With Drake Sinclair vanishing without a trace, Becky Montcrief sets out to rescue him – but she’ll have to brave the tragically manipulated and mutated townsfolk of the titular town – Penance – first. Meanwhile, Kirby Hale is up to no good as usual – and may have to make a bargain with some unsavoury types to hold onto his life…

At this stage, four volumes into the story, it goes without saying that the artwork is superb – gory and depicting some genuinely gruesome stuff at times, yet with an appealingly cartoony style that’s always focused and clear in terms of its storytelling. Never is this more evident than in the completely silent issue within this volume – Becky’s rescue mission, once she’s discovered where Drake’s being held, taking place entirely dialogue free. It’s always a bit of a creative risk, but when it pays off – as it did in perhaps the most famous silent issue of them all, in GI Joe #21, which focused on a Snake Eyes stealth mission – it’s a technique that works wonders. Perhaps the thought was there all along to homage that GI Joe issue, as The Sixth Gun’s silent issue is also #21 – homage or not, it’s an excellent break from the norm.

Not that we need one with The Sixth Gun of course, considering just how consistently good it is. The Weird West setting is full of interesting little supernatural twists and lore, but the more grounded Western elements, including the dialogue, characters and settings, are all beautifully evocative of the time and place too.

It’s another strong continuation of the saga then; and yet another volume of The Sixth Gun that I can unequivocally recommend.