The Sixth Gun
{{Short description|Fantasy Western comic book series, 2010–2016}}
{{Use American English|date=August 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox comic book title
|image = Cover of The Sixth Gun 1 ,FCBD may 2010.jpg
|caption = Cover of The Sixth Gun #1 (May 2010). Art by Brian Hurtt.
|schedule = Monthly
|format =
|genre = Fantasy Western
|publisher = Oni Press
|date = May 2010 – June 2016
|issues = 50
|main_char_team =
|writers = Cullen Bunn
|artists = Brian Hurtt
Tyler Crook (#14, #23, #41)
|colorists = Brian Hurtt (#1–5)
Bill Crabtree (#6–#50)
|editors = Charlie Chu
|creative_team_month =
|creative_team_year =
|creators =Cullen Bunn
Brian Hurtt
|TPB = 1. Cold Dead Fingers
|ISBN = 9781934964606
|TPB2 = 2. Crossroads
|ISBN2 = 9781934964675
|TPB3 = 3. Bound
|ISBN3 = 9781934964781
|TPB4 = 4. A Town Called Penance
|ISBN4 = 9781934964958
|TPB5 = 5. Winter Wolves
|ISBN5 = 9781620100776
|TPB6 = 6. Ghost Dance
|ISBN6 = 9781620100165
|TPB7 = 7. Not the Bullet, But the Fall
|ISBN7 = 9781620101414
|TPB8 = 8. Hell and High Water
|ISBN8 = 9781620102466
|TPB9 = 9. Boot Hill
|ISBN9 = 9781620102992
|TPB10 = Sons of the Gun
|ISBN10 = 9781620100998
|TPB11 = Days of the Dead
|ISBN11 = 9781620102381
|TPB12 = Dust to Death
|ISBN12 = 9781620102688
}}
File:Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt at C2E2.jpg]]
The Sixth Gun is a comic book series created by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt and published by Oni Press consisting of a monthly ongoing series and several spinoffs.
Summary
=''The Sixth Gun'' ongoing series=
The series takes place in the Old West during the late 1880s.{{cite book |last1=Woodard |first1=Scott A. |title=The Sixth Gun Roleplaying Game |date=2015 |publisher=Oni Press |isbn=9781937013875 |page=33 |edition=1st}} The story centers around a set of six pistols, each imbued with dark powers. The wielder of each pistol gains an ability unique to the weapon and is tied to the pistol until their death. The main protagonists, Becky Montcrief and Drake Sinclair, attempt to collect the Six and learn their secrets. Antagonists in the series include General Hume and his four horsemen, the Knights of Solomon, the Sword of Abraham, and the Grey Witch.
==''Cold Dead Fingers''==
Drake Sinclair searches for the Sixth Gun, which he believes will grant him access to General Hume's vault, which is rumored to be filled with treasures Hume had amassed during the Civil War. His search leads him to a young woman, Becky Montcrief, who is bound to the Sixth Gun after its former owner is killed. They are pursued by General Hume, his four horsemen, and his wife, Missy Hume, each of whom carries one of the Six Guns.
As Becky and Drake head to the Maw, where Hume's vault awaits, Drake manages to pick off Hume's four horsemen one by one and claim their guns for himself. At the Maw, they meet Gord Cantrell, who is also trying to gain access to Hume's vault. However, Becky realizes the vault does not contain treasure but rather unlocks some dark power. It requires all six guns to unlock.
In a battle at the Maw, General Hume is defeated, but Missy Hume escapes.
==''Crossroads''==
Drake, Becky, and Gord try to uncover the secrets of the Six while various agents try to claim the Six for themselves. In the process, they make allies with the Sword of Abraham. Gord discovers the Six may unlock the power to remake the world.
==''Bound''==
While trying to transport Hume's corpse to a secure location so that he won't be resurrected, the Sword of Abraham is attacked by undead horsemen sent by Missy Hume. Drake is thrown from a train and separated from the others.
After the attack, Becky is taken to the secure location for Hume's corpse, only to learn she will be imprisoned there too so that no one can get the Sixth Gun from her. By tapping into the powers of her gun, Becky is able to escape.
Gord returns to the now deserted estate where he had once been a slave and learns how the Six were summoned into the world.
==''A Town Called Penance''==
Becky's search for Drake leads her to a town called Penance. She gradually learns that the people in the town are unable to leave and are kept so that they can be human sacrifices for the Knights of Solomon.
In a hideout of the Knights of Solomon, hidden beneath Penance, Drake is interrogated and tortured. Becky manages to rescue him, but during their escape, they discover a mosaic mural depicting Drake as a medieval knight.
