The Sixth Gun: Battle for the Six #3 Cover Preview

COVER A BY BRIAN HURTT

 

Abigail bamboozled the Cabal, allowing the heroes to escape with their lives. As the Cabal grasps the upper hand, our heroes remain divided. But the situation has only grown more desperate. Our heroes must split up to secure the weapons. These aren't just guns they are hunting. They are weapons that can tear down and recreate their world. Will our heroes secure the weapons, and preserve everything they know and love?

Here's all the info from Oni Press: 

 

 

THE SIXTH GUN: BATTLE FOR THE SIX #3 (OF 3)

WRITTEN BY CULLEN BUNN ART BY BRIAN HURTT COVER A BY BRIAN HURTT COVER B BY DANIEL VEGA VARIANT COVER (1:10) BY CARY NORD B&W VARIANT (1:20) BY BRIAN HURTT The Six have returned . . . but not in the way anyone ever expected!  The hunting party has scattered to the far corners of the world in an effort to finally stop the Cabal from seizing the most dangerous weapons in existence. The fate of reality hangs in the balance as gun clashes against gun and blade clashes against blade in this breathtaking conclusion to the 15th-anniversary reunion in honor of master storytellers Cullen Bunn (Ghostlore) and Brian Hurtt’s (The Midnite Show) powder-burned magnum opus! ON SALE OCTOBER 29th, 2025 | $5.99 | 32 PGS. | FC     Here are more cover options:     COVER B BY DANIEL VEGA     VARIANT COVER (1:10) BY CARY NORD

B&W VARIANT (1:20) BY BRIAN HURTT

 Thanks to Oni Press for sharing this cover preview with us.

Standstill #1 Review

 

Writer: Lee Loughridge

Artist: Andrew Robinson

Colorist: Lee Loughridge

Designer & Letterer: Rob Tweedie

Cover Artists: Andrew Robinson, Cary Nord & Matteo Scalera

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: August 21, 2024

 

A man dressed in a Hawaiian shirt orders cocktails in a biker bar. He insults the club members' attire. They drag him off his barstool and slam him into the wall. Will he become the Murder City Devils' latest victim? Or can he turn the tables on the angry bikers? Let's leap onto our Harleys, ride into Standstill #1, and find out!

 

Story

We don't learn the man's name. But the grin on his face bespeaks his confidence. He takes his time, upping the ante, with one comment after another steadily increasing their ire. The bartender announces the man finally lit the fuse when the bikers drag him into the corner. He presses a shotgun into the man's face. Suddenly, the man isn't in their hands. He leans against the bar again. He admires a long knife. He wonders if it is what the bikers used to kill a woman.

 

Colin Shaw's wife is leaving him. Lara is tired of living in this small town. She hopes leaving will prompt Colin to stop obsessing about past failures and spinning conspiracy theories. But instead of channeling his energies into a new project, Colin returns to the basement after she roars off in her red convertible. He works late into the night, studying news from around the globe. Someone has gotten past elaborate security to attack corporations, rob banks, behead drug lords, and disgrace or kill monarchs. Colin didn't perform these acts. Yet he believes his invention enabled them to carry out these seemingly impossible tasks.

 

In Standstill #1, Lee Loughridge begins an epic tale about a device that can stop time and a man who uses it to right wrongs. The government realizes someone stole the device, and they have no way to track it. Colin Shaw is their only hope. Can he build another and help them prevent the thief from destabilizing the international community?

 

Art

The nameless man swaggers through the bar in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts. He smokes a cigarette using a long holder. The men around him wear leather, denim, and scarves over their heads. Tattoos adorn their skin. He smiles while they frown. Even when they drag him away, he never loses his grin. Corky, the burly bartender, gathers with the others before the bar when the man does his strange disappearing and reappearing act. Then his eyes bulge, and his jaw drops as he clutches a bloody knife with tattooed fingers spelling a four-letter word.

 

The nameless man's green and yellow shirt shines bright amid the subdued tones of the darkened bar. The green is reflected in the backlit bottles along the wall, while the cigarette flame and the downlight over the pool table echo the yellow in the man's shirt. Lee Loughridge contrasts these bright colors with orange and purple, while color washes and black dots increase the atmosphere in this den of iniquity.

