188. Reed Gunther by Shane & Chris Houghton

Reed Gunther,The Bear Riding Cowboy: Volume 1 by Shane & Chris Houghton (US) - (Canada)
Reed Gunther, Volume 1

Pages: 184
Ages: All Ages (10+)
Finished: Jul. 9, 2012
First Published: Nov. 22, 2011
Publisher: Image Comics
Genre: graphic novel, western, humour, paranormal
Rating: 5/5



First sentence: "Life on the road, huh Sterling? Life on the road."

Publisher's Summary: Everyone's favorite bear-riding cowboy gallops into his first collected edition! REED GUNTHER and his trusty grizzly bear steed bumble their way through the wild west fighting giant snakes, hoards of mole creatures, a resurrected John Henry zombie, freak show freaks, special government agents, and all sorts of wild monsters created by an ancient mysterious Idol! This colored collection of excitement, friendship, and adventure is fun for folks of all-ages!"

Acquired: Received an egalley from the publisher through Netgalley.

Reason for Reading: Just my kind of mix!  Western, humour and monsters advertised as an all ages romp!  Just had to see what this was all about.

Reed Gunther is pure cowboy!  He wants nothing but to roam the western wilderness making himself useful, helping out any poor maiden in distress and riding his faithful steed wherever they may roam.  Things are not quite so ordinary for Reed though.  His faithful steed just happens to be a huge grizzly bear named Sterling, who can't talk but can understand Reed.  Reed finds a person of the female persuasion to help out but a maiden in distress she is not as she comes out hacking with a sword trying to get him off her land.  They do reach an amicable agreement though and if Reed can remember that this lady is one of the guys they'll get along just fine, finer than fine, and roaming the wild west turns out to be more dangerous than a cowboy could have thought when one must fight against mole men, zombies, giant snakes, and many weird monsters.

Written  a bit like a tall tale both Reed and Sterling seem to have the strength and agility beyond that of a normal man and grizzly, add in Starla, the female rancher, and she's an equal match for the macho duo.    This is a fun romp that really does manage to cross age boundaries; there is nothing inappropriate for the younger audience and yet the story and plot are real and intense for a more mature audience.  There is humour to be appreciated by all and personally I had a rip-roaring good time with this entire graphic.  I loved all three main characters and trying to decide on a favourite makes me unable to pick one over the other.  The trio is entirely delightful.  I can't wait to read the second volume which will finish up the conclusion of this mini comic series.