==''Winter Wolves''==
A wendigo captures Becky and Drake in the spirit world. Drake suspects he has lived other lives and that the world has not only been remade before but many times. The two manage to escape from the spirit world, but Becky also unlocks some of the deeper powers of the Sixth Gun, and she feels it is beginning to transform her.
==''Ghost Dance''==
Becky is half stuck in the spirit world after using the sixth gun. Drake takes her to a shaman, who tries to guide Becky back. In the spirit world, Becky walks the Winding Way, a path that cuts through all of creation. She sees the different realities the Six have created, and others that may exist. She sees Drake in different lives as he seeks to destroy the Six, the most ancient of which is a caveman, back when the Six were clubs.
From inside the Winding Way, Becky is attacked by shamans sent by Missy Hume, but she manages to escape. General Hume's mother, the Grey Witch, tires of Missy Hume's failures and murders her.
==''Not the Bullet, but the Fall''==
The Grey Witch attacks with all her strength and manages to kill all of Becky and Drake's allies and claim the Six.
==''The Grey Witch''==
In a flashback, we learn that the Grey Witch serves the Great Wyrms, ancient creatures from the dawn of time. They caused humans untold suffering, and it was this suffering that first brought the Six into existence. The first time the humans remade the world, they tried to remake it without the Great Wyrms, but they managed to burrow themselves deep into the roots of creation. Each time the world is remade, they fade from it a little more, but since humanity no longer remembers them, the recreation of the world is too inarticulate to precisely weed them out entirely. The Grey Witch seeks to remake a world in which the Great Wyrms have returned to their former strength.
==''Hell and High Water''==
The Grey Witch begins to recreate the world. Becky and Drake pursue her into the Devil's Workshop.
==''Boot Hill''==
Drake realizes it was he who remade the world the first time, and ever since he has been bound to the Six, recalled to life every time the Six are summoned back into existence. Every time the world is remade, it's corrupted by the selfish desires of the person remaking it. The last time the world was remade, Drake attempted to make something that could undo the power of the Six—he created Becky. In the final battle, Becky takes hold of creation and remakes the world one last time. To prevent the world from being corrupted by her own desires, she unmakes herself in the process.
Publication History
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center" |
| colspan=5|The Sixth Gun issues |
|---|
| Story Arc
!width="40px"|Issue !Writer !Artist !Colorist |
| colspan=6 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=6|Cold Dead Fingers
|1 |May 1, 2010 (FCBD) |rowspan=6|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=6|Brian Hurtt |rowspan=5|Brian Hurtt |
| 2
|July 13, 2010 |
| 3
|August 18, 2010 |
| 4
|September 8, 2010 |
| 5
|October 20, 2010 |
| 6
|November 17, 2010 |
| colspan=6 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=5|Crossroads
|7 |December 22, 2010 |rowspan=5|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=5|Brian Hurtt |rowspan=5|Bill Crabtree |
| 8
|January 26, 2011 |
| 9
|February 23, 2011 |
| 10
|March 23, 2011 |
| 11
|April 20, 2011 |
| colspan=6 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=6|Bound
|12 |June 29, 2011 |rowspan=6|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=2|Brian Hurtt |rowspan=6|Bill Crabtree |
| 13
|July 27, 2011 |
| 14
|August 31, 2011 |Tyler Crook |
| 15
|September 28, 2011 |rowspan=3|Brian Hurtt |
| 16
|October 26, 2011 |
| 17
|November 23, 2011 |
| colspan=6 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=6|A Town Called Penance
|18 |January 25, 2012 |rowspan=6|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=5|Brian Hurtt |rowspan=6|Bill Crabtree |
| 19
|February 22, 2012 |
| 20
|March 21, 2012 |
| 21
|April 18, 2012 |
| 22
|May 16, 2012 |
| 23
|June 13, 2012 |Tyler Crook |
| colspan=6 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=6|Winter Wolves
|24 |August 29, 2012 |rowspan=6|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=6|Brian Hurtt |rowspan=6|Bill Crabtree |
| 25
|September 26, 2012 |
| 26
|October 17, 2012 |
| 27
|December 19, 2012 |
| 28
|January 30, 2013 |
| 29
|February 20, 2013 |
| colspan=6 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=6|Ghost Dance
|30 |April 17, 2013 |rowspan=6|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=6|Brian Hurtt |rowspan=6|Bill Crabtree |
| 31
|May 22, 2013 |
| 32
|June 19, 2013 |
| 33
|August 21, 2013 |
| 34
|September 18, 2013 |
| 35
|October 9, 2013 |
| colspan=6 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=5|Not the Bullet, But the Fall
|36 |December 11, 2013 |rowspan=5|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=5|Brian Hurtt |rowspan=5|Bill Crabtree |
| 37
|January 15, 2014 |
| 38
|February 5, 2014 |
| 39
|March 12, 2014 |
| 40
|May 7, 2014 |
| colspan=6 style=background:#e32636;| |
| The Grey Witch
|41 |June 11, 2014 |Cullen Bunn |Tyler Crook |Bill Crabtree |
| colspan=6 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=6|Hell and High Water
|42 |August 27, 2014 |rowspan=6|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=6|Brian Hurtt |rowspan=6|Bill Crabtree |
| 43
|September 24, 2014 |
| 44
|November 5, 2014 |
| 45
|December 3, 2014 |
| 46
|February 11, 2015 |
| 47
|March 25, 2015 |
| colspan=6 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=3|Boot Hill
|48 |April 20, 2016 |rowspan=3|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=3|Brian Hurtt |rowspan=3|Bill Crabtree |
| 49
|May 18, 2016 |
| 50
|June 15, 2016 |
=Spinoffs=
==''The Sixth Gun: Sons of the Gun''==
A five-issue spinoff featuring General Hume's horsemen: Bill Sumter, Ben Kinney, Will Arcene, and Silas Hedgepeth.
