Product Description: THE LONE RANGER is an unrelenting tale of the American West. Texas Ranger John Reid seeks revenge for the murders of his family and friends, only to find justice...and that he's something greater than he ever thought he could be. Collecting the first six issues of the Eisner Award-nominated and critically acclaimed Dynamite (Comic Book Publisher of the Year, 2006) series from creators Brett Mathews, Sergio Cariello, Dean White and John Cassaday, this trade paperback collection also features a complete collection of Cassaday's covers for the series as well as a look inside the sketchbooks of both Cassaday and Cariello, and an introduction by Geoff (Infinite Crisis) Johns!
The Lone Ranger rides again!!!! As a longtime fan of the Lone Ranger (Clayton Moore ruled!), I like just about anything with the Ranger in it. The Filmation cartoon, the less than stellar old comic books (Gold Key, maybe?), heck, even the Clinton Spilsbury (sp?) movie from the 80s. But this is probably the best Lone Ranger I've seen, in any medium. The updates of the characters, made more gritty and "real" feeling, all work. And there's nods to other versions of the characters, even to Tonto's famous "How!" phrase. I'm already looking forward to the next graphic novel installment of this series.
Cue the William Tell Overture....
A great new look at an old character Fans of the 1950's-60's Lone Ranger television show will probably want to avoid this book. Some of it you will probably find near sacrilege. The Lone Ranger and Tonto both have more depth in their character here than in the television series, but both are departures from the traditional characters, especially Tonto. The Tonto in this series is not a nice guy. Don't misunderstand me, he is heroic figure and his interaction with the Lone Ranger is great, but these aren't the black and white good guys/bad guys of yesteryear.
I almost closed the book when the Lone Ranger cursed. Call me shallow, but there are a few icons I would rather not hear obscenity from and the Lone Ranger is one of them.
The book is also rather thin compared to most graphic novels, I assume it's because it's from an independent company instead of Marvel or DC.
So why give it four stars? Even though these characters are different they are still very, very good. There is a lot of depth to this book and it's a fantastic read.
Sparse and Beautiful as the Western lands the Ranger traverses. The art within these first 6 issues makes the purchase worth it. The dialogue is quite sparse, but this makes the Lone Ranger a superb example of the potential within this visual medium, "Show don't tell". This TPB also has some fascinating sketches in the back with notes from the artist and you can see the characters come to life. There are times when the sparsity of dialogue leave me a bit confused as to what is going on, but the story always brings the reader back, and sometimes just getting lost in the visuals is just as good as reading any comic. This comic is good old fashioned gun slingin', vengeance seekin', Wild Western fun. Highly reccommended, well worth the price tag too.
Excellent Retelling of One of the West's Most Enduring Legends When I was a child back in the early 1960s, I wanted to grow up to be a hero. I tied a towel around my neck and was sometimes Superman or Batman. I ululated in the back yard like Tarzan and shamed the cats in the neighborhood. I ran as fast as Jonny Quest in my PF Flyers.
But the hero I loved most of all at that time was the Lone Ranger. His adventures came on every afternoon, and I'd get home from school in time to watch him shoot the guns out of the bad men's hands, give lectures on the evils of, well...evil, and leave that cool silver bullet behind so people could ask, "Who was that masked man?"
The Lone Ranger was the brainchild of George W. Trendle, a radio producer, but he was given life by Fran Striker in radio script and novel form, and brought to iconic life on television by Clayton Moore.
But in the beginning, he was a young Texas Ranger named John Reid who was with his father and brother the day they were gunned down by Butch Cavendish's men. Reid clawed his way out of the grave, donned his signature mask, and started cleaning up the West.
The last couple of years, Dynamite Entertainment Comics brought the Lone Ranger back to comics, which had to have been one of the coolest and riskiest things ever done. I mean, in an age of FaceBook and MySpace, who'd buy a cowboy hero?
More people should, because the graphic story rendered by Brent Matthews (a Hollywood scriptwriter) and Sergio Cariello (an award-winning graphic artist) is one of the best stories that came out in novel form this summer. The story is familiar to everyone, but Matthews's way of telling it in cinematic presentation, and Cariello's beautiful drawings, give the tale a life that hasn't been seen before.
There's enough new twists and turns, between the principal characters as well as the legend itself, that even old-time fans like me will find something to celebrate and enjoy.
I loved the pacing of the book. The story came to life and moved toward an emotional peak that will leave you breathless at the end. I enjoyed the way the friendship that developed between the Lone Ranger and Tonto was the same, yet different, from everything I'd known. That relationship was re-imagined in a way that works perfectly.
Matthews stays off the page as an author. Some comics authors give in to the temptation to clutter the pages up with narrative boxes and dialogue. Matthews is only there when he needs to be. He stays out of the way and lets Cariello work his magic.
The art is astounding. Vivid and raw, I could taste the dust and feel the heat of the day as I zipped through the panels. At first glance, Cariello's art looks a lot like Joe Kubert's pencils. Kubert was another favorite of mine for his tenure on SGT. ROCK and THE HAUNTED TANK as well as several other war strips.
The graphic novel has drawn some flak from Lone Ranger purists, but I believe it's one of the best stories that's ever been done that brings in all the elements of the character. I loved the story enough that, after finishing it the first time, I opened the cover again and read it once more.
If you like the Lone Ranger, you'll probably enjoy this book. Unless you're one of those purists. If you want a good read or a fine example of everything the graphic novel can be, you'll want this book. So saddle up, pardner, because it's time to return to those thrilling days of yesteryear.
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