Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Enrique Villagran & Erik Enervold
Cover Art by Steve Lieber & Jeff Parker
SUMMARY:
Published by Moonstone Books in 2005, this 26-page, black-and-white tale is a fictionalized adventure depicting Wyatt Earp’s first meeting with John “Doc” Holliday in Dodge City, Kansas, circa late 1877. Loner lawman Earp arrives in Dodge City as the new city marshal, only to instantly find trouble.
Having jailed some of surly rancher Nick Hardesty’s thugs, Earp defiantly incurs the town bully’s wrath. At the gaming tables, Holliday also faces down Hardesty. A grateful saloon girl gets romantic with Earp. A drunken Hardesty resorts to murder and arson as his form of vengeance. Earp senses that he needs some reliable back-up.
Note: Among a few other profanities in this comic, Hardesty shouts the ‘n-word’ in one panel.
REVIEW:
Steve Lieber & Jeff Parker’s cover image is this comic’s sole asset. There are also a few interior panels that resemble actor Kurt Russell’s Earp from the 1993 film Tombstone. Beyond that, the disappointingly crude and muddled artwork wastes its black-and-white movie Western noir look, as too many characters resemble one another. While it’s isn’t particularly tough to decipher who’s who, it’s an unnecessary distraction.
As for the one-dimensional storyline, writer Chuck Dixon weakly phones in a clichéd script with few factual details (i.e. the presence of Dodge City citizens George Hoover and Larry Deger). Dixon has done far better work elsewhere, i.e. his Batman stories for DC Comics. For instance, using profanities might add credibility to the boozy Hardesty’s belligerence, but there isn’t any dramatic justification re: Hardesty’s ‘n-word.’ It’s a poor creative choice among many sub-par elements, rendering Wyatt Earp: Dodge City # 1 an utterly dismal read.
Note: Despite what Dixon’s story claims, the real Earp was (at least, on paper) Deger’s city deputy, rather than the other way around. According to historical accounts, Earp was never the official Dodge City marshal.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
There’s four pages and the back cover plugging various Moonstone properties.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 2 Stars
Note: A much better Moonstone project is 2008’s Cisco Kid vs. Wyatt Earp one-shot.