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center" |
| colspan=5|The Sixth Gun: Sons of the Gun issues |
|---|
| width="40px"|Issue
!width="200px"|Release Date !Writer !Artist !Colorist |
| colspan=5 style=background:#e32636;| |
| 1
|February 20, 2013 |rowspan=5|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=5|Brian Churilla |rowspan=5|Bill Crabtree |
| 2
|March 27, 2013 |
| 3
|April 17, 2013 |
| 4
|June 19, 2013 |
| 5
|July 31, 2013 |
==''The Sixth Gun: Days of the Dead''==
A five-issue spinoff featuring Brother Roberto Vargas and Jesup Sutter.
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center" |
| colspan=5|The Sixth Gun: Days of the Dead issues |
|---|
| width="40px"|Issue
!width="200px"|Release Date !Writer !Artist !Colorist |
| colspan=5 style=background:#e32636;| |
| 1
|August 6, 2014 |rowspan=5|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=5|Mike Norton |rowspan=5|Bill Crabtree |
| 2
|September 17, 2014 |
| 3
|October 15, 2014 |
| 4
|January 7, 2015 |
| 5
|February 4, 2015 |
==''The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust''==
A three-issue spinoff miniseries featuring Billjohn O'Henry.{{cite web|last1=Ching|first1=Albert|title=NYCC Exclusive: Bunn's Favorite Character Takes Center Stage in "The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust"|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=56146|website=comicbookresources.com|date=October 9, 2014|publisher=Comic Book Resources|accessdate=October 10, 2014}}
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center" |
| colspan=5|The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust issues |
|---|
| width="40px"|Issue
!width="200px"|Release Date !Writer !Artist !Colorist |
| colspan=5 style=background:#e32636;| |
| 1
|March 11, 2015 |rowspan=3|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=3|Tyler Crook |rowspan=3|Bill Crabtree |
| 2
|April 15, 2015 |
| 3
|May 13, 2015 |
==''The Sixth Gun: Valley of Death''==
A three-issue spinoff miniseries.{{cite web|last1=Tweedale|first1=Mark|title=Haunted Trails: "Hell and High Water" and Beyond|url=http://multiversitycomics.com/annotations/haunted-trails-hell-and-high-water/|website=multiversitycomics.com/|publisher=Multiversity Comics|accessdate=March 30, 2015}}
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center" |
| colspan=5|The Sixth Gun: Valley of Death issues |
|---|
| width="40px"|Issue
!width="200px"|Release Date !Writer !Artist !Colorist |
| colspan=5 style=background:#e32636;| |
| 1
|June 3, 2015 |rowspan=3|Brian Hurtt |rowspan=3|A.C. Zamudio |rowspan=3|Ryan Hill |
| 2
|July 15, 2015 |
| 3
|August 26, 2015 |
==''Shadow Roads''==
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center" |
| colspan=5|Shadow Roads issues |
|---|
| Story Arc
!width="40px"|Issue !width="200px"|Release Date !Writer !Artist !Colorist |
| colspan=7 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=5|The Crossroads
|1 |May 5, 2018 (FCBD){{cite web|title=Oni Announces 'Shadow Roads' Free Comic Book Day Title|url=https://www.freecomicbookday.com/Article/204178-Oni-Announces-Shadow-Roads-Free-Comic-Book-Day-Title|website=Free Comic Book Day|accessdate=January 15, 2018}} |rowspan=5|Cullen Bunn |rowspan=5|A.C. Zamudio |rowspan=5|Carlos N. Zamudio |
| 2
|August 8, 2018 |
| 3
|September 5, 2018 |
| 4
|October 10, 2018 |
| 5
|November 14, 2018 |
| colspan=7 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=2|The New World
