Weird West
Encyclopedia
Weird West is used to describe a combination of the Western
with another literary genre
, usually horror
, occult, or fantasy.
DC
's Weird Western Tales
appeared in the early 1970s and the weird Western was further popularized by Joe R. Lansdale
who "is best known for his tales of the 'weird west,' a genre mixing splatterpunk
with alternate history Western
almost entirely defined by the author in the early nineties. His work reads a little like the sort of folklore in which Mark Twain
dabbled (or the Gothic in which Flannery O'Connor
was involved), but with zombie
s and gore
."
Examples of these cross-genre
s include Deadlands
(Western/horror
), The Wild Wild West
and its later film adaptation
(Western/steampunk
), Jonah Hex
(Western/superhero
), BraveStarr
(Western/science fiction
) and many others.
s and gunfighters are iconic American heroes and using them as heroes in other milieus was only natural. The Western uses themes that are compatible with the themes found in other genres. Like science fiction stories set on distant planets, Westerns use the themes of unknown wilderness and the survival of pioneers
. Westerns also offer stories of struggles to maintain social order in a lawless environment.
This leads naturally into the science fiction Western
where anachronistic science is injected into a Western setting usually in a steampunk
manner. Given that space is the final frontier it is also unsurprising that the themes that originated in Westerns re-appear in science fiction too, resulting in the space Western
.
The supernatural menaces of horror fiction are easy to inject into this setting, creating the horror Western. Writer G. W. Thomas has described how the two combine: "Unlike many other cross-genre
tales, the weird Western uses both elements but with very little loss of distinction. The Western setting is decidedly 'Western' and the horror elements are obviously 'horror.'"
The superhero Western grew out of the horror Western as Jonah Hex
first made an appearance in Weird Western Tales
before getting his eponymous own series which went very weird in the hands of leading Weird West author Joe R. Lansdale
. Hex has appeared alongside more obvious superheroes and has inspired other stories in which the JLA
are shown in the wild west (in the animated series and in the Elseworlds
outing Justice Riders
). Recently, Marvel
have introduced their own Western superhero in the shape of Vegas
.
The Weird West also accommodates less easily classified genres including alternate history
, speculative fiction
and more fantastical elements.
If anything, the Weird West genre is becoming more popular. It shows the potential to inject new life at a time when few authors are working with traditional Western stories. Jeff Mariotte
's comic book
series Desperadoes
has been running, off and on, for a decade now and he still remains bullish about the genre:
and creatures from Greek mythology
. The Winters stories were written by Lon Williams
and published in the 1950s. Around that same time, one of the oddest of all Western characters, Six-Gun Gorilla, appeared. This was an actual gorilla who strapped on a pair of Colts to avenge the death of the kindly prospector
who had raised him. His adventures appeared in the pulps Adventure and Wizard.
There have also been various Weird West novel
s including Joe R. Lansdale
's Dead in the West. In this book an unjustly lynched Indian shaman curses the town of Mud Creek, Texas. After dark the dead rise and only the Reverend Jebediah Mercer can save the inhabitants.
Examples include:
brought elements of spy stories and science fiction to the Old West. The cartoon adventures of the Lone Ranger followed suit by pitting the famous Western hero against mad scientists and other villains not often found in Western stories. Rod Serling
was fond of Westerns and often used them as settings for his Twilight Zone
stories, such as "Showdown with Rance McGrew
." Kung Fu
. which followed the adventures of a fugitive Shaolin monk armed only with the show title's eponymous martial art skill, is another famous example of an unorthodox Western. Perhaps one of the earliest minor examples on the small screen was the anachronistic appearance of the 1946 Willys Jeep
"Nellybelle" in the supposedly 19th-century adventures of Roy Rogers
during his eponymous 1950s television series.
Examples include:
s, alien
s, and costumed supervillain
s. Marvel Comics
characters such as Kid Colt
, Rawhide Kid
, and Two-Gun Kid
all had such adventures. Where Marvel went in for supervillains, DC Comics
added more of a horror element to their stories such as Jonah Hex
, pushed further in three mini-series
from Vertigo written by Joe R. Lansdale
. The DC character Tomahawk could also be termed a hero of the Weird West, though his adventures were set in the colonies during the time of the American Revolution
.
The Amalgam Comics
crossover between DC
and Marvel
produced only one Weird West title, a one-shot Generation Hex: "Humanity's Last Stand" (Jonah Hex
crossed with Generation X
- mutants
in the Old West) but as well as actual titles they also created wider fictional backstories to set them in. So in this case they suggested Amalgam had a whole genre line called "Malformed West" which had been popular and seen a resurgence of interest in the nineties with (fictional) titles including Weird Western Mutant Tales.
Another example worthy of note is Preacher
. While it is the origin of the Saint of Killers, as shown in his eponym
ous series, that is the only part set in the Old West, the whole series is an example of an interesting genre fusion. Described as a "Splatterpunk
Western", the more subtle cross-genre mixing is a rare one - a mix of the Western with the Gothic
.
Examples include:
(1969) which used special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen
's talents to pit cowboys against dinosaur
s. Billy the Kid vs. Dracula
(1966) saw the legendary outlaw Billy the Kid
fighting against the notorious vampire
. The same year, Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter
paired another famous outlaw with another fictional horror character. The Ghoul Goes West was an unproduced Edward D. Wood, Jr. film to star Bela Lugosi
as Dracula in the Old West.
Examples include:
. Set in an alternate 1870s America, the game draws heavily on gothic horror conventions and old Native American
lore to derive its sense of the supernatural. Characters can get involved in situations ranging from banks heists to shoot-outs involving vampire
s and zombie
s over the course of their adventures.
Video games also use this same motif, one of the earliest horror-Western games being SilverLoad
for the PlayStation
. The game has a variety of classic horror tropes in it, ranging from werewolves and vampires, to Satanic cults
, that the player must contend with nothing more than a trusty six-gun at his hip. In this same vein is the modern PS2
/Xbox
first-person shooter
, Darkwatch
, in which the protagonist is himself a vampire, fighting through the west for either his own redemption, or furthering his own damnation.
The PC adventure/puzzle game Alone in the Dark 3
takes place in a western setting, albeit in the 1920s, and features a number of "weird west" staples, with magic, monsters, the undead
, and some anachronistic sci-fi elements such as references to nuclear weaponry.
The PC first-person shooter title, Blood, is an occult-horror-comedy hybrid, and sets the player avatar "Caleb" in approximately 1920 (retroactively dated as 1928 in the game's sequel) as an un-dead gunslinger anti-hero from the late 19th century, who rises from his grave to battle a widespread cult by which he was betrayed and killed when he was a member. Gun play, the undead, horror, the occult, and the underworld
are strong elements of the game. The game spawned a sequel, Blood II: The Chosen
, although it was much less influenced by the main character's western back-story. One level of its expansion pack, however, is set in a western frontier town.
Another weird western is the Wild ARMs series - videogames that mix together high-fantasy magic and science-fiction technology with Old-West-style gunslinging. Each game changes leads and alters settings (though the world's name, Filgaia, remains throughout), but always at the core are the ideas of "drifting" and of one's personalized sense of justice among outlaws.
Red Dead Redemption, a Western-themed video game, enters into the genre of Weird West with its Undead Nightmare
add-on. The story revolves around an undead outbreak that has spread across the frontier. Other fantasy elements are new weapons such as holy water, and new mythical mounts, which include a unicorn
and the Four Horses of the Apocalypse
.
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
with another literary genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
, usually horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
, occult, or fantasy.
DC
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
's Weird Western Tales
Weird Western Tales
Weird Western Tales is a Western genre comic book title published by DC Comics which ran from June-July 1972 to August 1980. It is perhaps best known for featuring the adventures of Jonah Hex until #38 when the character was promoted to his own eponymous series...
appeared in the early 1970s and the weird Western was further popularized by Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
who "is best known for his tales of the 'weird west,' a genre mixing splatterpunk
Splatterpunk
Splatterpunk—a term coined in 1986 by David J. Schow at the Twelfth World Fantasy Convention in Providence, Rhode Island—refers to a movement within horror fiction distinguished by its graphic, often gory, depiction of violence and "hyperintensive horror with no limits." It is regarded as a revolt...
with alternate history Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
almost entirely defined by the author in the early nineties. His work reads a little like the sort of folklore in which Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
dabbled (or the Gothic in which Flannery O'Connor
Flannery O'Connor
Mary Flannery O'Connor was an American novelist, short-story writer and essayist. An important voice in American literature, O'Connor wrote two novels and 32 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries...
was involved), but with zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s and gore
Graphic violence
Graphic violence is the depiction of especially vivid, brutal and realistic acts of violence in visual media such as literature, film, television, and video games...
