Iron West

by Doug TenNapel

Preston Struck is an incompetent outlaw with a heart of fool's gold. He discovers an army of metal men bent on destroying central California. While Struck avoids any form of heroism, he gets a little help from a magical old shaman and his sidekick Sasquatch. Struck is going to need all the help he can get because he's deputized just as the mechanical men have taken over the railroad and are mutating the train into a giant demonic iron monster.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Westerns, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

About the author

Doug TenNapel is the Eisner Award winning writer/artist of over sixteen graphic novels. He is published by Image Comics and Scholastic/Graphics.

He's been married for 27 years to the love of his life and has four book-loving kids.

Doug's favorite authors include G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. He reads mostly philosophy but tends to get his fiction from audio-books.

His performs live art demonstrations on his Facebook page, and has animated using pixel art for clients like BlueSky software and Electronic Arts. He also regularly posts on his Youtube channel.

Doug tries to write and draw something every day as a discipline that also happens to be a career.

He currently lives in Franklin, Tennessee.

Reviews

[Bryce Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book where Cowboys fight a bunch of robots. Written By Doug Tenapel who brings his usual command of awesomeness to bear.

I'll repeat. Cowboys. Fighting Robots. If those three words don't make you want to buy this well I just don't know what to do with you.

[Brenton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doug TenNapel seems to be one of those artists who drives himself to "improve" his output each year by way of slowly whittling away at what made his work so endearing in the first place. In our time-and-efficiency enslaved society, I can understand why one would seek to enhance their work ethic in such ways, but applying such means to art is travesty. Iron West reads like a Reader's Digest abridged version of a tale; as I read, I couldn't help but feel as though every other page of the full story had been taken out and that the book should have been twice as thick. Doug speeds his tale along at such a clip that, yes, it is fun, but you feel cheated once you finish, as though the tale would have been far more rich and enthralling had Doug chosen to explore his settings (and his characters) a bit more. It felt like watching a movie at 1.5x speed; you still get the thrust of the story, but as it zips by you miss the finer texture of it, the small details and nuances that really pull you in and make you feel like you're there. I'm sure one could argue that this suits the graphic novel medium just fine, but I'm the last person who will concede that a comic must necessarily be written as shallow pulp. I will never attempt to put such constraints on the medium.
All of that being said, I can state that Doug continues to improve his drawing chops, demonstrating even finer control over his ink with each new project.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant. I loved this one and think it has moved up to being my favourite of TenNapel's books, and I've read a good many of them now. This one is perfectly suitable as a YA-Adult read. I may be partial to this because I am a sucker for both Westerns and Steampunk and Doug has put these two together brilliantly. Only Doug TenNapel could put together the motley crew of cowboys, robots, Sasquatch, the Loch Ness Monster, a train Transformer-type dude, and a lovely lady of the evening in distress AND make it work beautifully without a hitch. Seamlessly we get a wonderful story of courage, stepping up to the plate, the need for community to rally together and the pitfalls of technology. All this with a surprise twist ending gives a rollicking great story. The art? What can I say but it's Mr. TenNapel at some of his finest! Can you tell I really loved this book?!

[Marko Kivimäe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doug TenNapel on kunstnik, kes on oma fantaasiat valanud koomiksisse, animatsiooni ja videomängudesse. Earthworm Jim pani mul kohe peas kellad helisema, kuigi ega siinset koomiksit lugedes kahte ja kahte kokku ei pannud küll. Samas ega ma pole Jimi viimase paarikümne aasta jooksul näinud ka.

19. sajandi lõpp, Ameerika, California osariik, tukkuv Twain Harte linnake. Kauboid nagistavad omavahel ning äkki sekkuvad konflikti robotid. No väga tugevalt üldistatuna nii on, ega koomiksis on ju sisu lühijutu jagu, ei saa väga palju detaili minna. Igaljuhul on siin mingis mõttes tavaline nahahoidjast peategelane, kes on paras tõbras, samal ajal tahab südamedaami tähelepanu võita. Siis aga ühel hetkel kaevatakse jah maa seest hunnik inimvaenulikke masinaid välja ning põrgu läheb lahti. Sekkub igasuguseid põnevaid tegelasi ning kokkuvõttes tuleb kuradit Beeltsebuliga välja ajada. Kes on näinud filmi nimega "Mandy" (Nicolas Cage'ga), siis seal oli üks lahe stseen, mis mulle kohe silme ette tuli metalset metsikut läänt lugedes (lõpupoole siis).

