Billy the Kids Old-Timey Oddities

Penned with deranged glee by Powell and illustrated by fan-favorite horror artist Kyle Hotz (The Agency and The Hood), Billy The Kid's Old Timey Oddities starts with Billy the Kid free to roam America, having faked his own death. Free, that is, until Fineas Spoule, a.k.a. The Human Spider, discovers his secret. Now, afraid of being exposed, Billy finds himself in the service of a caravan of carnival sideshow performers who have unfinished business with a mad scientist none other than Victor Frankenstein himself! This twisted lovechild of spaghetti westerns and Hammer horror flicks combines Powell's humorous fast-paced storytelling and Hotz's quirky macabre visuals for a story that the whole family will love... if they're they kind of family that love alligator men and miniature boys fighting monstrous mistakes of science with the help of the fastest gunslinger in the West!

From School Library Journal

Grade 10 Up–Faking his own death, Billy the Kid is free to roam, or so he thinks. Then Fineas Spoule, the Human Spider, approaches him and tells him that he's discovered his secret. Spoule offers a deal: help him retrieve a precious jewel from Dr. Victor Frankenstein and he'll keep Billy's secret. If the Kid doesn't help, then Spoule's contacts will release his whereabouts to the authorities. All Billy wants to do is retire in anonymity, so he agrees to the plan, and soon he finds himself in the service of a caravan of carnival sideshow performers who have their own unfinished business with Frankenstein. It's not until the end of the story that Spoule reveals the real reason for their trip to see Frankenstein–one of their performers has been kidnapped. The story is fast-paced, and the artwork is reminiscent of both spaghetti Westerns and B-movie horror. The illustrations are in full color, but have a dark tone that provides the right blend of quirky and macabre. The treatment of the freaks (as Billy calls them) is an accurate portrayal of the period and, as Billy grows as a character, his attitude toward them changes.–Erin Dennington, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Reviews

News