."
Examples of these cross-genre
Cross-genre
A cross-genre is a genre in fiction that blends themes and elements from two or more different genres.-Examples:*Action comedy *Comedy-drama or dramedy *Comedy-horror...
s include Deadlands
Deadlands
Deadlands is a genre-mixing alternate history roleplaying game which combines the Western and horror genres, with some Steampunk elements. It was written by Shane Lacy Hensley and published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group....
(Western/horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
), The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
and its later film adaptation
Wild Wild West
Wild Wild West is a 1999 American steampunk action-comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline , Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek.Similar to the original TV series it was based on, The Wild Wild West, the film features a large amount of gadgetry...
(Western/steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
), Jonah Hex
Jonah Hex
Jonah Woodson Hex is a Western comic book antihero created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga and published by DC Comics. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is horribly scarred on the right side. Despite his poor reputation and personality, Hex is bound by a personal...
(Western/superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
), BraveStarr
Bravestarr
BraveStarr is an American space Western animated television series. The original episodes aired from September 1987 to February 1988 in syndication. It was created simultaneously with a collection of action figures. BraveStarr was the last animated series produced by Filmation and Group W...
(Western/science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
) and many others.
Background
CowboyCowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s and gunfighters are iconic American heroes and using them as heroes in other milieus was only natural. The Western uses themes that are compatible with the themes found in other genres. Like science fiction stories set on distant planets, Westerns use the themes of unknown wilderness and the survival of pioneers
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
. Westerns also offer stories of struggles to maintain social order in a lawless environment.
This leads naturally into the science fiction Western
Science fiction Western
A science fiction Western is a work of fiction which has elements of science fiction in a Western setting. It is different from a Space Western, which is a frontier story indicative of American Westerns, except transposed to a backdrop of space exploration and settlement.A science fiction Western...
where anachronistic science is injected into a Western setting usually in a steampunk
Steampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
manner. Given that space is the final frontier it is also unsurprising that the themes that originated in Westerns re-appear in science fiction too, resulting in the space Western
Space western
Space Western is a subgenre of science fiction, primarily grounded in film and television programming, that transposes themes of American Western books and film to a backdrop of futuristic space frontiers; it is the complement of the science fiction Western, which transposes science fiction themes...
.
The supernatural menaces of horror fiction are easy to inject into this setting, creating the horror Western. Writer G. W. Thomas has described how the two combine: "Unlike many other cross-genre
Cross-genre
A cross-genre is a genre in fiction that blends themes and elements from two or more different genres.-Examples:*Action comedy *Comedy-drama or dramedy *Comedy-horror...
tales, the weird Western uses both elements but with very little loss of distinction. The Western setting is decidedly 'Western' and the horror elements are obviously 'horror.'"
The superhero Western grew out of the horror Western as Jonah Hex
Jonah Hex
Jonah Woodson Hex is a Western comic book antihero created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga and published by DC Comics. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is horribly scarred on the right side. Despite his poor reputation and personality, Hex is bound by a personal...
first made an appearance in Weird Western Tales
Weird Western Tales
Weird Western Tales is a Western genre comic book title published by DC Comics which ran from June-July 1972 to August 1980. It is perhaps best known for featuring the adventures of Jonah Hex until #38 when the character was promoted to his own eponymous series...
before getting his eponymous own series which went very weird in the hands of leading Weird West author Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
. Hex has appeared alongside more obvious superheroes and has inspired other stories in which the JLA
Justice League
The Justice League, also called the Justice League of America or JLA, is a fictional superhero team that appears in comic books published by DC Comics....
are shown in the wild west (in the animated series and in the Elseworlds
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...
outing Justice Riders
Justice Riders
Justice Riders is a 1997 Elseworlds prestige format one-shot, from DC Comics, written by Chuck Dixon, with art by J.H. Williams III.The story involves the Justice League of America recast in assorted roles in the Wild West. Wonder Woman is a Marshal, Booster Gold is a Maverick-style gambler, Wally...
). Recently, Marvel
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
have introduced their own Western superhero in the shape of Vegas
Vegas (comics)
Vegas is a fictional character from the Marvel Universe. Debuting in Amazing Fantasy #13, Vegas is the protagonist of a modern superhero Western.- Fictional character biography :Little information is known about the man known as Vegas...
.
The Weird West also accommodates less easily classified genres including alternate history
Alternate history (fiction)
Alternate history or alternative history is a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world. It can be variously seen as a sub-genre of literary fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction; different alternate...
, speculative fiction
Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as...
and more fantastical elements.
If anything, the Weird West genre is becoming more popular. It shows the potential to inject new life at a time when few authors are working with traditional Western stories. Jeff Mariotte
Jeff Mariotte
Jeff Mariotte is an author who currently lives in Arizona with his wife, author Maryelizabeth Hart, and family. As well as his own original work, he is best known for writing novels and comic books based on licensed properties.-Biography:...
's comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series Desperadoes
Desperadoes
Desperadoes is a Weird West-style comic book series written by Jeff Mariotte. It is currently being published by IDW Publishing.-Publication:Each story arc is a limited series which has been collected in a number of volumes:...
has been running, off and on, for a decade now and he still remains bullish about the genre:
As far as Mariotte is concerned, the potential for Weird West stories is limitless. “The West was a weird place. There are ghost towns and haunted mines and when you bring Native American beliefs into it, then the possibilities are even greater.”
Books
The term is of recent coinage, but the idea of crossing genres goes back to at least the heyday of pulp magazines. There was at least one series character who could be classified as a Weird West character. Lee Winters was a deputy whose adventures often involved ghosts, sorceryMagic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
and creatures from Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. The Winters stories were written by Lon Williams
Lon Williams
Lon Thomas Williams was an American western author, teacher, and lawyer who lived in Andersonville, Tennessee, United States. He is best known for writing a large number of classical and weird western stories for the pulp magazines, especially Western Action and Real Western Stories...
and published in the 1950s. Around that same time, one of the oddest of all Western characters, Six-Gun Gorilla, appeared. This was an actual gorilla who strapped on a pair of Colts to avenge the death of the kindly prospector
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
who had raised him. His adventures appeared in the pulps Adventure and Wizard.
There have also been various Weird West novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s including Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
's Dead in the West. In this book an unjustly lynched Indian shaman curses the town of Mud Creek, Texas. After dark the dead rise and only the Reverend Jebediah Mercer can save the inhabitants.
Examples include:
- "The Horror from the Mound" (by Robert E. HowardRobert E. HowardRobert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
, in Weird TalesWeird TalesWeird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
, 1932) - Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's Dark Tower sagaThe Dark Tower (series)The Dark Tower is a series of books written by American author Stephen King, which incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy, science fantasy, horror and western. It describes a "Gunslinger" and his quest toward a tower, the nature of which is both physical and metaphorical. King...
(19821982 in literatureThe year 1982 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*La Bicyclette Bleue by Régine Deforges becomes France's best selling novel ever.-New books:...
-20072007 in literatureThe year 2007 in literature involves some significant new books.-Events:*November 19 - First Kindle e-book reader released.*December 11 - Terry Pratchett informs fans on-line that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.-Literature:...
) - Dead in the West (by Joe R. LansdaleJoe R. LansdaleJoe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
, 19861986 in literatureThe year 1986 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Michael Grade. Controller of BBC One, axes plans to televise Ian Curteis's The Falklands Play.-New books:*Kingsley Amis - The Old Devils...
, ISBN 0-917053-04-4, 1994, ISBN 1-892300-00-1, 2005, ISBN 1-59780-014-7) - The Haunted MesaThe Haunted MesaThe Haunted Mesa is a science fiction novel by Louis L'Amour, set in the American Southwest amidst the ruins of the Anasazi. L'Amour attempts, as in others of his works, to suggest a reasonable explanation for the phenomena attributed to The Bermuda Triangle, i.e., portals between worlds or...
(by Louis L'AmourLouis L'AmourLouis Dearborn L'Amour was an American author. His books consisted primarily of Western fiction novels , however he also wrote historical fiction , science fiction , nonfiction , as well as poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into movies...