Päris lahe oli. Eks lihtsam, kergem, kiire lugemine - aga mõnusalt hoogne aurupunk, ei olnud jokutamist ega liiga tõsist tooni.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very fun read. Felt shallow overall; characters are caricatures and not real people. And the source of where the alien robots was barely explained. But I didn't care really.
The art and particularly the poses were masterful and very inspiring. So, 4 out of 5 for art alone, but the lack of intricate, human characters and good world building brought it down to a 3.

[Claire Garvais]

Found signed copies of Iron West and Creature Tech by Doug TenNapel in my local little free library. Pretty fun reads and cool art. I preferred Iron West to Creature Tech. Both felt a little dated and neither had female characters with any real personality, which loses points from me. Still enjoyable.

[Sarah N · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 STARS)

Good use of the genre mash up (sci-fi western) to present a kooky, yet fun adventure.

[Kristen Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of Doug TenNapel, I cannot resist looking for more graphic novels by him and found Iron West at the library one day. I often do not know what to expect with his work as it takes on a life of its own quickly. Iron West combines living machines with the Wild West in a crazy fun adventure that also involves Bigfoot and a giant train monster. For once, this one is also a little less appropriate for kids, with a couple of more naughtiness, but still full of adventure. I'd say most middle school and high school students would be fine with the content, but not exactly elementary aged material.

I love the way the setting and sci-fi elements are combined, creating quite a crazy adventure for Preston, a man who is not often one to be called a hero. In fact, he's only in town to take time with Miss Sharon, who is not sure why she followed him to such uncivilized territory. Actually, upon trying to escape, Preston seems to be forced into becoming a hero by trying to stop the machines from killing every human in sight. With a bit of nudging from Bigfoot and a little American Indian woman, he actually starts back to try to save Miss Sharon and everyone else in town.

Of course, he goes about it in his own crazy way, with antics that will have you laughing. Overall, I fell in love with another of Doug's graphic novels and probably will never find one that does not make me laugh, smile and become awestruck by the amazing illustrations and engrossing stories.

Final Verdict: A new favorite mix for me – westerns and sci-fi, makes a great story and visually was a lot of fun. Definitely for older readers.

[Cornelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rugged, old west cowboy hero, Struck, robs banks, cheats at poker, lies to women with promises of marriage, and runs away at any hint of trouble. Yeah, this bad boy is a real charmer. Still when some old prospectors dig up robots, who in turn dig up a whole army of metal men, who go on a rampage to kill humans, he comes to the rescue of his woman and his town. Of course he has to, he’s set for a hanging and the sheriff gives him no choice but to help or to hang. Our hero, Struck , has some help himself form an elderly Native American gentleman and Sasquash. Yes that’s right, Big Foot himself. This comic book is a blast, so much fun. You’ve got to read Iron West, it’ll make your day. Drew “Moriarty” McWeeny of Ain’t It Cool News summed it up best with this tidbit from his review of it, “Iron West, a book that is as innocent and enjoyable as an afternoon spent as kids playing cowboys and ‘injuns.”

[A.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doug TenNapel has a talent for making the inordinately strange seem perfectly normal in each story he writes. The premise for Iron West is:

A selfish, two-bit hustler in the wild west of the late 1800’s happens upon an alien robot race that seeks to wipe humanity off the map. With the help of a Sasquatch, a Native-American medicine man, and his “lady of the night” girlfriend, he reluctantly saves humanity (or at least the town) – oh and somewhere in there the Loch Ness monster gets involved too.

Sound inordinately strange? It will all make sense once you start reading.

Iron West is a romp through the sci-fi west that never was but maybe should’ve been. Warmly recommended for its fast pace, comedy, stylish art, and strange scenarios.

[Mark Desrosiers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cowboys & Sasquatch & the Loch Ness monster vs. some sure-shot robots in the Old West. The tone is simultaneously menacing and comedic, like the Apple Dumpling Gang crossed with the Terminator. TenNapel's robots are bolted together like a fondly remembered W.W. Denslow illustration of the Tin Man, or one of Joel Robinson's bots. The story might have something to say about antiheroes or the nature of the industrial revolution (one mega-robot fashions himself out of train cars), but on the whole it's just a corker.

[Mantsch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I could give this a higher rating, it might have really been a 2 1/2, I mean, old west, robots, how could I not like it, right? But Tennapel usually grounds these stories in better developed more identifiable characters, and I felt like that wasn't here. More like an afterthought.