 

Andrew Robinson utilizes horizontal layouts across two pages in Standstill #1. Panels often stretch across the pages, and arrangement ignores staple boundaries. The big screen treatment unfolds quickly, from the sun-dappled greenery outside Colin Shaw's traditional American house to a late-night diner painted in subdued yellows, browns, and greens, Colin's basement office illuminated by two widescreen monitors, and a red and white plane flying over puffy white clouds in the bright blue sky. The nameless man rides in First Class. Yet now his attire is subdued, and the man beside him usurps his King Of Cool image. But the blue glow of the nameless man's wrist bracelet reminds us who is in charge.

 

Rob Tweedie slips uppercase black letters into white dialogue balloons. The letters grow bold for intonation and swell for raised voices. Sound effects elevate the taut opening scene, as the bikers slam the man into a wall and pound their fists into bricks when he vanishes. Thanks to Image Comics for providing a copy for review.   

 

Final Thoughts

If you could put the world on pause, you could go anywhere and perform any action without anyone being the wiser. As the inventor of such a device tracks the man who stole it, Standstill #1 ponders how quickly this godlike ability would corrupt whoever uses it.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

For more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

The Savage Sword Of Conan #4 Review Part 2

 

Writers: Jim Zub, Patch Zircher, Jeffrey Shanks, Fred Kennedy & Ron Marz

Artists: Fernando Dagnino, Patch Zircher, Dean Kotz, Eryk Donovan, Andy Belanger & Mike Perkins

Pin-Ups: Nick Marinkovich, Fernando Dagnino, Patch Zircher, Dean Kotz, Eryk Donovan, Andy Belanger, Mike Perkins & Roberto De La Torre

Letterers: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt

Cover Artists: Alex Horley & Cary Nord

Publisher: Titan

Price: $6.99

Release Date: August 28, 2024

 

The symbol inscribed on a black stone permeates time and space. It haunts the rich and poor alike, tempts people in remote villages and bustling towns, and calls heroes to battle. How might its power challenge Conan, Soloman Kane, and the Pict scout Brissa? And how might it affect lesser-known Robert E Howard characters like Conrad, Kirowan, Dark Agnes, and El Borak? Let’s grab our battle axes, leap into Savage Sword Of Conan #4, and find out! 

 

 

 

Horror From The Tomb: Story

In Jeffrey Shanks’ story, Steve O’Donnell sent John Conrad and John Kirowan an urgent summons. John Kirowan loaned him a dark book about Earth's prehistory, and O'Donnell believed he had discovered a Stygian city. John Conrad doubts O'Donnell's judgment. Conrad’s doubts appear warranted when he spies a box of dynamite in O'Donnell's tent. But the tent and excavations are devoid of people. When Mahmoud left to escort O’Donnell’s friends from Cairo Airport, the dig site was a hive of activity.

 

Jeffrey Shanks’ tale in The Savage Sword Of Conan #4 is a fraught supernatural mystery. Danger forces one partner to reverse his position at the risk of becoming a hypocrite. Their discovery threatens their friendship and raises the ire of the local authorities.

 

 

 

Horror From The Tomb: Art

The three men cross the dunes on camels. Kirowan, Conrad, and Mahoud appear tiny as they descend ladders into the multilevel excavations. Conrad holds a lamp aloft while Kirowan traces imagery on a stone wall. An overhead camera angle shows the men discover a coffin with a familiar symbol inscribed on the top. Eryk Donovan's art evokes the otherworldly history Rick, Evelyn, and Jonathan discover when they ignore Ardeth Bay’s warnings and unearth Imhotep in Stephen Sommers’ movie The Mummy.

 

Matrimony: Story

Dark Agnes battles pirates aboard a ship on a storm-tossed sea. Then she climbs a rocky hill toward a manor house surrounded by barren trees. She climbs through a window and enters Duke Ilya Kursonovich's home. Dark Agnes explores an armory. She spies a symbol inscribed on a wooden panel instead of a black stone and bursts into the adjacent room. There, a dark priest captures her in his spell and sends her to a land of dreams where the symbol invades her memories.  

In Fred Kennedy’s tale in The Savage Sword Of Conan #4, Dark Agnes and Etienne Villiers travel east to work as mercenaries. Their plans changed when they reached Chartres. Black magic summoned the dead from their graves. Townspeople lived in fear of human sacrifices and unholy rights. Dark Agnes and her friend decided to investigate the Duke’s home. But Etienne never showed, so Agnes investigated alone. 

