Six-Gun Gorilla #3

Created and Written By: Simon Spurrier
Art By: Jeff Stokely
Colors By: Andre May
Letters By: Steve Wands
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 14th. 2013

"Episode 3: Dyin Ain't Much of a Livin"

I did not get the opportunity to gush about this book when I started reading it. The story is not like anything I have ever read before and is outside of my normal superhero comic that I normally read. Not only that, but it isn't published by Marvel! I guess I should give something of a rundown of what it is about.

We get this character who calls himself Blue, on a planet that is pretty harsh. The sun burns people alive if they are caught in it at high noon, there is basically no vegetation and the people that actually live there are suffering and dying. Well the people of Earth don't care too much and consider these people (brown coats) to be terrorists and are at war with them. Now the interesting thing about this world (because everything else is relatively standard) is that people can sign up to die. The people that sign up to die get a life insurance premium, go to war against the brown coats and are intended to die. These people get a camera/implant behind their eyes (making them blue) to record the things that they see to broadcast to the people of Earth. These recordings are a highly rated television show.

The interesting thing about Blue (not his real name of course), is that he took the life insurance out on himself to give the money to his now ex-girlfriend. He considers himself a loser and thinks this is the best thing to do. While on the planet and while on his mission to die, he comes in the possession of a mysterious watch that he is tasked to return to base and to send it the previous owner's wife. While on his mission to return it, he is attacked and saved by a massive Gorilla that happens to have a gun. For some reason the Gorilla is protecting him.

Okay, that wasn't the BEST synopsis but it gives the general idea of what the story is based on. I left out a lot of details because I think everyone should buy this book. I can't even scratch the surface of all of the cool things that happened in the first two books and the art is something that has to be seen. Jeff Stokely captures the emotions of the characters so well and the environments are insanely vivid. The only thing that makes it better is Simon Spurrier's slightly insane and interesting writing that floats over the images.

Issue three was not an exception as to how amazing this book has been. I am feeling incredibly attached to "Blue" and am loving learning about the environment. There is a moment in here with some weird, zombie-esque guys riding bicycles that is just quirky, sick and engaging that I had to re-read that part of the issue to make sure I didn't miss anything. Also, the Gorilla rocks. I am having issues waiting between each issue because I want to see how this story plays out. Sadly, it is only going to be six issues so I am already halfway there but this ride is one that no one should miss.