THE MAN WITH NO NAME: SINNERS AND SAINTS

Sergio Leone's magnificent trilogy A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (1964), FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (1965) and THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966), all starring Clint Eastwood as "The Man With No Name", are three of my all time favorite movies. They made an international star out of Eastwood, who, prior to appearing in these films, was known for playing Rowdy Yates on television's RAWHIDE. The three films, with their breathtaking visuals, unforgettable music by Ennio Morricone, copious amounts of violence, a wicked sense of humor and a totally amoral anti-hero as the protagonist, set the template for the train load of so-called "Spaghetti Westerns" that followed.These films, produced by Italian studios with the occasional American actor, were wildly popular for the next decade or so before finally sputtering out in the 1970s. But the best of the genre remain Leone's trilogy and his stand alone masterpiece ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968).

Dynamite Entertainment published a six issue mini-series in 2009 starring The Man With No Name. A collected trade paperback edition soon followed and I picked up a copy of the book yesterday for half cover price at Austin Books' Side Kicks store. The story, by Christos Gage, picks up where THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY left off and finds our hero on his own and carrying the $100, 000.00 in gold that was dug up at the end of GB&U. There are murderous groups of both Union and Confederate soldiers after him and while on the run, he finds himself the appointed savior of a besieged mission housing a battered group of priests and wounded deserters from both armies. Seems there's a treasure in the mission that both the Union and CSA renegades want and it's up to the Man With No Name and a priest (who turns out to be Tuco's brother), to turn the tide.

There's plenty of fast action, gun play (pistols, rifles and Gatling guns), dynamite explosions and laconic dialogue in this romp of a western adventure. Gage's script captures the feel and essence of Leone's cinematic universe quite well while the artwork by Wellington Dias is solid, if unspectacular. One thing is clear however. Dynamite obviously couldn't afford to pay to use an exact likeness of Clint Eastwood so the Man With No Name's face is kept in shadows throughout the story. It's no big deal, since we all know that the character is Eastwood. The only thing missing here is an Ennio Morricone score.

Thumbs up for this new adventure of an iconic Western hero.