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Comic Book Review: Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Orm of Loch Ness

Image via Dark Horse Comics

Over the last few years there’s been a trend in the world of literature and film of taking personages of historical significance, or characters in the public domain, and rewriting their history, revealing a secret past of monster hunting or the like. Take into account Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and even Jesus Hates Zombies.

Well, over the last couple years, comic book genius Eric Powell has been exploring just what really happened after Billy the Kid was supposedly shot dead in July, 1881.

See, the world believes that he was killed by Pat Garrett, but he’s still very much alive and in the service of a caravan of carnival sideshow performers, wandering around Europe.

Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Orm of Loch Ness #1 launches the third volume of Powell’s Billy the Kid chronicles. Volume One had them encounter a mad scientist, dabbling with life and death while Volume Two saw them come face to face with Jack the Ripper.

By looking at the cover, and from the hints in the title of the comic itself, it appears that this time Billy and co. will be dealing with the Loch Ness monster in some way shape or form (Come on! I’m not going to give everything away!). But rest assured when I tell you that there’s also another mysterious villain to be encountered. So like the two previous volumes, the threat isn’t so cut and dry. Expect surprises and twists and turns.

Co-written by Tracy Marsh with the unique, stylistic art of Kyle Hotz, Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Orm of Loch Ness #1 picks up immediately where Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Ghastly Fiend of London left off. With two of their group now dead, Billy and the freaks are hot on the trail of a nut who has kidnapped their friend.

Powell has earned his place as one of the most groundbreaking and out-of-the-box thinking idea men in comics today, and Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Orm of Loch Ness #1 is no exception. If you felt a little disappointed by Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, pick this issue up. I can almost guarantee you’ll enjoy it and want to hunt down the two previous volumes.

Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Orm of Loch Ness #1 is on shelves as you read this. I suggest you throw a few bucks at your local comic book shop and walk away with this comic.

You’re welcome.