EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1 Review
Writers: John Arcudi, Tony Moore, Ann Nocenti, Christopher Cantwell & Harvey Kurtzman
Artist: Sebastián Cabrol, Tony Moore, David Lapham, Dan McDaid & Jack Davis
Colorist: Lee Loughridge, Rico Renzi, Nick Filardi, Michael Atiyeh, & Iñaki Azipiazu
Letterer: Richard Starkings & Tyler Smith
Cover Artists: Lee Bermejo, Tony Moore, Ladrönn, Shawn McManus with Michelle Madsen & Rian Hughes
Publisher: Oni Press
Price: $8.99
Release Date: October 22, 2025
Cool, Cool Water
The sun beats down on Rand Keyes. Like every summer day in Oklahoma, it’s hot. But Rand is on the trail of train robbers, and he won't stop until he catches them. Sadly, once people start committing crimes, they lose their moral compass. When the robbers leave corpses in their wake, this only deepens the US Marshal's determination to find them. Rand's job gets tougher after finding someone in need of protection.
John Arcudi fills Cool, Cool Water with all the loneliness of the Old West. Yet he infuses it with the tensions that separated people amid a land big enough for all of them. Sebastián Cabrol ratchets up the tension and isolation amid constantly changing camera angles to showcase Rand and his horse riding through this panorama.
Lee Loughridge shows the moods of the land. The habitable regions shine with yellows, greens, and browns. As grasslands turn to desert, the yellow, brown, and orange grow more luminous. A spark of yellow glows beneath a purple night sky. But Rand needs more than a campfire to ward off the Human and otherworldly dangers that haunt this new world in this first story in EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1.
Fire In The Hole
Life in the Appalachian coal mines was hard. Each day, miners descended to dig their quota from the Earth. The story begins with Artie Hall looking after his friend Byron. He makes sure Byron doesn't lose his payment tokens. Then an explosion rips through the mine. Out of the working party, only Artie survives.
Tony Moore's story follows Artie's struggle to move on. His detailed art shows working conditions in the mines, the townspeople who remind him of his absent friends, and the wealth Artie amasses. Rico Renzi lends a series of vibrant colors to this story about survivor's guilt and how panic can exacerbate a bad situation.
The Cure
Doc Boot’s black and gray finery suggests wealth and arcane knowledge. His tinctures and salves promise to cure diseases and relieve any ailment. Yet, as little May notes, he drives his horses harder than he needs to. May lives with Shen Li, who operates a Herbalist shop in Red Dirt, California. She and Shen Li know that their forefathers developed snake oil from snakes, while Doc Boot mixes his from a variety of ingredients. Ann Nocenti’s story reminds us of the cultures that coexisted in the Old West, even if they didn’t understand or respect each other.
In this first story in EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1, David Lapham shows Doc's vanity and sense of superiority by how he treats his Native American assistant. As finely dressed townspeople welcome the man dressed like a magician, Little Bear dispenses bottles while Shen Li and May observe from afar. Nick Filardi lavishes a loaded palette of bright and attractive colors on this story about a man who exploits others' hopes.
Pony Express
Matt Roundtree works for the Pony Express. Instead of sending letters by mail and waiting weeks or months for the wagons or trains to deliver them, Matt rides alone. He guarantees delivery of the letters secured in his saddle pouch. Like Genghis Khan’s Yam postal system, Matt’s life works by riding his horse hard to relay stations, where he gets fresh supplies and exchanges horses. Christopher Cantwell focuses on Matt’s sense of honor and fulfillment in his devotion to his sworn purpose.
While Matt muses on the issues sparking conflict in this vast territory and how his life may change in the future, Dan McDaid and Michael Atiyeh show Matt’s bond with his horses. They contribute beautiful landscapes, familiar villains and dangers, and reveal Matt as an indomitable force of nature: always the perennial visitor who can never stop.
Colt Single Action Army Revolver
This six-page tale, published in EC Comics’ Two-Fisted Tales #20, begins with Rufe loading his gun. Rufe waxes philosophical as he contemplates his power. But Harvey Kurtzman’s story isn’t about Rufe and his partner working a mine and getting rich. Instead, Jack Davis' art reveals the gun's power. Iñaki Azipiazu restores the 1952 coloring to a final story in EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1 that makes you wonder why US lawmakers felt so threatened by this beloved publisher's power.
Lettering
Richard Starkings and Tyler Smith fill white dialogue balloons and colored narrative boxes with black uppercase letters. Gunshots punctuate the day and night, explosions rock the air, and large, stylized letters introduce “Fire in the Hole.” Thanks to Oni Press for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
While the first two stories in EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1 showcase the horrors and mysteries in a land where the fantastic merges with reality, the remainder focus on the good, the bad, and the ugly side of life as adventurers transformed a wilderness into a nation.
Rating 9.6/10
For more cover art and a look inside "Fire in the Hole" see my preview of EC Comics’ Outlaw Showdown #1.
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