Rio

Rio #1

by Doug Wildey

Doug Wildey was an acclaimed comic book and comic strip artist, as well as a noted animator. Very much in the school of Milton Caniff and Alex Toth, Wildley was an artist's artist, a storyteller of the highest order, and one with remarkable depth. While not known for any specific character (very much like Toth), Wildey worked in many genres - with western stories being some of his most memorable. In 1987 Wildey began one of his most personal works, Rio - the story of an aging cowboy and gunfighter, as well as special agent for the President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant. This volume collects the entire Rio saga in one handsome collection, including the final, unfinished and unpublished Rio story.

Genres: Comics

64 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1987

Reviews

[Steve Chaput · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doug Wildey is one of the best artists in the comics field during his long career. His years working in animation gave us the characters in Johnny Quest, among others. For that alone he should be remembered.

Rio is a great western that Wildey created. His art style, similar to the one he used when working on Jonah Hex at DC. is perfect for this genre. His horses, scenic panoramas and tough cowboys create a very real world in which his hero rode.

Wildey did several graphic novels and another books collects the stories he did for Eclipse comics for an anthology series.

[Rex Hurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of an aging cowboy and gunfighter, as well as special agent for the President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant. Collects the entire series first started out in Eclipse Monthly. Magnificently illustrated in a European style (I have no idea why the Europeans loved westerns so much). The author is an acclaimed illustrated and newspaper strip artist. This is considered his best work.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doug Wildey is a guity pleasure of mine as he co-created one of my childhood heros - Jonny Quest, in RIO, Wildey tells the tale of a reformed outlaw working for President Grant with "letters of marque" to stop the senseless killing of buffalo during the Reconstruction era.

Wildey's pencils are amazing, the rich detail and excellent composition make the book a joy to read. The story could have been extended out another 5 to 10 pages to give us more about Rio's background and what his "code" is (as every western hero needs a code). The dialogue is a bit soft... but overall, I enjoyed this.

I picked this book up after wanting it so many times when I was a kid and could never afford it. Now, I grab it for a song and a dance... worth the wait...