|6 |February 6, 2019 |rowspan=2|Cullen Bunn (story) |rowspan=2|Brian Hurtt |rowspan=2|Carlos N. Zamudio |
| 7
|May 8, 2019 |
| colspan=7 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=3|Birthright
|8 |June 5, 2019 |rowspan=3|Cullen Bunn (story) |rowspan=3|A.C. Zamudio |rowspan=3|Carlos N. Zamudio |
| 9
|July 29, 2020 |
| 10
|September 2, 2020 |
=''The Sixth Gun Reborn''=
The Sixth Gun Reborn is a placeholder title for a new Sixth Gun series coming in 2025. Bunn and Hurtt have said they have a title in mind for the series, but they're waiting for the right time to reveal it.{{cite web |last1=Haas |first1=Jeffrey |title=Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt Interview! |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XD2wKerQY-k |website=YouTube |date=June 30, 2023 |access-date=July 3, 2023}} The series was announced as part of the Kickstarter campaign for the Deluxe Omnibus Library. During the campaign, stretch goals for three prelude one-shot stories and a prose short story were unlocked. Bunn has described the upcoming series as, "One part Shadow Roads, one part The Sixth Gun, with a whole bunch of action, adventure, and epic fantasy thrown into the mix."{{cite web |last1=Coplan |first1=Chris |title=Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt detail omnibus, return of 'The Sixth Gun' |url=https://aiptcomics.com/2023/06/27/sixth-gun-omnibuys-qa |website=AIPT Comics |date=June 27, 2023 |access-date=July 3, 2023}}
=Collections=
==Trade Paperbacks==
The Sixth Gun and Shadow Roads have been collected into the following trade paperbacks:
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center" |
| colspan=8|Trade Paperback Collections |
|---|
| Series
!Volume !Title !Material collected !Release Date !ISBN |
| colspan=6 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=12|The Sixth Gun |1 |Cold Dead Fingers |
|January 12, 2011 |{{ISBNT|9781934964606}} |
| 2
|Crossroads |
|June 15, 2011 |{{ISBNT|9781934964675}} |
| 3
|Bound |
|April 25, 2012 |{{ISBNT|9781934964781}} |
| 4
|A Town Called Penance |
|November 28, 2012 |{{ISBNT|9781934964958}} |
| 5
|Winter Wolves |
|August 23, 2013 |{{ISBNT|9781620100776}} |
| colspan=2|Sons of the Gun
|
|December 11, 2013 |{{ISBNT|9781620100998}} |
| 6
|Ghost Dance |
|February 5, 2014 |{{ISBNT|9781620100165}} |
| 7
|Not the Bullet, But the Fall |
|September 24, 2014 |{{ISBNT|9781620101414}} |
| colspan=2|Days of the Dead
|
|May 20, 2015 |{{ISBNT|9781620102381}} |
| 8
|Hell and High Water |
|July 22, 2015 |{{ISBNT|9781620102466}} |
| colspan=2|Dust to Death
|
|December 2, 2015 |{{ISBNT|9781620102688}} |
| 9
|Boot Hill |
|October 26, 2016 |{{ISBNT|9781620102992}} |
| colspan=6 style=background:#e32636;| |
| rowspan=2|Shadow Roads |colspan=2|Volume One |
|June 5, 2019 |{{ISBNT|9781620106341}} |
| colspan=2|Volume Two
|
|August 26, 2020 |{{ISBNT|9781620106846}} |
==Oversized Hardcovers==
There are six hardcover collections, available in both a "Deluxe Edition" (the standard version) and a "Gunslinger Edition" (a limited print version). These collect all fifty issues of the regular series, plus all the spinoffs.{{cite web|last1=Hensley|first1=Shane|title=The Sixth Gun RPG Kickstarter – Comments section|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/545820095/the-sixth-gun-rpg-for-savage-worlds/comments|accessdate=June 1, 2015}} The first Gunslinger volume was limited to 1000 copies, whereas subsequent volumes were limited to 500.