, 19871987 in literatureThe year 1987 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Tom Wolfe was paid $5 million for the film rights to his novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities, the most ever earned by an author, at the time.-Fiction:...
, ISBN 0-553-05182-2) - Walking Wolf: A Weird Western (by Nancy A. CollinsNancy A. CollinsNancy A. Collins is a United States horror fiction writer best known for her series of vampire novels featuring her character Sonja Blue. Collins has alsowritten for comic books, including the Swamp Thing series, Jason Vs...
, 19951995 in literatureThe year 1995 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*The Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea is opened by Jimmy Carter....
, ISBN 0-929480-42-2) - Mad AmosMad AmosMad Amos is a 1996 short story collection by the American speculative fiction author Alan Dean Foster. The stories center on the character of Amos Malone, a mountain man in the 19th century American West...
(by Alan Dean FosterAlan Dean FosterAlan Dean Foster is an American author of fantasy and science fiction. He currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, and is also known for his novelizations of film scripts...
, 19961996 in literatureThe year 1996 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is removed from an advanced placement English reading list in Lindale, Texas because it "conflicted with the values of the community."* In the United Kingdom, the first...
, ISBN 0-345-39362-7) - The Weird, Weird West (by Johnny Ray Barnes, Strange MatterStrange MatterStrange Matter is a children's book series created by Marty M. Engle and Johnny Ray Barnes Jr. The series takes place in the fictional town of Fairfield. It centers on children attending Fairfield Middle School who encounter paranormal situations. Each book in the series features a new...
series, 19971997 in literatureThe year 1997 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Tom Clancy signs a book deal with Pearson Custom Publishing and Penguin Putnam Inc. , giving him US$50 million for the world-English rights to two new books . A second agreement gives him another US$25 million for a...
, ISBN 0-14-038460-X) - Bone Wars (by Brett Davis, 1998, ISBN 0-671-87880-8)
- Two Tiny Claws (by Brett Davis, 1999, ISBN 0-671-57785-9)
- The Place of Dead RoadsThe Place of Dead RoadsThe Place of Dead Roads by William S. Burroughs, published in 1983, is the second book of the trilogy that begins with Cities of the Red Night and concludes with The Western Lands...
(by William S. BurroughsWilliam S. BurroughsWilliam Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
, 1983, ISBN 0-030704-16-2) - A Fist Full O' Dead Guys (anthology, edited by Shane Lacy HensleyShane Lacy HensleyShane Lacy Hensley is an author, game designer, and CEO of Pinnacle Entertainment Group and is currently a resident of Gilbert, Arizona.-Career:...
, Pinnacle EntertainmentGreat White GamesPinnacle Entertainment Group is a publisher of role-playing games and wargames that is owned and operated by Shane Lacy Hensley and was founded in 1994. Some time before 2003, the company was renamed Great White Games and in 2005 returned to the original name...
, 19991999 in literatureThe year 1999 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*June 19 - Stephen King is hit by a Dodge van while taking a walk. He spends the next three weeks hospitalized...
, ISBN 1-889546-65-8) - For a Few Dead Guys More (anthology, edited by Shane Lacy HensleyShane Lacy HensleyShane Lacy Hensley is an author, game designer, and CEO of Pinnacle Entertainment Group and is currently a resident of Gilbert, Arizona.-Career:...
, foreword by Joe R. LansdaleJoe R. LansdaleJoe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
, Pinnacle EntertainmentGreat White GamesPinnacle Entertainment Group is a publisher of role-playing games and wargames that is owned and operated by Shane Lacy Hensley and was founded in 1994. Some time before 2003, the company was renamed Great White Games and in 2005 returned to the original name...
, 19991999 in literatureThe year 1999 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*June 19 - Stephen King is hit by a Dodge van while taking a walk. He spends the next three weeks hospitalized...
, ISBN 1-889546-66-6) - The Good, the Bad, and the Dead (anthology, edited by Shane Lacy HensleyShane Lacy HensleyShane Lacy Hensley is an author, game designer, and CEO of Pinnacle Entertainment Group and is currently a resident of Gilbert, Arizona.-Career:...
, foreword by Bruce CampbellBruce CampbellBruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
, Pinnacle EntertainmentGreat White GamesPinnacle Entertainment Group is a publisher of role-playing games and wargames that is owned and operated by Shane Lacy Hensley and was founded in 1994. Some time before 2003, the company was renamed Great White Games and in 2005 returned to the original name...
, 19991999 in literatureThe year 1999 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*June 19 - Stephen King is hit by a Dodge van while taking a walk. He spends the next three weeks hospitalized...
, ISBN 1-889546-67-4) - Weird Western Adventures of Haakon Jones (by Aaron B. Larson, 19991999 in literatureThe year 1999 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*June 19 - Stephen King is hit by a Dodge van while taking a walk. He spends the next three weeks hospitalized...
, ISBN 1-55246-164-5) - Zeppelins West (by Joe R. LansdaleJoe R. LansdaleJoe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
, 20012001 in literatureThe year 2001 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The film version of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic book, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is released to movie theaters...
) - The Sundowners series (by James SwallowJames SwallowJames Swallow is a British author and scriptwriter. He is the author of several original books and tie-in novels, as well as numerous audio dramas and videogames....
, 20012001 in literatureThe year 2001 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The film version of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic book, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is released to movie theaters...
) - Dead Man's Hand: Five Tales of the Weird West (by Nancy A. CollinsNancy A. CollinsNancy A. Collins is a United States horror fiction writer best known for her series of vampire novels featuring her character Sonja Blue. Collins has alsowritten for comic books, including the Swamp Thing series, Jason Vs...
, foreword by Joe R. LansdaleJoe R. LansdaleJoe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
, Two Wolf Press, 20042004 in literatureThe year 2004 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* Canada Reads selects Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Last Crossing to be read across the nation....
, ISBN 1-58846-875-5) - The Crossings (by Jack KetchumJack KetchumJack Ketchum is the pseudonym for American author Dallas Mayr . He is the recipient of four Bram Stoker Awards and three further nominations. Many of his novels have been adapted to film, including The Girl Next Door and Red...
, Cemetery Dance PublicationsCemetery Dance PublicationsCemetery Dance Publications is a specialty press publisher of horror and dark suspense. Cemetery Dance was founded by Richard Chizmar, a horror author, while he was in college. It is associated with Cemetery Dance magazine, which was founded in 1988. They began to publish books in 1992.Cemetery...
, 2004, ISBN 1587670674) - The Two Devils (by David B. Riley, 20052005 in literatureThe year 2005 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February 25 - Canada Reads selects Rockbound by Frank Parker Day as the novel to be read across the nation....
, ISBN 1-885093-40-3) - The Strange Adventures of RangergirlThe Strange Adventures of RangergirlThe Strange Adventures of Rangergirl is a 2005 novel by Tim Pratt. This is Pratt's first full length novel. 'Rangergirl' takes place in present day but with science fiction and western themes found throughout the story.-Plot summary:...
(by Tim PrattTim PrattTim Pratt is a science fiction and fantasy writer and poet. He grew up in the vicinity of Dudley, North Carolina, and attended Appalachian State University, where he earned a Bachelor's in English. In 1999 he attended the Clarion East Writing Workshop...
, 2005, ISBN 0-553-38338-8) - TerritoryTerritory (novel)Territory is a fantasy western or Weird West novel by Emma Bull, published in 2007. It placed 4th in the 2008 Locus Poll Award for Best Fantasy Novel...
(by Emma BullEmma BullEmma Bull is a science fiction and fantasy author whose best-known novel is War for the Oaks, one of the pioneering works of urban fantasy. She has participated in Terri Windling's Borderland shared universe, which is the setting of her 1994 novel Finder...
, 20072007 in literatureThe year 2007 in literature involves some significant new books.-Events:*November 19 - First Kindle e-book reader released.*December 11 - Terry Pratchett informs fans on-line that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of Alzheimer's disease.-Literature:...
, ISBN 0-312-85735-7) - Merkabah Rider: Tales of a High Planes Drifter (by Edward M. Erdelac, 20092009 in literatureThe year 2009 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*8 October - Romanian-born German novelist Herta Müller wins the 2009 Nobel Prize in Literature....