 

 

Matrimony: Art

Andy Belanger's haunting and lifelike imagery makes this tale mesmerizing. Belanger uses a variety of highly detailed art styles. Manga mixes with classic children's book illustrations and Prince Valiant. Shading and ink washes are highly refined. You never quite know where you are with each stroke of Belanger's pen or brush, but you know you’ll enjoy the ride.

 

Black Oasis: Story

In Ron Marz's tale, a man recounts his childhood adventure with Francis Xavier Gordon. He was the son of a tribal chief. When he was young, another chieftain abducted him. His father, not wanting to cede money or lands to his rival, hired Gordon to rescue him. Gordon spirits the boy from his imprisonment at night, then transports him across the desert on a camel.

 

Although Gordon hails from Texas, the locals call him El Borak, which means swift in their tongue. Gordon reads the desert landscape like a native. Although six men pursue them, Gordon knows the sun will make the day unbearably hot. Ignoring the boy's protests about dark magic, Gordon brings him to an abandoned temple.

 

 

Black Oasis: Art

Mike Perkins portrays figures clad in Arab robes riding camels across bleak deserts. El Borak and his charge arrive at a temple carved into a sandstone cliff. Unlike Indiana Jones, no Nazis await the Texan inside the labyrinth. But among the pictographs and symbols etched into the stone walls, Gordon spies the sigil of the Black Stone between spiral columns. Robert E Howard’s El Borak stories are more adventure fiction than sword and sorcery, and that’s true with this final story in The Savage Sword Of Conan #4. But it’s a rip-roaring reminder of the frantic fighting that made Marvel’s original series so much fun.

 

Lettering

Richard Starkings, Jimmy Betancourt, and Tyler Smith fill dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with uppercase and lowercase words. The Gawr speaks giant white words in black balloons. Sound effects help us hear werewolves howl, a flintlock discharge, Kirowan losing his revolver, Dark Agnes accepting a man's hand, and El Borak bringing a sword to a gunfight. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

When the Black Stone assaults Conan’s sanity, other heroes rise against this black magic that ripples through space and time. Soloman Kane, Brissa the Pict, Conrad and Kirowan, Dark Agnes, and El Borak join our barbarian hero in battling the symbol that drives people to evil and raises the dead in The Savage Sword Of Conan #4.

 

Rating 9.6/10

Savage Sword Of Conan #3 Review

 

Writers: Frank Tieri, John C Hocking, Patch Zircher, Alan Quah, Jim Zub

Artists: Cary Nord, Patch Zircher, Alan Quah, Alex Horley, Roberto De La Torre

Letterers: Richard Starkings, Tyler Smith & Jimmy Betancourt

Cover Artists: Alex Horley & Cary Nord

Publisher: Titan

Price: $6.99

Release Date: July 10, 2024

 

A howl rends the night as wolves hunt the snow-covered lands. A hairy giant ripped from myth and magical realms holds a farmer's child hostage. A trap leads travelers to their doom. What dangers will Conan and Soloman Kane face? Let’s grab our battle axes, leap into Savage Sword Of Conan #3, and find out!

 

Wolves Of The Tundra

Story

A family sits around the dining table in their remote family home. Then, a wolfman tears the front door off its hinges. The parents and children abandon their discussion regarding the following day and smile at his howling. Then they transform into wolves and snarl. Moments later, the wolfman stumbles outside and transforms into a Cimmerian warrior.

 

After this bloody introduction, Frank Tieri steps back in time. Conan rides along a remote mountain trail in Wolves Of The Tundra. He comforts his horse and hopes to find a lodge soon. The Hungry Claw seems heaven-sent. He enters a tavern filled with revelry and laughter. Yet silence descends, and frowns greet him. Conan strides between the disdainful locals and orders refreshments and a bed for the night. The locals won't let him eat in peace. Conan dislikes anyone getting between him and his snarling stomach. But when he gets fight-y, the locals get bitey. Darkness falls. When Conan awakens, The Hungry Claw is empty. Yet when he steps outside, Conan transforms into a snarling beast.

