Black Jack Ketchum successfully combines a sense of alienation and paranoia in an Old West setting that resembles a dream landscape. – Weird Westerns

Image Comics has recently announced BLACK JACK KETCHUM, Brian Schirmer’s  first title for the publisher, with co-creators Claudia Balboni (Star Trek, True Blood) on interiors and Jeremy Saliba (The Wheel of Time) on covers.  It’s a surreal Western that kicks off with a case of (possible) mistaken identity.  It’s the story of Tom Ketchum, struggling to clear his name in a world populated by talking sidearms, crackshot children, a mysterious, merciless judge, and the faceless, supernatural Dusters.  Imagine those last guys as the Nazgul of the frontier and you’ll be pretty close.

It’s The Fugitive meets The Prisoner in a dreamlike version of the Old West.

Brian Schirmer commented, “I think my initial exposure to the Weird Western came on New Year’s Eve, sometime in the late ’70’s/early ’80’s. I was staying with my grandparents while my parents were out ringing in the new year, and one of the local channels was running a marathon of – I kid you not – The Phantom Empire with Gene Autry. I’d never seen anything like it. Come to think of it, that might have been my first exposure to any sort of mixed-genre. It wouldn’t be until much later in my life though when I’d find myself absorbing the likes of High Plains Drifter, El Topo, Dead Man, and the like. All of these and more are in the DNA of Black Jack Ketchum.  This is a Wild West that operates on dream logic. Now, that doesn’t mean there are no rules. There most certainly are. It’s more that traditional Western elements and motifs tend to serve atypical purposes. For example, saloons are not only places one can play cards and grab a drink, but also transportation hubs, allowing one to teleport to other watering holes in other towns.

@imagecomics unveiled Jeremy Saliba’s BLACK JACK KETCHUM #2 cover . On stands January 6.

As for ties to the historical Tom Ketchum… there are allusions. There are some direct references to people and incidents from his life, particularly in the final two issues. There’s also another historical figure who’s around a bit, but who doesn’t get identified until the third issue. But at the end of the day we’re not creating a biography. This is very much a Weird Western. He’s the archetypal “wrong man”, accused of something – or, in this case, many things – he didn’t do. He never admits to being a “good guy”, but he’s adamant that he’s innocent of the crimes of which he’s been accused. He’s a bit Josef K, a bit Number Six – but in a messed up version of the frontier.”

The surreal Western comic series BLACK JACK KETCHUM, created by Brian Schirmer, Claudia Balboni & Jeremy Saliba, will be published by Image Comics December 2.


Interview copyright Paul Green (Weird Westerns) 2015. Images copyright © & Trademarked TM 2015 Image Comics or their respective owners. Image and its logos are ® and © 2015 Image Comics, Inc. All rights reserved.