I adore Larry Johnson's Tales of the Broken B. (If you don't believe me, check out my December 2023 post.)
Johnson's saga has a Dark Shadows/Twilight Zone vibe, in that the Broken B Ranch is a magnet for strange entities and odd circumstances. Clyde Brittle and Ernie Malone are its inadvertent protagonists and deal with the visiting strangeness much like cowpoke equivalents to Carl Kolchak, Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.
For #5, we're treated to Clyde and Ernie's lovesick pal, Billy DeGroot, whose betrothed, Nina, has jilted him ... or so it seems. After some intense brawling and deep lament between Billy and Clyde, Nina at long last appears, but her missing period holds a creepy connection to the accursed Dead Man's Swamp. When Billy discovers the truth, it's as woeful as it's haunting.
Johnson's storytelling creates a weird yet palpable ambiance for this chilling chapter, in which he mounts identifiable characters within a suspenseful context. His vibrant artwork also brings the events to idiosyncratic life, establishing "Nina" as Broken B's most startling (if not touching) fable to date.
To purchase Tales of the Broken B #5, send $6.50 via Paypal to LewBrown1@verizon.net. Broken B #5 will make you darn tootin' pleased you took the initiative.
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