Graphic Language:Pale Horse

From Boom Studios,"Pale Horse"is a 4 issue mini,released earlier this year.Written from a story by Andrew Cosby,and drawn by Christian DiBari.I picked this up at NYCC,from Dibari himself,who talked the book up and won me over with his enthusiasm for his creation,so I purchased.

The story follows black bounty hunter Cole in the Old West,circa the Civil War.Cole finds his wife raped and murdered,only able to save his baby son,whom the wife hid away.Cole gets his revenge,and in the process becomes a wanted man himself.

We pick up several years later,as Cole and his son have been picking up bounties as he teaches the boy how to survive in a dog eat dog world.Most of the book follows Cole as he moves from troubled situation to troubled situation.Eventually we are introduced to a Union General who wants Cole dead,and may be more than he seems.John Wilkes Boothe shows up in quite the interesting role,as we learn more of Cole's history with the General and the War.

The story is good,yet a little sparse to start and then packed with a bit too much in it's final chapter especially.Uneven is probably the right word.DiBari is quite talented,and has a scratchy murky style,assited greatly by his colorist who drenches everything in an earthy pallet.

3 stars,enjoyable read.