The Further Misadventures of Clark and Jefferson: Hairy Things #1 (of 3) (Ape – Carvajal / Borstel)

The wild west can be a scary place, as four unlikely friends discover, when they stumble upon a remote town deep in the Colorado Rockies that is being attacked by big hairy creatures. Sadly, for our gang, these hairy things may be the least of their worries.

Finally, Clark and Jefferson return in what is Ape’s first weekly mini-series.  The whole gang is here: the stalwart sheriff, his rough and tumble sharp-shooting girlfriend, the short-sited yet quick-mouthed deputy and “Givin’ Bird” the Native American tracker.  The first series involving this old west version of “Fringe” investigators chronicled what brought this ragtag group of characters together and how they succeeded in their fight against an alien invasion.  That series is also what ultimately turned me on to the multi-faceted indie powerhouse that is Ape Entertainment.

It’s been about two years since the previous series hit comic shops and for me that was two years too long!  This western / sci-fi series not only embraces the “cowboys vs. aliens” shtick, but it perfects it.  Clark and Jefferson really has it all… fantastic character chemistry, good art, funny dialogue, an intriguing plot and gun-toting action!

In this second installment, the gang finds themselves in a small town terrorized by man-easting Sasquatch-like creatures and possibly a murderous supernatural cult (glowing eyes are almost always a dead giveaway).  If your likes run anywhere between X-Files and Fringe all the the way to Briscoe County Jr and The Wild, Wild West (think old TV show, not Will Smith), odds are Clark and Jefferson has something that you will thoroughly enjoy.

You can pre-order it now either through Previews (November) or through your local comic shop.  Click here for the video trailer for the series.  Click here for art samples from the book.

With the amount of potential these characters have and the amount of talent behind the book, there really is no reason why this shouldn’t be a monthly.

Issue Grade: A