Harpy of the West #2 is a comic written by Rob Burton with art by Rio Burton and letters by Jim Campbell. After finding a single clue in their hunt for the harpy this group must now search for someone with answers. This story is about trying to solve the mystery of the supernatural in a western setting. Our trio is led by a bounty hunter named Sam, a woman who is very no-nonsense and has a harsh disposition. With her is Kelly and Michael, a couple who are very interested in Greek myths which is the reason they’ve joined Sam on her quest. The plot picks up right where the last one left off with our protagonists in what they believe to be the harpy’s cave. From there they travel to few places meeting some interesting people along the way. The action here is very familiar if you’ve ever seen a western so prepare to see blood. Things move along slow and steady with there being tense moments scattered throughout. The dialogue is country with some old sayings and slathered in snarkiness. There are no wordy pages here which is fitting for a western. Overall this is a story with a dark and mysterious tone with characters that you’ll want to learn more about.
The art here is sharp and character-focused with a noir vibe. This comic is colorless except for when blood is shown. There are some wonderfully detailed backgrounds here but they don’t always persist from panel-to-panel. The various locations have some character and are all very western. Kelly is the most expressive character here as most of the others have a serious look on their faces most of the time. The faces here are full of enough detail that despite the stern tone we can make out smaller emotions seeping through. The clothing fits the time with some people adding a bit of flair to their outfits. This is a western so there are guns, and there is a gun fight. There is quite a bit of blood and what might qualify as light gore.
“Is this worth reading?”
Yes.
“Would I like this?”
If you like westerns with a noir vibe starring three people two of them being women and dealing with the supernatural this is for you.
“What would this comic’s film rating be?”
R. Blood and light gore.
“Could I get a quote from the comic?”
“I hate it when you tell it like that.”
Digital Link: https://rioburton.gumroad.com/l/Harpy2?layout=profile
Kickstarter Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/harpy/harpy-of-the-west-2/description
***IN-DEPTH COMIC STATS BELOW***
Probably Contains Spoilers
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Actual Pages(not counting covers and credits): 24
Violent Pages: 3, for 13% 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 – 3
“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 – 3
“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 – 2
“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 – 1
“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.”
