Harpy of the West #1 is a comic written by Rob Burton with art by Rio Burton. In 1889 way out in Wyoming a group of people attempt to confirm the existence of a harpy. This tale starts in a bar where we listen to an old man tell the story of how he saw a woman with wings. He isn’t believed, and the real guts of this comic begin. Our main character is a lady bounty hunter whose name we haven’t heard, and our secondary characters are the sharp dressed couple Kelly and Michael. The plot so far is can be summed up in one sentence: “Is the harpy real?” Old western shows and movies started off one of two ways: A big fight with some death sprinkled in or a calm talking that hints at something down the line. This comic chose the latter. The dialogue is a bit light overall and there are no wordy pages. This is slow-burn story that’ll leave you with questions and have you looking forward to the next issue.
This is a black-and-white comic with the occasional appearance of red. The building interiors and the landscape stand out whenever they are on the page. The expressions here are slightly above-average and the faces are nicely detailed. Sometimes they look a bit more cartoonish for comedic effect. Absolutely no face sameness here. While most of the outfits here are par the course for a western, Kelly is wearing an ensemble that stands out. The creature descriptions are interesting to look at, and the symbolism surrounding it stands out. You know how at the end of comic books they have some extra art pages? Well this comic has a picture of Kelly sitting on a trunk with a sunset/sunrise backdrop and man I wish it was a poster.
“Is this worth reading?”
Yes.
“Would I like this?”
If you like westerns, supernatural creatures, leading ladies, and black-and-white art this is for you.
“What would this comic’s film rating be?”
R. A few panels and the overall tone.
“Could I get a quote from the comic?”
“You are the strangest bounty hunter I’ve ever met.”
Digital Link: https://rioburton.gumroad.com/l/Harpy1?layout=profile
Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/harpy/harpy-of-the-west-1/description
***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***
Probably Contains Spoilers
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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 22
Violent Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic
Sexy Pages: 0, for 0% of the comic
**The levels below aren’t necessarily maintained throughout the whole comic, but they were definitely reached**
Violence Level – 1
“Wasn’t no tussling at all.”
“Sometimes you gotta hit somebody.”
“I’m getting charged with how many counts of assault?”
“This was a tournament arc.”
“All my life I had to fight.”
Gore Level – 2
“The only thing leaking out your face is tears.”
“Looks like somebody spilled some ketchup.”
“Might need to soak that up with a bath towel.”
“That isn’t supposed to be outside the body.”
“This is a slaughterhouse.”
Death Level – 1
“And everybody lived happily ever after.”
“We might have gone to a couple funerals.”
“It just LOOKS like a serial killer was here.”
“Yeah this was a tragedy.”
“Think Gettysburg.”
Porn Level – 2
“Everybody kept their clothes on.”
“I guess it was too hot for a bra.”
“Sometimes you got to let everything air out.”
“This is like late night Cinemax in the early 2000’s.”
“Oh. This is porn.”