 

Often compared to a wolf, our Cimmerian hero becomes one in Savage Sword Of Conan #3. Conan has never shied away from violence. But a curse means someone controls him, and independence is paramount to Conan. So he hunts for who did this to him and how to escape his unwanted curse. Despite lapses into savagery, Conan focuses on his goal. Amid all the bloodletting, Tieri’s story sparkles with moments of tenderness and humor to make Wolves Of The Tundra a fast-paced, entertaining story featuring a very Human hero.

 

Art

Cary Nord contributes ink-washed paintings to Frank Tieri’s story in Savage Sword Of Conan #3. A black wolf treads through white snow, while a gray sky reveals the white silhouettes of trees and the family home. Black claws scratch wood framing as the Cimmerian wolf stares through a snow-kissed window at a bearded father seated beside his son and a mother and daughter wearing dresses and bonnets. When the door flies off, the family stands against an inked background. Moonlight paints them in white and gray. Their eyes shine white, and their lips part to reveal pointed teeth. Conan regards his horse as a friend and greets the unwelcoming locals with his barely contained savagery. A montage of images cascades around a farmer as he tells Conan his tale. A double-page spread centers upon Conan's face, half transformed into a howling wolf, surrounded by battle scenes, as the Cimmerian strives to free himself from the unwanted curse.

 

Master Of The Hunt Part Three

Story

No one rests easy in the Vale of Glamorgan. Gwenllyan Maddocks worries about what became of her husband, son, and hired hand. Soloman Kane sought them out on the woman’s behalf. His search leads him to Castle d’Orbec. Like the Incredible Hulk, the Gawr dislikes puny Humans and doesn't take kindly to strangers. This final act of Patch Zircher’s tale reveals the Gawr’s history, his place in Tylwyth Teg society, and why he fled the Otherworld for ours. In this tale steeped in magic and mythology, Robert E Howard's Puritan hero discovers that no man is an island and that belief in a monotheistic god doesn't preclude the existence of other divine beings.

 

Art

Patch Zircher’s detailed art portrays the elegant city of Annwyn, compares the half-breed Arawn with the high-born population, and shows how hard the Bigfoot-like Gawr toils for little reward. Zircher frames the sword and flintlock-wielding Puritan against decaying grandeur. A stream flows through the abandoned castle while a ferocious giant charges through the water to destroy the intruder.

 

Novel Excerpt

Savage Sword Of Conan #3 boasts an excerpt from John C. Hocking’s Conan and the Living Plague, one of two novels in Titan’s new omnibus Conan: City Of The Dead. Conan joins a team sneaking into the city of Dulcine through the graveyard’s catacombs. Hocking paints a vivid portrait of the heinous creatures who guard the city’s dead from intruders. In an interview, he mentions that his father introduced him to Conan through the Lancer paperbacks. Hocking followed the Cimmerian's adventures through comics and pastiches. He eventually wrote two Conan novels. Publishers purchased both, but only one reached bookshops until Titan published both in an omnibus last month.

 

Call Thee To Crom

Jim Zub’s poem recalls The Riddle of Steel and the battle of Venarium, the crucibles that forged Conan's character in Robert E Howard's stories, John Milius’ iconic movie, and Zub’s Conan The Barbarian series for Titan. Roberto De La Torre’s drawing of Conan evokes John Buscema’s art in Marvel’s classic series.

 

Lure Of The Pit Creature

Conan rides through the forest in Savage Sword Of Conan #3. Without warning, he and his horse plummet into a chasm. Conan wakes to discover someone is watching him. Yet when he pursues, she flees. Alan Quah illustrates his silent story with inkwashed panels filled with atmosphere and action. Quah packs his tale of maidens and monsters with panels that invoke excitement and awe.

 

Lettering

Richard Starkings, Jimmy Betancourt, and Tyler Smith fill dialogue balloons and narrative boxes with uppercase and lowercase words. The Gawr speaks giant white words in black balloons. Sound effects help us hear a flintlock discharge, claws slash, teeth bite, and werewolves howl. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a copy for review.

 

Final Thoughts

In Frank Tieri’s blood-dripping tale, Conan is Once Bitten, Twice Shy. Patch Zircher’s Soloman Kane finale evokes classic adventure tales by H Rider Haggard. Alan Quah drops the Cimmerian into an underworld guarded by a menacing monster. The stories and art in Savage Sword Of Conan #3 celebrate the barbarian hero's origins in Weird Tales magazine.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

For another cover see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.