Sons of Yellowstone #1 Review

From the imagination of Jeff Nelson and the people at Headshrinker Press, we have the first issue of Sons of Yellowstone. The story is set within the town of Nuevo San Diego, a town of shotgun toting sheriffs, drifters, and a dangerous stranger: a Son of Yellowstone. As with all such stories, ostensibly a ‘man with no name’ concept, the subject matter tends to draw on the concept of differences and how, invariably, there is discord between the interloper and the local citizens.

The story is a simple enough concept, Jeff hints at a dark undertone to proceedings. Punctuating the development of the story are bouts of violence, which are handled well by the art team. As for the story development, it was competently handled, the main character came across well and, while a little shaky, the supporting characters did their part. It would have been better had the back story to the ‘Sons of Yellowstone’ been fleshed out in this first instalment. Likewise, there could have been more done on developing the linked aspect of the ‘outsider’ and the reaction of the locals. This would have acted to elevate the story.

One flaw with a speech bubble also jarred the eye. This may have been picked up by the inclusion of an editor. One of the aspects that often costs an indie comic is minor tweaks that haven’t been caught. I have seen it on quite a lot of, what would otherwise be quite accomplished, books. What often makes the difference is an editor, as they take a step back and scrutinize every aspect.

On art we have Peter Cacho. The art is quite competent, and tends to excel in the gun action, and in one really striking panel. The line style is mostly well structured, though I would have preferred to see a little more depth in terms of the characters faces. The character design, given the background of the story, is nice, in particular the drifter and the cowboy vibe. Sons of Yellowstone is a nice read, a little rough around the edges, but mainly it’s nice book.