In bookstores since October 2017, Marshall Bass is a new comic saga in the wild west, by Igor Kordey and Darko Macan (We, the dead). In line with Blueberry, this new story, published by Delcourt, seems to be taking an interesting direction.
Black power
In a western universe, the action takes place around Bass, a black man, father of a family, who should not be bothered. This first volume is easy and quick to read. The action is omnipresent and the dialogues quite succinct. The main character is a taciturn, silent man, in the tradition of the great glories of the western (Blueberry, Clint Eastwood, etc …). In 56 pages, the tone is set : a violent adventure, without concession, in the worst meanders of the American desert. Bass is an endearing character, humanized by his family and his origin. Blacks are still discredited by whites, qualified as inferior races. Bass is the first black deputy sheriff. We imagine that the latter, an intelligent and fair character, will eventually be taken down and replaced by Bass. Meanwhile, Bass proves himself by arresting a gang of black thieves, led by the hegemony of a white leader. The social treatment, although relatively crude, is there.
The drawings are sometimes reminiscent of those of John Romita Jr., albeit in a little more detail. With this sometimes somewhat coarse side, the drawing supports the subject: a filthy and violent universe in which no one has any respite. This first volume is not exceptional but reveals an interesting potential around this new western saga whose volume 2 – Family Murders is already available.
