A kid cutting his schoolteacher’s throat with a knife is just the latest in a string of bizarre incidents in and around 1890s Utah. A theory is floated that it’s due to the water coming from the old Canary Mine in the mountains and Marshal Azrael Holt is dispatched to join a geologist in investigating the alleged source. But the Marshal’s bloody past ain’t done with him jest yet…
Scott Snyder and Dan Panosian’s Canary #1 is… shockingly half decent. The Comixology Original label always makes me expect the worst. It’s not an amazing comic but it’s a solid western/horror blend that’s sometimes entertaining.
It’s rare to see Panosian drawing comics these days and he remains a very skilled cartoonist. I particularly liked his colouring choices, giving us orange and yellow skies - I get that it underlines the autumnal setting but it also lends the comic an otherworldly atmosphere that complements the supernatural aspects well. I didn’t think the Marshal’s mask design was very good though - it looks confusing more than anything (it’s meant to be a coffin, or an upside-down cross, or teeth, or…?).
I liked Holt’s ornery dialogue with all and sundry, and his don’t-give-no-fucks attitude is amusing. The Family Apple shootout is textbook western though and the “cop with one month to go before retirement” angle is such a cliche. Johnny Apple himself is an effectively creepy kid but the killer in the flashback was more boring than disturbing. Get this: he eats a fish, raw! Hmm.
Still, Canary #1 is a promising start and I’ll stick around to see how it all pans out - it’s worth a look if you’ve got a Prime or Comixology Unlimited subscription as it’s included. Two solid Scott Snyder/Comixology Originals in one year? Lord a’mercy, we certainly are living in the end times!
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