Written by: Matt Molgaard

When you pick up anything Joe Lansdale has created, you know you’re holding something special. The man’s made a living by sharing his outrageous and original ideas with the masses, and we’re a better lot of fans for it. Steam Man is just another top flight tale from Lansdale, and as you’d expect, it’s stuffed full of wild imagination and epic showdowns.

The story, in a very small nutshell, is about a giant metal machine, operated by man and designed to combat the oddities that annexed our world on the heels of an alien invasion. The Dark Rider is a serious player in all of the sinister shenanigans in this strange post-apocalyptic world, and that’s why Steam Man and the beautifully eclectic crew that run the machine are hunting the big baddie of the wasteland. A showdown is inescapable, but who will emerge victorious, and who will fall for the final time?

It’s an awesome story. Lansdale’s tale is just stunning. It’s captivating and creative. It’s refreshing, and speeds by at a perfect clip. Mark Alan Miller’s transfer of Lansdale’s genius work is extremely impressive. And I can’t for a second omit praise from the clearly talented Piotr Kowalski. I read so many comics these days that names begin to blur into one massive amalgamation of kick ass storytellers and artists, so I admit that off the top of my head I’m not certain of what I’ve seen from Kowalski (it almost seems as though he did some Star Wars work I checked out, but I could be way off on that) but it is abundantly clear that in regards to talent, he’s right up there with the absolute best of them.

I loved everything about this story, and I’m prepared for a follow up arc. I don’t know that Lansdale has returned to this world, but it would certainly be something special to see a sequel to this stellar book. Love and respect goes out to Dark Horse, who score with another exceptional book.

You can order this beast right here.

Rating: 5/5