAL PUBLISHING

CREATORS: Matt Cirulnick and David Manpearl
STORY: Matt Cirulnick
WRITER: M. Zachary Sherman
ARTIST: Colin Lorimer
COLORS: Kyushik Shin
LETTERS: Rus Wooton
COVER: Alex Maleev
28pp, Color, $3.50

Matt Cirulnick and David Manpearl have re-imagined classic Western hero, Wyatt Earp in Earp: Saints for Sinners. Published by Radical Comics, it is a four-issue miniseries.

Earp: Saints for Sinners is set in a near future after an event called “Black Thirty” sets off a second Great Depression. Out of the chaos rose a new type of bank robber, and Wyatt Earp was the man who brought them in to justice or shot down the ones he didn’t bring in. Earp collared more most-wanted men than anyone in history, but after a violent assignment claimed the life of his brother, Virgil Earp, Wyatt became a businessman. He opened AOK Saloon in the only boomtown left in America, Las Vegas.

As Earp: Saints for Sinners #3 opens, tensions rise between John Flynn, billionaire owner of the Flynn Casino, and Wyatt – all over a woman. Josephine, a gorgeous lounge singer at Flynn Casino, ran to Wyatt for safety after Flynn tried to rape her. With Allan Pinkerton and his private security group, the Pinkertons, at his side, Flynn tries to bully Wyatt and his pal, Doc Holliday. Meanwhile, Wyatt’s younger brother, Morgan Earp, makes a dangerous move on his own.

It has taken three issues, but Earp: Saints for Sinners comes into its own as a kind of science fiction, action, and crime comic book. The flashbacks settle in with the sustained narrative, so this colorful mismatch of Michael Mann urban action and John Ford Western starts to deliver better character drama. The brassy colors over Colin Lorimer’s art are perfect for this series’ flashy setting, and it makes the violence look real purty and perfect for this story.

A-

Leroy Douresseaux on EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS #2

EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS #2

RADICAL PUBLISHING

 

CREATORS: Matt Cirulnick and David Manpearl

WRITERS: M. Zachary Sherman and Matt Cirulnick
ARTIST: Colin Lorimer
COLORS: Kyushik Shin
LETTERS: Rus Wooton
COVER: Alex Maleev
28pp, Color, $3.50

Hollywood types Matt Cirulnick and David Manpearl have created a new comic book miniseries for Radical Publishing. Earp: Saints for Sinners is a modern-day re-imagining of the classic Western hero, Wyatt Earp.

It is set in the near future and takes place after an event called “Black Thirty” sets off a second Great Depression. Out of the chaos of that economic meltdown, there arose a new type of bank robber. Wyatt Earp was the man who brought this new breed to justice. He shot down the ones he didn’t bring in. Earp collared more most-wanted men than anyone in history. After a violent assignment claimed the life of his brother, Virgil Earp, Wyatt became a businessman in the only boomtown left in America, Las Vegas.

In Earp: Saints for Sinners #2, the tension rises as Robin Hood takes on John Flynn, billionaire owner of the Flynn Casino. Allan Pinkerton and his private security group, the Pinkertons want Wyatt Earp to pay them protection money for his business, AOK Saloon. A woman named Josie Marcus enters the stage, where she will become a reason for conflict between the men.

If you still aren’t confused by the constant use of flashback in Earp: Saints for Sinners, you will love this violent modern-day, quasi-science fiction twist on Wyatt Earp. Full of tough guys, hardened criminals, and scantily clad women, however, this Earp comic book is more Michael Mann than it is John Ford. Colorful and fast-paced, one minor thing wrong with this is that it doesn’t seem fit the floppy, standard-sized comic book format. This is a graphic novel and should be published as one hardcover graphic novel.

B+

Leroy Douresseaux on Earp: Saints for Sinners #1

EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS #1

RADICAL PUBLISHING

CREATORS: Matt Cirulnick and David Manpearl

WRITERS: M. Zachary Sherman and Matt Cirulnick
LAYOUTS: Joe Benitez, Rod Pereira, and J.K. Woodward
ARTISTS: Mack Chater, Martin Montiel, and Colin Lorimer
COLORS: Kyushik Shin
LETTERS: Rus Wooton
COVER: Alex Maleev
72pp, Color, $5.99

Created by Hollywood types, Matt Cirulnick and David Manpearl, Earp: Saints for Sinners is a modern-day re-imagining of a classic Western hero, Wyatt Earp. This new Earp story is set in a new future where an event called “Black Thirty” sets off a second Great Depression.

Out of the chaos rises the celebrity bank robber, a kind of Robin Hood meets John Dillinger. There was, however, one man who brought them in to justice and shot down the ones he didn’t bring in, and that was Wyatt Earp. Earp collared more most-wanted men than anyone in history, but after a violent assignment claimed the life of his brother, Virgil Earp, Wyatt became a businessman in the only boomtown left in America, Las Vegas.

In Earp: Saints for Sinners #1, Wyatt’s younger, brother, Morgan Earp, shows up bloodied and beaten. That sets off Wyatt’s memories of the last several years, recounting how he went from NYPD to the U.S. Marshals. Now, Morgan is wanted by the only law that matters in Las Vegas, the Pinkertons, and their leader, Allan Pinkerton will use this opportunity to get rid of the Earps, once and for all. Will Doc Holliday arrive in time?

If you don’t get confused by the constant use of flashback in this first issue, you will love this shoot ‘em up as comic book, Earp: Saints for Sinners. It is a bit longish, and the characters seem as if they’re not quite out of the development stage. The art with shimmering, watercolor-like colors is perfect for the series lovely violence. Not only does the color make the violence pulsate, but it also makes the various cities and locales seem exotic. This comic, however, owes more to modern crime films (like Heat) than it does Western cinema.

I’d like to read more of this.

B