DEAD ACRE #1 / Created by RHETT C. BRUNO & JAIME CASTLE / Script by CULLEN BUNN / Art by RILEY BROWN / Colors by FARES MAESE/ Letters by ANDWORLD DESIGN / Published by VAULT COMICS

Problem with dying a hero’s death is you still have to die. And dying a hero was the last way James Crowley expected to go out. Still, fighting to save an innocent girl from ten bad men is a good way to end things. Too bad it was only the beginning…

Now Crowley is a Hand of God. Condemned to a purgatory of walking the Earth, not quite dead and not quite alive, his only hope of Heaven is to work off his sins as a demon hunter. But James finds the time to do other good deeds as well.

His latest communication from the home office sends him to the town of Dead Acre. There’s a dark cloud hanging over the town, with a missing husband, desecrated graves, and a mob of local thugs to be dealt with. But is there a demon in play? That is what Crowley aims to figure out.

The Weird Western genre is not one I’ve devoted much time to reading. Only so many hours in the day. But it is a popular one among a certain breed of comic fan. And Dead Acre #1 is aimed directly at them.

I can’t vouch for how well it adapts the novel by Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle. But I’ve enjoyed other horror comics by Cullen Bunn and his work on Conan the Barbarian at Dark Horse. And his script here has me thinking I should add the Black Badge books to my ever-growing pile of “to be read” books. We’ve seen grizzled bad-ass bounty hunters like Crowley before, but this first issue establishes the setting in an economical way that is quite rare.

As for the artwork, I can sum it up with one word: gorgeous. Riley Brown delivers some deliciously detailed pencils, with inks that perfectly enhance and shade without becoming too thick or shady. The colors by Fares Maese help establish the perfect mood in every scene, with some particularly beautiful lighting effects. The letters and sound effects text by Andworld Design are applied with surprising subtlety, punctuating the action scenes. I particularly like the frames built around Crowley’s narration.

Dead Acre #1 accomplishes the one thing a comic adaptation of a novel should do above all else. It made me want to read the source material. On its own terms as a weird western, it sings visually and textually and is sure to please fans of horror and wild west comics.

Dead Acre #1 arrives in comic shops on July 1, 2026.