, ISBN 978-1615720606) - Merkabah Rider: The Mensch With No Name (by Edward M. Erdelac,20102010 in literatureThe year 2010 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*February - The Wheeler Centre, Australia's "literary hub", officially opened.*April 3 - First release of the Apple iPad, electronic book reading device....
, ISBN 978-1615721900) - Judas Payne: A Weird Western (by Michael HemmingsonMichael HemmingsonMichael Hemmingson is a novelist, short story writer, literary critic, cultural anthropologist, qualitative researcher, playwright, and screenwriter.-Publishing History:...
, Wildside PressWildside PressWildside Press is an independent publishing company located in Maryland, USA. It was founded in 1989 by John Gregory and Kim Betancourt. While the press was originally conceived as a publisher of speculative fiction in both trade and limited editions, it has broadened out somewhat since then, both...
, Wildside Double #11 2011, ISBN 978-1434411945) - Webb's Weird Wild West: Western Tales of Horror (by Don Webb, Wildside PressWildside PressWildside Press is an independent publishing company located in Maryland, USA. It was founded in 1989 by John Gregory and Kim Betancourt. While the press was originally conceived as a publisher of speculative fiction in both trade and limited editions, it has broadened out somewhat since then, both...
, Wildside Double #11 2011, ISBN 143441194X)
TV
In the 1960s, the television series The Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
brought elements of spy stories and science fiction to the Old West. The cartoon adventures of the Lone Ranger followed suit by pitting the famous Western hero against mad scientists and other villains not often found in Western stories. Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
was fond of Westerns and often used them as settings for his Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
stories, such as "Showdown with Rance McGrew
Showdown With Rance McGrew
"Showdown With Rance McGrew" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:TV cowboy star Rance McGrew is ready to shoot a scene—in which Jesse James shoots him in the back—when he suddenly finds himself in a real Old West saloon...
." Kung Fu
Kung Fu (TV series)
Kung Fu is an American television series that starred David Carradine. It was created by Ed Spielman, directed and produced by Jerry Thorpe, and developed by Herman Miller, who was also a writer for, and co-producer of, the series...
. which followed the adventures of a fugitive Shaolin monk armed only with the show title's eponymous martial art skill, is another famous example of an unorthodox Western. Perhaps one of the earliest minor examples on the small screen was the anachronistic appearance of the 1946 Willys Jeep
Jeep
Jeep is an automobile marque of Chrysler . The first Willys Jeeps were produced in 1941 with the first civilian models in 1945, making it the oldest off-road vehicle and sport utility vehicle brand. It inspired a number of other light utility vehicles, such as the Land Rover which is the second...
"Nellybelle" in the supposedly 19th-century adventures of Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
during his eponymous 1950s television series.
Examples include:
- BonanzaBonanzaBonanza is an American western television series that both ran on and was a production of NBC from September 12, 1959 to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 430 episodes, it ranks as the second longest running western series and still continues to air in syndication. It centers on the...
: "Hoss and the Leprechauns" (1963) - The Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
(1965–1969) - CliffhangersCliffhangers (TV series)Cliffhangers was an American television series that debuted on February 27, 1979 on NBC.Cliffhangers attempted to revive the genre of movie serials in a made-for-TV format. Each hour-long episode was divided into three 20-minute segments featuring different storylines...
: "The Secret Empire" (1979) - Saber Rider and the Star SheriffsSaber Rider and the Star SheriffsSaber Rider and the Star Sheriffs is a 1987 animated space western following a similar theme as Galaxy Rangers and Bravestarr. Originally a 1984 anime series known as created by Studio Pierrot, it achieved moderate success in Japan...
(1984) - The Adventures of the Galaxy RangersThe Adventures of the Galaxy RangersThe Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers was an American animated Space Western television series created by Robert Mandell and Gaylord Entertainment Company....
(1986) - BraveStarrBravestarrBraveStarr is an American space Western animated television series. The original episodes aired from September 1987 to February 1988 in syndication. It was created simultaneously with a collection of action figures. BraveStarr was the last animated series produced by Filmation and Group W...
(1987) - Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo MesaWild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo MesaWild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa is an American animated television series created by comic book artist Ryan Brown, known for his work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The show was produced by King World and ABC's Greengrass Productions and animated by Gunther-Wahl Productions for its first season...
(1992–1994) - The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr.The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., often referred to as just Brisco or Brisco County,The series is referred to as just Brisco or by Brisco County by the creator and executive producer Carlton Cuse, actors involved with the show, and by many critics. Some examples include:* Cuse, Carlton, DVD extra...
(1993–1994) - LegendLegend (TV series)Legend was a science fiction Western television show that ran on UPN from April 18, 1995 until August 22, 1995, with one final re-airing of the pilot on July 3, 1996. It was Richard Dean Anderson's first major role after the successful MacGyver series, and also starred John de Lancie, best known...
(1995) - The Lazarus ManThe Lazarus ManThe Lazarus Man was a Western television series produced by Castle Rock Entertainment which first aired on January 20, 1996, and ended on November 9, 1996.-Production:...
(1996) - Justice League Unlimited: "The Once and Future Thing, Part 1: Weird Western Tales" (2005)
- SupernaturalSupernatural (season 6)The sixth season of Supernatural, an American television series is the fifth season to air on The CW television network. The season aired on Fridays at 9:00pm Eastern/8:00pm Central in the United States on The CW and premiered on September 24, 2010....
: "Frontierland" (2011)
Comics
In comic books a number of heroes had adventures involving monsterMonster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
s, alien
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
s, and costumed supervillain
Supervillain
A supervillain or supervillainess is a variant of the villain character type, commonly found in comic books, action movies and science fiction in various media.They are sometimes used as foils to superheroes and other fictional heroes...
s. Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
characters such as Kid Colt
Kid Colt
Kid Colt is the name of two fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first is a cowboy whose adventures have taken place in numerous western themed comic book series published by Marvel...
, Rawhide Kid
Rawhide Kid
The Rawhide Kid is a fictional Old West cowboy in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A heroic gunfighter of the 19th-century American West who was unjustly wanted as an outlaw, he is one of Marvel's most prolific Western characters...
, and Two-Gun Kid
Two-Gun Kid
The Two-Gun Kid is a fictional character, a cowboy gunslinger in the Wild West of Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
all had such adventures. Where Marvel went in for supervillains, DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
added more of a horror element to their stories such as Jonah Hex
Jonah Hex
Jonah Woodson Hex is a Western comic book antihero created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga and published by DC Comics. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is horribly scarred on the right side. Despite his poor reputation and personality, Hex is bound by a personal...
, pushed further in three mini-series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
from Vertigo written by Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale
Joe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
. The DC character Tomahawk could also be termed a hero of the Weird West, though his adventures were set in the colonies during the time of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
The Amalgam Comics
Amalgam Comics
Amalgam Comics was a publishing imprint shared by DC Comics and Marvel Comics, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters into new ones . These characters first appeared in a series of twelve comic books which were published in 1996, between issues 3 and 4 of the Marvel vs...
crossover between DC
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
and Marvel
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
produced only one Weird West title, a one-shot Generation Hex: "Humanity's Last Stand" (Jonah Hex
Jonah Hex
Jonah Woodson Hex is a Western comic book antihero created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga and published by DC Comics. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is horribly scarred on the right side. Despite his poor reputation and personality, Hex is bound by a personal...
crossed with Generation X
Generation X (comics)
Generation X is a fictional comic book superhero team, a spin-off of the X-Men franchise published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Scott Lobdell and artist Chris Bachalo, the team formed during the 1994 "Phalanx Covenant" storyline, and appeared in their own monthly series in September 1994...
- mutants
Mutant (Marvel Comics)
In comic books published by Marvel Comics, a mutant is an organism who possesses a genetic trait called an X-gene that allows the mutant to naturally develop superhuman powers and abilities...
in the Old West) but as well as actual titles they also created wider fictional backstories to set them in. So in this case they suggested Amalgam had a whole genre line called "Malformed West" which had been popular and seen a resurgence of interest in the nineties with (fictional) titles including Weird Western Mutant Tales.
Another example worthy of note is Preacher
Preacher (comics)
Preacher is a comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, published by the American comic book label Vertigo , with painted covers by Glenn Fabry....
. While it is the origin of the Saint of Killers, as shown in his eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous series, that is the only part set in the Old West, the whole series is an example of an interesting genre fusion. Described as a "Splatterpunk
Splatterpunk
Splatterpunk—a term coined in 1986 by David J. Schow at the Twelfth World Fantasy Convention in Providence, Rhode Island—refers to a movement within horror fiction distinguished by its graphic, often gory, depiction of violence and "hyperintensive horror with no limits." It is regarded as a revolt...