The art though, as always with Tennapel, was great, just really detailed in the right way, especially for this story.

[Christo Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every bit a Tennapel book as Earthboy Jacobus, this tale of a gambler who comes face to face with faith in a whole different set of ways, leads me to believe the great art and interesting action are ancillary to a story actually worth reading, a rarity in comics these days.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sasquatch and Nessy appear in the same wild west story. Lots of fun!

[Raquel (Silver Valkyrie Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was enjoyable, but after I loved Cardboard SO much, I was a little disappointed that this one was just a nice, fun little story. Or maybe I just didn't connect with the redemption story as much as others would. I'd still recommend it for those who enjoy sci-fi/western mashup type stories, but I probably won't ever re-read it myself.

As far as content, there were a few places where stronger language was very clearly substituted for, such as "I'll see you in heck," and other content was similar. There's some womanizing clearly understood without actually being spelled out, and just a general impression of bad behavior. There's also a fair amount of violence and some death (including of an animal), though with the style and black and white drawings it never feels graphic. In general I guess I'd recommend this for pre-teens and up, but a lot depends on personal sensitivities (and also personal ability to notice and figure the 'only implied' content).

[Melissa Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow my first (adult?) Doug TenNapel graphic novel??? It had a lot of violence (shooting) and a few innuendos. The illustrations are the same Doug TenNapel style and there is a moral to the book so I'm happy.

Preston Struck is an outlaw of sorts. He is a Wanted man, for petty robberies and lying. A gang of bounty hunters find him in town playing and cheating at cards. Struck makes a run for it the slippery weasel and finds himself face to face with a mechanical gang of outlaws. They take over the train. Slippery Struck manages to escape and comes across a strange character duo that help him out.

Will the Sheriff ever trust Struck, will Struck get the girl, will the automatons wind down for good? You have to read it for yourself. Overall pretty good :D

[Kit · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I love Doug's art and work, but I had some kinda weird feelings about this one, mostly related to jokes that played a bit racist (can we not on the homophobic jokes too?), not a lot of fleshing out, and poor pacing. His art is even more beautiful, however, and my love of robots, cryptids, and cowboys was enough to make it enjoyable.

But he still did cover illustrations for my favorite ska band, so there you go. I like his art.

[Aprilleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Old West meets Transformers meets I'm not entirely sure. But it was a fun ride while it lasted. Yeah, that would be my biggest complaint - too short and I would have liked more. Or maybe just more backstory because I have questions.

Oh, just read it already. It'll make you scratch your head, shake your head, laugh your head off, and really make you wonder about the kind of brain that can come up with something like this. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listen...if you want to read imaginative, fun, humorous writing that includes a flair for drama, depth, and the weird then you need to pick up this book - or any of Doug TenNapel's books. He always impresses me. The illustrations are amazing and the story is riveting. I never knew what was going to be thrown at me next. Go ahead, suspend your disbelief, and read about alien robots in the Old West and a broody Sasquatch. You'll be happy you did.

[Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A funny and simple story.
I heard about this comic, but knew nothing about it or the author.

Doug has a beautiful and expressive art style that reminds me of Disney animations from the 80s and 70s. The rough inking takes away the cuteness of Disney.

The story is the clichê of the rogue who becomes a hero against his will, and the plot about killing robots in the old west scenario is interesting.
Doug explores it in many ways and creates funny, action-packed moments.

[Jack Reickel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice, and fun, black and white art. Gritty but clear inking throughout.

Interesting, sometimes whacky story. It's definitely paced entertainingly enough that I'll return to it sooner than most other standalone comics.

[Книжни Криле · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty decent sci-fi western, with steampunk elements, some nice moments of quirky humor and some imaginative out-of-the-blue scenes. Thin on plot however, and lacked the emotional impact. The sequential art is cool as can be expected by Doug TenNapel.

[John Rimmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird. Sasquatch, the Demiurge, city-sized transforming train robots, corny jokes, the Loch Ness Monster in a desert, robot cowboys and indians, the hero's journey for a drifter outlaw, and a beautiful pair of final panels.

[Colton · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book

[Mevi Vieyra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cowboys peleando con robots, es tan raro y hermoso a la vez .

[Peter Krol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun story, great illustration.

[CK · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/10

[Seizure Romero · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art is fun, the story is ridiculous, and the jokes are terrible. It feels like what would happen if Joe Lansdale were forced to write a PG-rated comic.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and weird.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the artwork. But, the plot is a muddled mess.