Far West is a comic book limited series created by Richard Moore and published by Antarctic Press. The setting is an industrial age Western-style secondary world full of creatures such as elves, dwarves, centaurs and other fantasy creatures.

Far West
Publication information
PublisherAntarctic Press
Schedulemonthly
Formatstandard
GenreFantasy Western
Publication dateNov. 1998 – May 1999
Feb. 2000–Apr. 2000
2008
No. of issues(1998–1999) 4
(2000) 2
(2008) 1
Main character(s)Ra'Meghan Val'Norium (Meg)
Phil
Creative team
Created byRichard Moore
Collected editions
Far WestISBN 978-1561632978
Far West Pocket Manga Vol. 1ISBN 978-0980125542

Plot

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Meg, a half-elf gunslinger and her partner Phil, a talking grizzly bear.[1] As bounty hunters, they are hired to capture an outlaw who uses a fire-breathing dragon to rob trains. They later come into conflict with a gang of ogres led by the notorious Moonshine Kid.[2] In their latest (currently unpublished) adventure, they pursue a fugitive into the haunted Badlands and have to fight against an evil spirit called Kodiki who can transform himself into the physical manifestations of their worst fears.[3]

Publication history

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The Far West storyline consisted of four issues published in Nov. 1998 – May 1999; a second volume consisting of two issues, published in Feb.–Apr. 2000; and a full-color one-shot published in 2008.

Collected editions

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  • Far West (NBM Publishing, 2001) ISBN 978-1561632978 — includes "Dragon Train" parts 1–4,[4] "Hole in the Head Gang" parts 1 and 2, and a bonus story — "Pookah Party"[5]
  • Far West Pocket Manga Vol. 1 (Antarctic Press, 2008) ISBN 978-0980125542
  • Far West: Badder Mojo (Antarctic Press, 2009) — includes "Bad Mojo" and "Badder Mojo". It was the first book of the series to be published in color.[6]

Cast

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Main characters

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Villains

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  • Darian Voss – Elf train-robber who lives in Troll country and is recognisable for his muttonchop sideburns and handlebar moustache.
  • Moonshine Kid – A bandit trapped in a child's body after drinking the elixir of life.
  • Hole-in-the Head Gang – The Kid's dim-witted ogre henchmen
  • High-Top – A snake oil salesman who tries to kill Meg after losing a game of poker. Meg kills him by poisoning his beer with a flesh-eating water demon.
  • Bellboy – A lecherous dwarf bribed by High-Top to put a water demon in Meg's bath.
  • Phooka – A goat faced goblin capable of changing his shape.[7]
  • Sheetfire – A goblin who sold the dragon to Darian Voss.

Others

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  • Cyrus ShaldakDetective who leads the Blackhawk Posse.
  • Blackhawk Posse – A rival gang of bounty hunters who take the credit by bringing in Voss's body.
  • Blind Man – Insane hermit who tries to warn Meg about the dragons
  • Trolls – The equivalent of cowboys who wrangle fire-breathing dragons.

References

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  1. ^ Far West Vol. 1, #1 – "Dragon Train"
  2. ^ Far West Vol. 2, #1 – "Hole in the Head Gang"
  3. ^ Far West: Bad Mojo preview
  4. ^ Far West Review by Amy Harlib
  5. ^ Richard Moore's Far West, Antarctic Press paperback edition (1998)
  6. ^ Richard Moore blog
  7. ^ Pookah Party: very early Far West story found in the Pocket Manga.
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