Western", the more subtle cross-genre mixing is a rare one - a mix of the Western with the Gothic
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
.
Examples include:
- 13 Chambers by mink and Denis Medri, Image ComicsImage ComicsImage Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
, 2008) - American GothicAmerican Gothic (comics)American Gothic is a horror/western story from 2000 AD, created by Ian Edginton and Mike Collins.-Plot:A group of freaks and monsters are trying to escape to a better life in the American West but are being hunted...
, by Ian EdgintonIan EdgintonIan Edginton is a British comic book writer.He is one of the few British comic talents to follow the reverse trajectory to the one usually taken: becoming successful in American comics before returning to work for 2000 AD.-Biography:...
and Mike Collins - The Big Book of the Weird Wild West: How the West Was Really Won!, anthology from Paradox PressParadox PressParadox Press was a division of DC Comics formed in 1993 after editor Mark Nevelow departed from Piranha Press. Under the initial editorship of Andrew Helfer and Bronwyn Carlton the imprint was renamed. It is best known for graphic novels like A History of Violence and Road to Perdition...
- Billy the Kid's Old Timey OdditiesBilly the Kid's Old Timey OdditiesBilly the Kid's Old Timey Oddities is a four issue American comic book limited series published in 2005, by Dark Horse Comics. The series stars a fictional version of Billy the Kid, still alive in the year 1881 after the real life Billy the Kid was allegedly killed by Pat Garrett.Written by Eric...
, by Eric Powell and Kyle Hotz (Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
, 2006, ISBN 1-59307-448-4) - Cowboys & Aliens
- Daisy KutterDaisy KutterDaisy Kutter: The Last Train is a four-part black-and-white comic book series written and illustrated by Kazu Kibuishi in 2004 and published by Viper Comics.The story is a Science fiction Western, a combination of Steampunk and Western.-Plot:...
by Kazu KibuishiKazu KibuishiKazu Kibuishi is an American graphic novel author and illustrator. He is best known for being the creator and editor of the comic anthology Flight and for creating the webcomic Copper. He is also the author and illustrator of the ongoing Amulet series... - Dead Irons (by James Kuhoric and Jason Shawn Alexander)
- Dead West
- Dead in the West, by Joe R. LansdaleJoe R. LansdaleJoe R. Lansdale is an American author and martial-arts expert. He has written novels and stories in many genres, including Western, horror, science fiction, mystery, and suspense...
and Neal Barrett Jr., with artist Jack JacksonJaxonJaxon was the pen name of Jack Jackson , an American cartoonist. Many consider him the first underground comix artist. He co-founded the seminal Rip Off Press.-Career:Jack Jackson was born in 1941 in Pandora, Texas...
(2-issue mini-series, Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
, 1993, collected in Atomic ChiliAtomic ChiliAtomic Chili: The Illustrated Joe R. Lansdale by Lansdale et al., is a collection of previously written stories by Joe R. Lansdale, adapted into comic book form by assorted artists and writers. The book was designed by John Picacio, and featured a cover by Dave Dorman...
) - The Deadlander by Kevin Ferrara (4-issue mini-series, Dark Horse, forthcoming)
- Demon Gun by Gary Cohn and Barry Orkin
- DesperadoesDesperadoesDesperadoes is a Weird West-style comic book series written by Jeff Mariotte. It is currently being published by IDW Publishing.-Publication:Each story arc is a limited series which has been collected in a number of volumes:...
by Jeff MariotteJeff MariotteJeff Mariotte is an author who currently lives in Arizona with his wife, author Maryelizabeth Hart, and family. As well as his own original work, he is best known for writing novels and comic books based on licensed properties.-Biography:... - El DiabloEl Diablo (comics)El Diablo is a name shared by several fictional characters published by DC Comics. Lazarus Lane the first El Diablo debuted in All-Star Western #2 , and was created by Robert Kanigher and Gray Morrow.-Publication history:...
- DjustineDjustineDjustine is an Italian comic book series written by Enrico Teodorani.The Djustine character was created from a fusion of Sergio Corbucci's film character Django, and the Marquis de Sade's titular "Justine".- Publication history :...
by Enrico Teodorani - Doc FrankensteinDoc FrankensteinDoc Frankenstein is an American comic book series created by Geof Darrow and Steve Skroce, written by the Wachowski Brothers , drawn by Steve Skroce, and published by Burlyman Entertainment...
- Far West by Richard MooreRichard Moore (comic book creator)Richard Moore is an American writer and artist of comic books. His published titles include Far West, Boneyard and Deja Vu.-Overview:...
- Generation Hex by Peter MilliganPeter MilliganPeter Milligan born in London, a British writer, best known for his comic book, film and television work.-Early career:Milligan started his comic career with short stories for 2000 AD in the early 1980s. By 1986, Milligan had his first ongoing strip in 2000AD called Bad Company, with artists Brett...
and Adam PollinaAdam PollinaAdam Pollina is an American comic book artist and penciller. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics' X-Force comic book.-Biography:... - Graveslinger by Jeff MariotteJeff MariotteJeff Mariotte is an author who currently lives in Arizona with his wife, author Maryelizabeth Hart, and family. As well as his own original work, he is best known for writing novels and comic books based on licensed properties.-Biography:...
and Shannon Eric Denton - GunplayGunplay (comics)Gunplay is a graphic novel, written by Jorge Vega, with art by Dominic Vivona. It was published by Platinum Studios in 2008.-Publication history:Jorge was the winner of the 2007 Platinum Studios Comic Book challenge, besting over 2 million submissions....
by Jorge Vega, with art by Dominic Vivona, Platinum StudiosPlatinum StudiosPlatinum Studios, Inc. is a publicly traded media company based in the United States. It controls a large independent library of comic book characters, which it seeks to adapt, produce, and license for all forms of media including print, film, online, mobile / wireless, gaming, and merchandising... - The Guns of Shadow Valley
- High MoonHigh MoonHigh Moon is an award-winning werewolf western webcomic series, developed in 2004 with a debut in 2007 as a part of Zuda, DC Comics' webcomic imprint. The first season concluded on July 8, 2008. Season two ran from August 16 to November 25, 2008...
a werewolf Western webcomic by zuda / DC comicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. Created by David Gallaher and Steve EllisSteve Ellis (comics)Steve Ellis is an American comic book artist and illustrator who has worked for Wizards of the Coast DC Comics, Wildstorm, White Wolf, Moonstone Books, and Marvel Comics.-Early life and education:... - Iron WestIron westIron West is a western steampunk graphic novel by American comic book creator Doug TenNapel. It was published by Image Comics in 2006.The story is set in the American Old West, but features modern day objects such as robots.-Interviews:...
, by Doug TenNapelDoug TenNapelDouglas Richard "Doug" TenNapel is an American musician, animator, Eisner Award-winning artist, author, essayist and Christian. He is best known for creating Earthworm Jim, a character that spawned a famous video game, cartoon series, and toy line.-Early life:TenNapel was born and raised in the... - Jonah HexJonah HexJonah Woodson Hex is a Western comic book antihero created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga and published by DC Comics. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is horribly scarred on the right side. Despite his poor reputation and personality, Hex is bound by a personal...
- Justice RidersJustice RidersJustice Riders is a 1997 Elseworlds prestige format one-shot, from DC Comics, written by Chuck Dixon, with art by J.H. Williams III.The story involves the Justice League of America recast in assorted roles in the Wild West. Wonder Woman is a Marshal, Booster Gold is a Maverick-style gambler, Wally...
(DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
ElseworldsElseworldsElseworlds is the publication imprint for a group of comic books produced by DC Comics that take place outside the company's canon. According to its tagline: "In Elseworlds, heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and places — some that have existed, and others...
) by Chuck DixonChuck DixonCharles "Chuck" Dixon is an American comic book writer, best known for long runs on Batman titles in the 1990s.-Biography:Dixon grew up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area, reading comics of all genres...
and J.H. Williams III - Last ShotLast shotIn the law of contracts, under the last shot rule, a party implicitly assented to and thereby accepted a counter-offer by conduct indicating lack of objection to it...
