Desperadoes: A Moment's Sunlight

Desperadoes #1

by Jeffrey J. Mariotte, John Cassaday (Illustrator), Christopher Golden (Introduction)

The first four issues of the critically acclaimed series that combined terrifying supernatural horror with authentic western themes. The year is 1879 and a serial killer is terrorizing the New Mexico territory, skinning innocent half-breed children and their mothers in a brutal, ritualistic manner. With white settlers and Indian tribes both growing tenser by the minute, it's a race against time for Gideon Brood, Abby Degrazia, Jerome Alexander Betts and Pinkerton detective Race Kennedy to catch this killer and see justice done.

Genres: Comics, Westerns, Horror, Fiction, Graphic Novels

104 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1998

About the author

Also writes as Jeff Mariotte

Jeffrey J. Mariotte is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 70 novels, including the Cody Cavanaugh western series, historical western epic Blood and Gold: The Legend of Joaquin Murrieta (with Peter Murrieta), thrillers Empty Rooms and The Devil's Bait, supernatural thrillers Season of the Wolf, Missing White Girl, River Runs Red, and Cold Black Hearts, horror epic The Slab, and the Dark Vengeance teen horror quartet. With wife and writing partner Marsheila (Marcy) Rockwell, he wrote the sf/horror/thriller 7 SYKOS and Mafia III: Plain of Jars, the authorized prequel to the bestselling video game. His most recent release is the short story collection Byrd's Luck & Other Stories, comprising five "traditional" Western tales and five horror-Western stories, two of them brand-new for this edition.

He also writes occasional nonfiction, short fiction (some of which is collected in Nine Frights), and comic books, including the long-running horror/Western comic book series Desperadoes and graphic novels Fade to Black and Zombie Cop. With Marsheila Rockwell, he has published several short stories and is working on more. He has worked in virtually every aspect of the book business, as a writer, editor, marketing executive, and bookseller.

Learn more at www.jeffmariotte.com, and follow him at https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyJMari... and @JeffMariotte on Twitter.

Also writes as Jeff Mariotte

Reviews

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of weird westerns, even having written a few myself, so I was pretty sure I'd like this going in, and I did. I'm a fan of Cassady's work, and his art looked as good here as ever. The story was a little rough around the edges but still worked. I did think the ending was a little anticlimactic, but sometimes I suppose drama can be sacrificed for realism.

Overall a really good weird western comic, something I wish we'd see more of. Jonah Hex, where are you lately??

[Andrew Hale · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is hit-or-miss in details and dialogue, not clear on going left-to-right in blurbs and panels, and shifting to up-and-down. The art is fair though eccentric in some poses. Some characters look male and female at the same time, so of one or the other, it would actually change the environment for the scene. So I don't know which way to go with the feel for those areas. Ritualism and psychotic motives, there is no final reveal for where any of the supernatural aspects come from, nor why the villain feels as he does, though his upbringing is probably meant to show us his disconnect with reality in this regard. The characters are simple and cliche as they are almost textbook characters with tragic or rough pasts, coming together to chase an evil. Still, there is absolutely a place for weird western fiction but I'd rather it have more effort put into the mythology and visual layout.

#1, September 1997
1879. New Mexico. A Chicago Pinkerton chases a trio of sadistic serial killers. Maybe. An ex-Texas Ranger chases the killer who took the only Light from his life away, his one moment of sunlight. A Las Vegas Sheriff posse's up to catch the murderers that got his wife. An outfit leader with a bounty on his head looks to square up his beef with an antagonizer. A mentally unhinged man with childhood trauma looks to save other children from his same predicament. An emancipated Georgian and a curvy whore (that is what everybody keeps talking about) round out a trio of deadly defenders while everybody basically chases shadows.
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#2, October 1997
The Pinkerton Kennedy and Sheriff Kelton, working together at first, are on different trajectories, or at least different ends, so they simply split. A glimpse into the emancipation proclamation, Jerome Betts' rescue from the noose shows his righteous reaction to a rapist. Concern for the killings of Apache women and mixed children seem to be more about silver deposits for Pruett and revenge for the lawman than about the individuals. The ex-Ranger Brood and crew face a supernatural threat on one hand, a sight to see or not, but their propensity for being at the wrong place at the wrong time makes them appear to be the one they are chasing.
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#3, November 1997
Just as Las Vegas Sheriff Bart corners the killer of his wife, the Warm Springs Apache led by Chief Nana arrive at the direction of ex-Pinkerton Race to promote the capture of the sadistic serial killer, though the evil one evades them all. After a glimpse into the traumatic childhood and life of ex-prostitute Abby, ex-Ranger Gideon and crew become a quartet and make their way to the outlaw town of Antelope Springs, where giving up a new resident, no matter how evil, goes against the unspoken rules.
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#4, December 1997
Outlaws run to Antelope Springs to avoid being turned in so when the quartet comes calling, the locals aren't keen on helping. The ex-Pinkerton splits off to covertly find his quarry while the trio (ex-ranger, ex-slave, ex-prostitute) face off against the locals and their steel. Guns and gore galore when the Apache arrive to help, and the ex-Pinkerton finds the evil one. At the threshold of ritualistically gaining nefarious power, the evil one tries a new tactic that shows how monstrous and unhinged he is, while the ex-Ranger steps up against the darkness that snuffed his light. There's a future for a team of western supernatural agents and this fiasco will either make or break that dream, though redemption and repentance is only for the main characters, all others pay cash ... in death notes.

