High Moon Vol. 1

First and foremost I am just going to state outright that I did not completely understand what was happening in High Moon Vol. 1: "Bullet Holes and Bite Marks". I enjoyed it, it was interesting, but alot of the finer points of the plot were either too nuanced for me to get or just plain over my head. Frankly, I understood more of what was going on from reading the Amazon blurb than I did from reading the story itself.

It's kind of like if you step into an existing sci-fi series a couple of books (or sequels) in without knowing all the "rules" and whatnot of the particular world in which that story exists. Ultimately I just went along with it and didn't worry about the details.

So, High Moon is broken up into two chapters, the first features a Pinkerton detective named Matthew MacGregor who has busted up the notorious Sullivan Gang and is in the process of tracking down one of the surviving members, a fellow named Eddie Conroy. In the course of tracking down Conroy, MacGregor is enlisted to find a young girl who has disappeared. What follows is a sort of gothic western/horror mash-up featuring supernatural creatures... also MacGregor is hiding a dark secret... there are a few twists and turns that will keep a reader guessing.

The second chapter features a mysterious, yet familiar, character calling himself Conroy MacGregor. This MacGregor's mission is a little less defined than that of Chapter One's Matthew MacGregor. There is also an even more mysterious fellow called Tristan MacGregor who is hunting for the man who murdered his brother Duncan Macgregor... there is ALSO a mysterious elderly woman (a former slave) who engages in a strong form of HooDoo. Add some more supernatural creatures and a bit of steampunk just to make things even more mysterious and if you can make total sense of everything you're a better person than I.

The first chapter is pretty much a horror twist on the classic western trope of the stranger who comes to town and kicks butt. Picture Clint Eastwood's famous Man-With-No-Name set in a horror story and you're almost there. The second chapter was a bit confusing to me and I finally quit trying to understand it all and just went with it.

At times High Moon Vol. 1 reminded me of the classic DC comic series Weird Western Tales that I used to read as a kid. At other times it brought to mind the short-lived TV series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. which was a mash-up of western/sci-fi/supernatural and pretty much everything they could think of to throw in (I loved that show).

The artwork is gloomy, at times murky (in terms of picture clarity), and sets an ominous tone that suits the story perfectly.

I plan on checking out Volume Two when it becomes available (maybe it will clear up a few of the more confusing details). I would recommend High Moon Vol. 1 to anyone who likes something a little different and is willing to take a chance.

*** Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for making this title available for me to read and review.