(Image ComicsImage ComicsImage Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
Studio XDStudio XDStudio XD is a producer of comics. It was originally founded in summer of 1999 by Derek Liu , Long Vo , Josh Gainsbrugh and Charles Park when they joined forces to develop and produce ECHO, a comic series to be published by Image Comics.Studio XD is best known for illustrating the X-Men:...
) by Locke and Long VoLong VoLong Vo is freelance Illustrator and Creative/Art Director.He is most notably known as one of the 3 original founders of Gaia Online, an English-language, anime-themed social networking and forums-based website... - Lobo Annual #2: "A Fistful of Bastiches"
- Lone by Stuart MooreStuart MooreStuart Moore is a writer and editor of comic books and novels.-Career:Moore's writing includes the original science-fiction series Earthlight and PARA; Iron Man, New Avengers/Transformers, and Wolverine ; Firestorm and Detective Comics ; the multicultural superhero team The 99; the comics...
and Jerome Opena - The Misadventures of Clark & Jefferson
- Peacemaker by Marianne de PierresMarianne de PierresMarianne de Pierres is an Australian science fiction author. Born in Western Australia, she did her undergraduate studies at Curtin University in Perth and later studied a Postgraduate Certificate of Arts in Writing, Editing and Publishing at the University of Queensland...
and Brigitte Sutherland, MDPWeb - Phantom RiderPhantom RiderThe Phantom Rider is the name of several fictional characters, Old West heroic gunfighters appearing in comic books in the Marvel Comics universe...
- PriestPriest (manhwa)Priest was a manhwa series created by Hyung Min-woo. It fuses the Western genre with supernatural horror and dark fantasy themes and is notable for its unusual, angular art style...
by Hyung Min-woo - The Rawhide Kid
- Reed Gunther
- Rotten by Mark Rahner and Dan Dougherty
- Saint of Killers (4-issue mini-series, PreacherPreacher (comics)Preacher is a comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, published by the American comic book label Vertigo , with painted covers by Glenn Fabry....
spin off, by Garth EnnisGarth EnnisGarth Ennis is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the Vertigo series Preacher with artist Steve Dillon and his successful nine-year run on Marvel Comics' Punisher franchise...
) - Season of the Reaper, first issue published by Speakeasy ComicsSpeakeasy ComicsSpeakeasy Comics was a Canadian publishing company of comic books and graphic novels. It was founded in August 2004 by Adam Fortier, and ceased operations on February 27, 2006.-History:...
before they shut down. - The Sixth Gun by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt
- Strangeways, solicited by Speakeasy ComicsSpeakeasy ComicsSpeakeasy Comics was a Canadian publishing company of comic books and graphic novels. It was founded in August 2004 by Adam Fortier, and ceased operations on February 27, 2006.-History:...
before they closed. Will appear as a graphic novel. - Sundown: Arizona, by Arcana Studios
- Tex ArcanaTex ArcanaTex Arcana is a graphic serial that appeared in Heavy Metal beginning with the March 1981 issue and continuing intermittently through 1985...
by John Findley - Tex WillerTex WillerTex Willer is the main fictional character of the Italian comics series Tex, created by writer Gian Luigi Bonelli and illustrator Aurelio Galleppini, and first published in Italy on 30 September 1948. It is among the most popular characters of Italian comics, with translations to numerous ...
(in some stories) - ZagorZagorZagor is an Italian comic book created by editor and writer Sergio Bonelli and artist Gallieno Ferri. Zagor was first published In Italy by Sergio Bonelli Editore in 1961.-Character:...
(in many stories) - The Transformers: EvolutionsThe Transformers: EvolutionsThe Transformers: Evolutions is the title of what was intended to be several comic book miniseries published by IDW Publishing, following the same idea of DC Comics' Elseworlds series. Each series was to create an alternative reality: a continuity in a different time era during which the...
- TrigunTrigunis a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yasuhiro Nightow, published from 1996 to 2008 and spanning 17 collected volumes....
- Weird Western TalesWeird Western TalesWeird Western Tales is a Western genre comic book title published by DC Comics which ran from June-July 1972 to August 1980. It is perhaps best known for featuring the adventures of Jonah Hex until #38 when the character was promoted to his own eponymous series...
- The Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild WestThe Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
: The Night of the Iron Tyrants, #1-4 by Mark EllisMark Ellis (writer)Mark Ellis is an American novelist and comic-book writer who under the pen name James Axler has written scores of books for the Outlanders paperback novel series and other books, as well as numerous independent comics series....
and Darryl BanksDarryl BanksDarryl Banks is a comic book artist. He worked on one of the first painted comic books, Cyberpunk, and teamed with the writer Mark Ellis to revamp the long-running The Justice Machine series for two publishers, Innovation and Millennium....
, Millennium PublicationsMillennium PublicationsMillennium Productions was an American independent comic book publishing company founded by Mark Ellis, Melissa Martin and Paul Davis. Initially known as a publisher of licensed properties, Millennium adapted works by Arthur Conan Doyle, Lester Dent, Frank Frazetta, Robert E. Howard, Harlan...
. - The Wicked WestThe Wicked WestThe Wicked West is a graphic novel series written by Todd Livingston and Robert Tinnell and Illustrated by Neil Vokes. It is published by Image Comics...
- Western Tales of Terror #1-5 (anthology from Hoarse and Buggy)
Films
In movies, notable Weird West stories include The Valley of GwangiThe Valley of Gwangi
The Valley of Gwangi is a 1969 American western-fantasy film directed by Jim O'Connolly and written by William Bast. The film is also known as Gwangi, The Lost Valley, The Valley Time Forgot, and The Valley Where Time Stood Still...
(1969) which used special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen is an American film producer and special effects creator...
's talents to pit cowboys against dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s. Billy the Kid vs. Dracula
Billy the Kid vs. Dracula
Billy the Kid vs. Dracula is a 1966 American low-budget horror/western film directed by William Beaudine. It was released theatrically as part of a double bill, along with Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter...
(1966) saw the legendary outlaw Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
fighting against the notorious vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
. The same year, Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter is a low-budget western/horror hybrid film filmed in 1966, in which a fictionalized version of the real-life western outlaw Jesse James encounters the fictional granddaughter of the famous Dr. Frankenstein. The film was originally released as part of a...
paired another famous outlaw with another fictional horror character. The Ghoul Goes West was an unproduced Edward D. Wood, Jr. film to star Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
as Dracula in the Old West.
Examples include:
- The Phantom EmpireThe Phantom EmpireThe Phantom Empire, starring Gene Autry the Singing Cowboy, was a 12-chapter 1935 Mascot serial that combined the western, musical, and science fiction genres. The first episode is 30 mins, the rest about 20 minutes...
(serial, 19351935 in film-Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:...
) - Riders of the Whistling SkullRiders of the Whistling SkullRiders of the Whistling Skull is a 1937 "Three Mesquiteers" Western B-movie starring Bob Livingston, Ray "Crash" Corrigan, and Max Terhune, and was directed by Mack V. Wright...
(19371937 in filmThe year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US....
) - The Terror of Tiny TownThe Terror of Tiny TownThe Terror of Tiny Town is a 1938 American film produced by Jed Buell, directed by Sam Newfield, and starring Billy Curtis. It is the world's only musical Western with an all-midget cast....
(1938) - The Beast of Hollow MountainThe Beast of Hollow MountainThe Beast of Hollow Mountain is a 1956 scifi/horror western about an American cowboy living in Mexico who discovers his missing cattle are being preyed upon by an Allosaurus...
(19561956 in filmThe year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
) - Teenage MonsterTeenage MonsterTeenage Monster is an independent science fiction, horror film, premiered December 25, 1957 and released by Marquette Productions Limited in 1958. Directed by Jacques R. Marquette, the film starred Anne Gwynne and Stuart Wade. The film combined the elements of science fiction and westerns, both of...
(19581958 in filmThe year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946....
) - Curse of the UndeadCurse of the UndeadCurse of the Undead is a 1959 American vampire/Western film directed by Edward Dein and starring Eric Fleming, Michael Pate, Kathleen Crowley, John Hoyt, Bruce Gordon, and Jimmy Murphy.-Plot:...
(19591959 in filmThe year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters....
) - Billy the Kid vs. DraculaBilly the Kid vs. DraculaBilly the Kid vs. Dracula is a 1966 American low-budget horror/western film directed by William Beaudine. It was released theatrically as part of a double bill, along with Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter...