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center" |
| colspan=5|Oversized Hardcover Collections |
|---|
| Title
!Material collected !Bonus Material !Release Date !ISBN |
| The Sixth Gun Volume One |
|
|November 27, |{{ISBNT|9781934964842}} |
| The Sixth Gun Volume Two |
|
|April 22, |{{ISBNT|9781620101803}} |
| The Sixth Gun Volume Three |
|
|November 4, |{{ISBNT|9781620102848}} |
| The Sixth Gun Volume Four |
|
|August 23, |{{ISBNT|9781620104224}} |
| The Sixth Gun Volume Five |
|
|August 28, |{{ISBNT|9781620105245}} |
| The Sixth Gun Volume Six |
|
|October 16, |{{ISBNT|9781620106655}} |
Critical reception
=Awards=
Through 2012, The Sixth Gun has been nominated for two Eisner Awards{{cite web|title=2012 Eisner Award Nominees Announced|date=September 12, 2023 |url=http://www.newsarama.com/comics/2012-eisner-award-nominees.html}} and three Harvey Awards.{{cite web|title=2011 Harvey Awards |url=http://www.harveyawards.org/previous-awards-nominees/2011-harvey-awards/ |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906230655/http://www.harveyawards.org/previous-awards-nominees/2011-harvey-awards/ |archivedate=September 6, 2015 }}
| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center" |
| Year
! Award ! Category ! Nominee ! Result |
|---|
| rowspan=3|2011
|rowspan=3|Harvey Awards |Best New Series |The Sixth Gun |{{nom}} |
| Best Writer
|Cullen Bunn |{{nom}} |
| Best Artist
|Brian Hurtt |{{nom}} |
| rowspan=2|2012
|rowspan=2|Eisner Awards |Best Writer |Cullen Bunn |{{nom}} |
| Best Coloring
|Bill Crabtree |{{nom}} |
Adaptations
=Television=
On July 22, 2011, it was announced that The Sixth Gun would be adapted into a six-part mini-series to air on the SyFy channel,{{cite web|last=Hudson |first=Laura |title="Sixth Gun" Supernatural Western Comic to Become Syfy TV Show |url=http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/07/22/sixth-gun-syfy/ |publisher=Comics Alliance |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518024603/http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/07/22/sixth-gun-syfy/ |archivedate=May 18, 2012 }} however this did not come to fruition.
In 2013, NBC ordered a pilot based on The Sixth Gun, and Laura Ramsey,{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2013/02/laura-ramsey-lands-the-lead-in-nbc-pilot-the-sixth-gun-439897/|title=Laura Ramsey Lands the Lead in NBC Pilot 'The Sixth Gun'|date=February 26, 2013}} W. Earl Brown, Graham McTavish and Aldis Hodge were cast.{{cite web |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |title=Daren Kagasoff Gets Male Lead In Fox's 'Delirium', NBC's 'Sixth Gun' Casts Trio |url=https://deadline.com/2013/02/daren-kagasoff-gets-male-lead-in-foxs-delirium-nbcs-sixth-gun-casts-duo-439722 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141203003426/http://deadline.com/2013/02/daren-kagasoff-gets-male-lead-in-foxs-delirium-nbcs-sixth-gun-casts-duo-439722/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 3, 2014 |website=Deadline |date=February 25, 2013 |access-date=July 3, 2023}} Additional cast included Michiel Huisman as Drake Sinclair,{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2013/03/michiel-huisman-to-star-in-nbc-pilot-the-sixth-gun-452260/|title=Michiel Huisman to Star in NBC Pilot 'The Sixth Gun'|date=March 13, 2013}} Pedro Pascal as Agent Ortega and Elena Satine as Missy Hume. On May 8, 2013, The Hollywood Reporter reported that NBC had passed on the series.[https://hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-pilots-2013-complete-guide-413377 TV Pilots 2013: The Complete Guide to What Lives, Dies and Still Has a Pulse]
In 2022, screenwriter Selwyn Seyfu Hinds began developing the series for Universal Content Productions.{{cite web |last1=Maas |first1=Jennifer |title=Selwyn Seyfu Hinds Signs Overall Deal With UCP, Will Adapt Graphic Novel 'The Sixth Gun' (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/selwyn-seyfu-hinds-ucp-deal-the-sixth-gun-1235191992 |website=Variety |date=March 2, 2022 |access-date=July 3, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Kromoff |first1=Anton |title='The Sixth Gun' Rides Again! — A Campfire Conversation With Cullen Bunn And Brian Hurtt |url=https://www.comicon.com/2023/06/28/cullen-bunn-and-brian-hurtt-tip-their-hands-about-the-sixth-gun-omnibus-on-kickstarter |website=Comicon.com |date=June 28, 2023 |access-date=July 3, 2023}}
=Roleplaying Game=
In 2015, Pinnacle Entertainment Group published the official role-playing game based on The Sixth Gun utilizing the Savage Worlds rules system. The core rulebook is written by Scott Alan Woodard.