Character Reference:
- Abby Degrazia - prostitute
- Agnes - Douglas' wife
- Augustus Pruett - Santa Fe
- Bart Kelton - Las Vegas sheriff
- Bessie Betts - Jerome's sister
- Carter Sloane
- Clay Barrett - Las Vegas Deputy
- Clem - Antelope Springs outlaw
- Cyrus - Antelope Springs outlaw
- Douglas - Roswell vet
- Emma Brood
- Gideon Brood - 54-y-o ex-Texas Ranger, ex-stock detective
- Jerome Alexander "Buffalo" Betts - freed Georgia slave
- Jaeger - Santa Fe Colonel
- Josh Brood
- Leander Peik - serial killer
- Lozen - Apache, sister to Victorio, power to track
- Mona - Las Vegas bar maid
- Nana - Warm Springs Apache chief
- Ned - handsy bar drunk of Sloane's outfit
- Pete - Douglas' son
- Race Kennedy - Chicago Pinkerton detective
- Rojas
- Sidney - Georgia slave owner
- Victorio - San Carlos reservation
- Wellman - Augustus assitant

[Lavell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Artwork: Excellent Story: ok, could be better. I wanted to like this so bad, but it left me with a short story and wanting more. The look was excellent just an incomplete story.

[R. Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had a particular itch lately - a combination of western and fantasy elements. Not sci-fi, or steampunk... fantasy. Wizards and spells and monsters. It's a pretty esoteric craving to satisfy, but fortunately the owner of my comic book shop (called Third Eye Comics, for those in Maryland who are looking for a place) had a few recommendations. Desperadoes was at the top of the list.

It stars four characters. Gideon, the Civil War soldier turned cowboy/outlaw. Jerome Alexander Betts, the freed slave who insists on using all three of his names. Abby Degrazia, the ex-prostitute turned badass sidekick. And Race Kennedy, the Pinkerton detective who quit his job after getting sick of all the politics. Nothing too novel or interesting here, but, I'm not really looking for novel. I'm looking for western, and this motley crew certainly fits the bill.

A Moment's Sunlight follows them through two adventures. The first takes several "issues" and involves tracking down a man who likes to skin half-bred children (and in fact killed Gideon's son) in order to gain magic powers such as invisibility. The second was a one-track story with illusions and living flashbacks. Good stuff. The child-killing villain was particularly interesting.

Neither of the supernatural elements were really explained, though, especially the second. I'm willing to accept the first with "he's a wizard," but when the party discovers that a dying man is somehow conjuring spirits of the past... I'd like a little explanation. The dying man didn't even know what he was doing.

I find it a little difficult to really side with the protagonists at times, too, at least morally. In the very first issue, they start a firefight in a crowded bar that resulted in the death of an innocent women - accidentally shot by the main hero. This doesn't really bother him. He does become a fugitive as a result, but he insists that its only because she was the wife of the sheriff. He never seems even remotely contrite for what essentially amounts to a murder, and his friends are just as blase about it. The ex-Pinkerton also shoots a doctor, and also by accident, but never says more than "oops" afterwards. Maybe I'm not supposed to think of them as heroes, but, I'm having a hard time telling myself that THIS group of unrepentant killers is better than THAT group of unrepentant killers.

The artwork is fantastic, and, with one memorably awful example ("Won't get one till morning. There a hotel here?"), is near flawless throughout. The characters are likable (aside from, you know, the whole violence and murder thing), and the storylines are usually pretty solid. The writing in particular drew me in. I'm not one to read graphic novels and spend fifteen minutes marvelling at the artwork of every page - it's the writing that attracts me. It was the writing that would not let me put this down until it was done, and it's the writing that will compel me to buy the next volume.

If you're interested in the Weird Western genre, definitely pick this up. If you're just interested in weterns in general - still get it; the supernatural elements can be pretty muted. As far as westerns go, Desperadoes is pretty solid. Definitely worth my time.

[Timo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice and decent opening for the Desperadoes series. Haven't read this before, only the later ones.
Good art, nice way to introduce characters, mysteries and violence. Nice.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's hard to combine odd story lines, like a western and supernatural, but this comic series does it very well. Very good art and great story make this an enjoyable read. Very recommended.