(19661966 in filmThe year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
) - Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's DaughterJesse James Meets Frankenstein's DaughterJesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter is a low-budget western/horror hybrid film filmed in 1966, in which a fictionalized version of the real-life western outlaw Jesse James encounters the fictional granddaughter of the famous Dr. Frankenstein. The film was originally released as part of a...
(19661966 in filmThe year 1966 in film involved some significant events.-Events:Animation legend Walter Disney, well known for his creation of Mickey Mouse, died in 15 December 1966 of acute circulatory collapse following a diagnosis of, and surgery for, lung cancer...
) - The Valley of GwangiThe Valley of GwangiThe Valley of Gwangi is a 1969 American western-fantasy film directed by Jim O'Connolly and written by William Bast. The film is also known as Gwangi, The Lost Valley, The Valley Time Forgot, and The Valley Where Time Stood Still...
(19691969 in filmThe year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...
) - Mackenna's GoldMackenna's GoldMackenna's Gold is a 1969 western film directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Gregory Peck, Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Camilla Sparv, and Julie Newmar...
(19691969 in filmThe year 1969 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Last year for prize giving at the Venice Film Festival until it is revived in 1980...
) - Five Bloody Graves (19701970 in filmThe year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career....
) - High Plains DrifterHigh Plains DrifterHigh Plains Drifter is a 1973 American Western film, with a hint of the supernatural, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood and produced by Robert Daley for The Malpaso Company and Universal Pictures. Eastwood plays a mysterious gunfighter hired by the residents of a corrupt frontier mining town...
(19731973 in filmThe year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
) - Godmonster of Indian Flats (1973)
- The Hanged Man (1974 Telefilm)The Hanged Man (1974 film)The Hanged Man is a 1974 television film directed by Michael Caffey and starring Steve Forrest, Cameron Mitchell and Sharon Acker. It premiered on ABC on March 13, 1974, and was intended as a pilot for a possible new series which was never produced.-Plot:...
- The White BuffaloThe White BuffaloThe White Buffalo is a 1977 western film starring Charles Bronson, Kim Novak, Jack Warden, Slim Pickens, and Will Sampson. The movie is rated PG in the USA. The film is directed by J. Lee Thompson, who frequently teamed with Bronson. It was also the final film Bronson made for United...
(19771977 in filmThe year 1977 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*In the Academy Awards, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight win Best Actor and Actress and Supporting Actress awards for Network....
) - Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (19821982 in film-Events:* March 26 = I Ought to Be in Pictures, starring Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Dinah Manoff is released. Manoff would not appear in another movie until 1987's Backfire.* June = PG-rated film E.T...
) - Alien Outlaw (19851985 in film-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
) - Tex e il signore degli abissi (1985)
- Near DarkNear DarkNear Dark is an American vampire/Western horror film, written by Eric Red and Kathryn Bigelow, and directed by Bigelow. The story follows a young man in a small midwestern town who becomes involved with a family of nomadic American vampires...
(19871987 in film-Events:*January 31 - The Cure for Insomnia premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....
) - Ghost Town (19881988 in film-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:* Act of Piracy* Action Jackson, starring Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, Vanity, Sharon Stone* The Adventures of Baron Munchausen* Akira* Alice...
) - Back to the Future Part IIIBack to the Future Part IIIBack to the Future Part III is a 1990 American science fiction comedy Western film. It is the third installment of the Back to the Future trilogy. The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson and Lea Thompson. The film...
(19901990 in filmThe year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
) - Grim Prairie TalesGrim Prairie TalesGrim Prairie Tales is a 1990 American horror film, directed and written by Wayne Coe, and starring James Earl Jones and Brad Dourif. It is an anthology film of four western stories, told by two travellers around a prairie campfire...
(19901990 in filmThe year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
) - Sundown: The Vampire in RetreatSundown: The Vampire in RetreatSundown: The Vampire in Retreat is a Western horror/comedy directed by Anthony Hickox, and written by John Burgess and Anthony Hickox. Filmed in and around Moab, Utah, in 1988, Sundown was Vestron Pictures' last film and it was never released to theaters. Its only public screenings were at film...
(19911991 in filmThe year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November...
) - Mad at the MoonMad at the MoonMad at the Moon is a 1992 American horror and western film written and directed by Martin Donovan.-Plot:In 1892, Jenny Hill is infatuated with James Miller the local outlaw. However, her mother strongly disapproves and marries her off to Miller’s half-brother, Miller Brown . Miller Brown loves...
(19921992 in filmThe year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
) - Uninvited (19931993 in filmThe year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
) - OblivionOblivion (film)Oblivion is a 1994 western science fiction dark comedy film by Full Moon Entertainment. Directed by Sam Irvin, the film stars Richard Joseph Paul, Andrew Divoff, George Takei, Julie Newmar, Musetta Vander, Isaac Hayes and Meg Foster....
(19941994 in film1994 was a significant year in film.The top grosser worldwide was The Lion King, which to date stands as the highest-grossing traditionally-animated film of all time...
) - Cannibal! The MusicalCannibal! The MusicalCannibal! The Musical is a 1993 independent film directed by co-creator of South Park, Trey Parker, while studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder...
(19961996 in filmMajor releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
) - From Dusk till DawnFrom Dusk Till DawnFrom Dusk till Dawn is a 1996 horror film directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Quentin Tarantino. The movie stars Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino and Juliette Lewis.-Plot:...
(19961996 in filmMajor releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
) - Blood Trail (19971997 in film-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...
) - Purgatory (19991999 in filmThe year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
) - RavenousRavenousRavenous is a 1999 horror film directed by Antonia Bird and starring Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle and Jeffrey Jones. The film revolves around cannibalism in 1840s California and some elements bear similarities to the story of the Donner Party and that of Alferd Packer...
(19991999 in filmThe year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
) - Wild Wild WestWild Wild WestWild Wild West is a 1999 American steampunk action-comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, and starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline , Kenneth Branagh and Salma Hayek.Similar to the original TV series it was based on, The Wild Wild West, the film features a large amount of gadgetry...
(19991999 in filmThe year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
) - From Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman's DaughterFrom Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's DaughterFrom Dusk till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter is a 2000 American horror film, a prequel to the 1996 film From Dusk till Dawn. It was released straight to video and nominated for the Best Home Video Release Saturn Award.-Plot:...
(20002000 in filmThe year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
) - Shanghai NoonShanghai NoonShanghai Noon is a 2000 American martial arts action comedy western film starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson. The film, marking the directorial debut of Tom Dey, was written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar....
(20002000 in filmThe year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
) - The Man with No Eyes (20012001 in filmThe year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
) - Dust (20012001 in filmThe year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
) - Legend of the Phantom Rider (20022002 in filmThe year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
) - Dead BirdsDead Birds (2004 film)Dead Birds is a 2004 American horror film directed by Alex Turner.-Synopsis:A handful of thieves discover that they have more to worry about than the law in this independent horror story, set during the American Civil War.-Plot:...
(20042004 in filmThe year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
) - BlueberryBlueberry (film)Blueberry is a 2004 French film directed by Jan Kounen. It is an adaptation of the Franco-Belgian comic book series Blueberry, illustrated by Jean Giraud and scripted by Jean-Michel Charlier. The film starred Vincent Cassel as the title character along with Michael Madsen and Juliette Lewis...
(20042004 in filmThe year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
) - Ginger Snaps BackGinger Snaps BackGinger Snaps Back: The Beginning is the prequel to Ginger Snaps and Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed. The final part of the Ginger Snaps trilogy takes place in 19th century Canada, following the exploits of the antecedents of the Fitzgerald sisters of the two previous movies: Ginger and Brigitte , who...
(20042004 in filmThe year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
) - Tremors 4: The Legend BeginsTremors 4: The Legend BeginsTremors 4: The Legend Begins is a 2004 straight to video movie, that premiered January 2, 2004 on the Sci-Fi channel. It is the fourth film in the Tremors series of monster films. It is a prequel to the earlier movies.-Plot:...
(20042004 in filmThe year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
) - After SundownAfter SundownAfter Sundown is a 1911 Australian film directed by W.J. Lincoln set in the Australian bush. It was the first film from Amalgamated Pictures and was shot at their studios in St Kilda as well as on location at Healesville, outside Melbourne, and Coranderrk Mission Station. Only six minutes of the...
(20062006 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
) - Dynamite WarriorDynamite WarriorDynamite Warrior is a 2006 Thai martial arts film directed by Chalerm Wongpim and starring Dan Chupong .-Plot:The story is set in 1890s Siam. Siang is a young Muay Thai warrior and rocketry expert who steals back water buffalo taken from poor Isan farmers by unscrupulous cattle raiders...
(20062006 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
) - The Quick and the UndeadThe Quick and the UndeadThe Quick and the Undead is a 2006 zombie horror film written, directed, and produced by Gerald Nott.-Plot:In the present, a plague breaks out and the infected have been transformed into zombies. The action starts 80 years after the initial outbreak...
(20062006 in film- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
) - Undead or AliveUndead or AliveWanted: Undead or Alive is a 2007 comedy-horror Western film directed by Glasgow Phillips, it was written by Phillips and Scott Pourroy. The film stars Navi Rawat, Chris Kattan and James Denton.-Plot:...
(20072007 in filmThis is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
) - Sukiyaki Western: DjangoSukiyaki Western: Djangois a 2007 Japanese film by Takashi Miike. The title of this English language western refers to the Japanese dish, sukiyaki, as well as Sergio Corbucci's spaghetti western film, Django...
(20072007 in filmThis is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
) - Ghost RiderGhost Rider (film)Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
(20072007 in filmThis is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
) - BloodRayne II: DeliveranceBloodRayne II: DeliveranceBloodRayne 2: Deliverance is a direct-to-DVD vampire/Western film, set in 1880's America, and directed by Uwe Boll. The film is a sequel to the 2005 film BloodRayne, which was also directed by Uwe Boll, and starred Kristanna Loken...
(20072007 in filmThis is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
) - Cold Harvest
- CopperheadCopperhead (film)-Plot:The film, set just after the U.S. Civil War, begins with an outlaw named Wild Bill riding onto an apparent battlefield; he finds an elderly Mexican who, asked what happened, replies "La Serpienta Del Diablo." Bill then walks to a carriage, a woman falls out, a copperhead slithers out, and...
(20082008 in filmThis is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
) - The Good, the Bad, the WeirdThe Good, the Bad, the WeirdThe Good, the Bad, the Weird is a 2008 South Korean western film directed by Kim Ji-woon, starring Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, and Jung Woo-sung...
(20082008 in filmThis is a list of all major films made in 2008.-Highest-grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2008...
) - The BurrowersThe BurrowersThe Burrowers is a 2008 horror/thriller film with a Western theme. The film is based on a seven-part television series from director JT Petty.-Plot:...
(20092009 in filmThe year 2009 saw the release of many films. Seven made the top 50 list of highest-grossing films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that as of this year, their Best Picture category would consist of ten nominees, rather than five .- Highest-grossing films :Please note...
) - High Plains InvadersHigh Plains InvadersHigh Plains Invaders is a 2009 science fiction television film that aired on Syfy. The film stars James Marsters.-Plot:A man goes to a small Colorado town to be hanged for his crimes in 1892...
(2009) - Jonah HexJonah HexJonah Woodson Hex is a Western comic book antihero created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga and published by DC Comics. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is horribly scarred on the right side. Despite his poor reputation and personality, Hex is bound by a personal...
(20102010 in filmThe year 2010 saw many new films released worldwide. 2010 saw a dramatic increase and prominence in the use of 3D-technology in filmmaking and film releases after the success of Avatar in the format, with releases such as Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Jackass 3D, all animated films and...
) - GallowwalkerGallowwalkerGallowwalker is an horror western film directed by Andrew Goth and starring Wesley Snipes, Riley Smith and Tanit Phoenix. Co-stars include wrestler Diamond Dallas Page. Shooting has been completed, but the release date is still unknown.- Plot :...
(2010) - The Warrior's WayThe Warrior's WayThe Warrior's Way is a 2010 fantasy action film starring South Korean actor Jang Dong-gun, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush, Danny Huston, and Tony Cox...
(2010) - Cowboys & AliensCowboys & Aliens (film)Cowboys & Aliens is a 2011 American science fiction Western film directed by Jon Favreau and starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde. The film is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg...
(20112011 in filmThe year 2011 is notable for containing the release of the most film sequels in a single year, at 27 sequels. The following tables list films that are in production or have completed production and will be released in the United States and Canada at some point in 2011.- Highest-grossing films :...
) - Sacrilege (forthcoming)
Games
An example of the pen-and-paper variety is the horror-hybrid, DeadlandsDeadlands
Deadlands is a genre-mixing alternate history roleplaying game which combines the Western and horror genres, with some Steampunk elements. It was written by Shane Lacy Hensley and published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group....
. Set in an alternate 1870s America, the game draws heavily on gothic horror conventions and old Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
lore to derive its sense of the supernatural. Characters can get involved in situations ranging from banks heists to shoot-outs involving vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s and zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
s over the course of their adventures.
Video games also use this same motif, one of the earliest horror-Western games being SilverLoad
SilverLoad
SilverLoad is the title of a graphic adventure video game produced by Vic Tokai in 1996. In this single-player game, you control, via a first person perspective, a Wild West cowboy as he ventures into a haunted town in order to save two children that were taken from their parents. The U.S...
for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
. The game has a variety of classic horror tropes in it, ranging from werewolves and vampires, to Satanic cults
Satanic ritual abuse
Satanic ritual abuse refers to the abuse of a person or animal in a ritual setting or manner...
, that the player must contend with nothing more than a trusty six-gun at his hip. In this same vein is the modern PS2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
/Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
, Darkwatch
Darkwatch
Darkwatch: Curse of the West is a 2005 Weird West first-person shooter video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It was developed by High Moon Studios and published by Capcom in the United States and by Ubisoft in the European Union and Australia.The game mixes western, horror and steampunk genres...
, in which the protagonist is himself a vampire, fighting through the west for either his own redemption, or furthering his own damnation.
The PC adventure/puzzle game Alone in the Dark 3
Alone in the Dark 3
Alone in the Dark 3 is the third installment of the Alone in the Dark survival horror video game series created by Infogrames. The video game was released in 1994. A Windows 95 version of the game was also released in 1996, under the name of Alone in the Dark: Ghosts in Town...
takes place in a western setting, albeit in the 1920s, and features a number of "weird west" staples, with magic, monsters, the undead
Undead
Undead is a collective name for fictional, mythological, or legendary beings that are deceased and yet behave as if alive. Undead may be incorporeal, such as ghosts, or corporeal, such as vampires and zombies...
, and some anachronistic sci-fi elements such as references to nuclear weaponry.
The PC first-person shooter title, Blood, is an occult-horror-comedy hybrid, and sets the player avatar "Caleb" in approximately 1920 (retroactively dated as 1928 in the game's sequel) as an un-dead gunslinger anti-hero from the late 19th century, who rises from his grave to battle a widespread cult by which he was betrayed and killed when he was a member. Gun play, the undead, horror, the occult, and the underworld
Underworld
The Underworld is a region which is thought to be under the surface of the earth in some religions and in mythologies. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and in some traditions it is identified with Hell or the realm of death...
are strong elements of the game. The game spawned a sequel, Blood II: The Chosen
Blood II: The Chosen
Blood II: The Chosen is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Monolith Productions and distributed by GT Interactive, which was later purchased by Infogrames. Released on October 31, 1998, it featured Monolith's new fully 3D engine Lithtech, which was previously used in Shogo: Mobile...
, although it was much less influenced by the main character's western back-story. One level of its expansion pack, however, is set in a western frontier town.
Another weird western is the Wild ARMs series - videogames that mix together high-fantasy magic and science-fiction technology with Old-West-style gunslinging. Each game changes leads and alters settings (though the world's name, Filgaia, remains throughout), but always at the core are the ideas of "drifting" and of one's personalized sense of justice among outlaws.
Red Dead Redemption, a Western-themed video game, enters into the genre of Weird West with its Undead Nightmare
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare is the fifth downloadable content pack released for Red Dead Redemption. It was released for the PlayStation 3 and for Xbox 360 on October 26, 2010...
add-on. The story revolves around an undead outbreak that has spread across the frontier. Other fantasy elements are new weapons such as holy water, and new mythical mounts, which include a unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
and the Four Horses of the Apocalypse
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are described in the last book of the New Testament of the Bible, called the Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ to Saint John the Evangelist at 6:1-8. The chapter tells of a "'book'/'scroll' in God's right hand that is sealed with seven seals"...
.