ENINIS' WILD WEST: TALKING STREETS OF GLORY

[MattBrady]

by Chris Arrant

You may have seen it online, or in a preview issue recently put out. Streets of Glory is its name, and what it is … well, it's a western miniseries by Garth Ennis from Avatar.

Ennis is no stranger to western influences, wearing it proudly on such titles as Preacher and Just a Pilgrim. But in the upcoming miniseries Streets of Glory, he goes full-on cowboy, six shooters in holsters and all, with artist Mike Wolfer. Streets of Glory takes place a year before the turn of the century, 1899, in the high country of Montana. The lead character is one Joseph Dunn, whom Ennis has described as part Clint Eastwood and part Tommy Lee Jones from Lonesome Dove. His name is one oft spoken in his day and age, but Dunn has no interest in the weight of his name… only doing what he does.

But he's been away from Montana for nigh on 15 years, and any memory of him as faded in the minds of the people that once knew him. Now that he's back, he stands out as a last bastion of an era quickly fading. With the turn of the century coming up, the age of the classic cowboy was coming to a close. But Joe Dunn's still kicking, and has a job to do.

Newsarama: First of all, Garth – why a western?

Garth Ennis: Because I love them. Westerns are the earliest movies I remember watching, the first genre I can recall being completely fascinated by.

NRAMA: According to the previews from Avatar, Streets of Glory centers around a gunslinger and ex-Cavalry man Joseph Dunn. Can you tell us about him, and why he does what he does?

GE: We meet Dunn towards the end of his life, when most of his battles and adventures are behind him. Once he was an important man; now he keeps going because he has nothing else to do. Until, that is, he gets word of an old love in the little Montana town of Gladback, and goes in search of what he reckons will be his last chance at happiness.

When it comes to violence, Dunn is something of a master, both at the tactical level and in the heat of the moment. As a human being, however, he's not exactly what you'd call fully rounded.

NRAMA: Tell us about the town of Gladback. What's it like?

GE: A dull little dump in the process of becoming more civilised. The more extreme aspects of life on the frontier have probably passed this place by- until our story gets going, that is.

NRAMA: The series takes place in the fading edge of the 19th century, and Dunn represents the type of person that is dying out as the world comes into the modern age. How does Dunn fit into 1899, and what do you think predicated the death of his kind?

GE: He doesn't really fit anymore at all, which is one of the points of the story. He was a vital, necessary figure when the west was being conquered, when the frontier was being carved out of the wilderness. Now he's aimless, adrift. But, as the people of Gladback will discover, civilisation will only take you so far. Sometimes you need a man like Dunn to protect you from the dangers still lurking out in the wild- and from the horrors that civilisation itself brings with it.

I'd say people like Dunn died out because of technology, which helped to settle the country and- most of all- establish proper communications within it. Trains meant you could move men and supplies faster. Word spread quicker. When it came to gunmen, the outlaws found it harder to hide, and the good guys found themselves becoming increasingly irrelevant.

NRAMA: This isn't your first dalliance with the Wild West genre. What' makes you come back to it again, and what are your earliest memories of it as a fan?

GE: My first memories of the genre would be watching John Wayne movies with my Grandfather, probably at the age of 3 or 4.

Streets of Glory #1 (of 6) is scheduled for release in October 2007 at a retail price of $3.99. For more information, visit www.avatarpress.com.

[edyhdrawde]

Looks good. Maybe it will be like reading the Saint of Killers Mini Series all over again. Well, here's hoping anyway.

[Skeets]

After 3:10 to Yuma I'm stoked to read this.

[KingConan]

That ended rather abruptly....did someone's phone cut out half way through the interview or something? It seems like there should be more, is there a part 2 of this interview coming?

[ShinAkuma666]

Originally Posted by KingConan

That ended rather abruptly....did someone's phone cut out half way through the interview or something? It seems like there should be more, is there a part 2 of this interview coming?

I feel exactly the same here, I wanted more of an interview with Ennis on this roject for sure. In any case, I am in since I heard of the project, it sounds different then other stuff he has done before, even if it deals with that era or cowboys.

That being said, I would not mind having more of Just a Pilgrim in the future in any case...

[jsf]

As much as I love the current creative team ... and I really DO ... I'd love to see Ennis (with Dillon) take on Jonah Hex. This just makes me want it to happen more.

Will definitely check this out!

[comicbookreader]

A strange, abrupt interview indeed. It didn't even mention that a Preview issue for this series was already released (which is where those pages are from).

An Ennis-penned Jonah Hex story would be sooooooooo good.

[jediracer]

party on, garth

[eloso]

This interview seems like it was culled from a press release, with the preview pages that some of us already paid for, in tow. hmm.

[GenerallZodd]

Garth Ennis is a talented man who I enjoy reading, but at some point, I'm going to have to wonder if he has anything MORE in him. The violence is starting to get repetitive. He's a little too fascinated with that type of thing and it's kind of bordering on creepy.

[tater_nuts]

Eff yeah!

I'll be checking this out for sure.

[RedSquirrel]

Originally Posted by comicbookreader

An Ennis-penned Jonah Hex story would be sooooooooo good.

Yeah, but Jonah Hex is already great with Gray and Palmiotti. Add on Ennis' Streets of Glory, and we get two great westerns!

I love Ennis, but man, what was he thinking with #10 of The Boys?

[Lackey No. 2]

Oddly enough, all that talk of civilization taking you so far makes me want to see him tackle Conan...

[Lusche]

Two thinks I don't like about this:

First: The violence. Ennis is missing new ideas. It was fun with Preacher. It was again fun with the Punisher (in the first issues). It got boring over time and now it seems that the Ennis-violence has lost every way of being used humorous of sarcastically. It stands only for what it is: Violence. Boring violence!

Second: Sorry but this artist has to go back to artists school an learn how to draw men on horses. These guys loook like they are riding a Harley Davidson not a horse. No fun in this. Especially in e semi-realistic western comic book.

[BradyDale]

I'll get it. I still love Ennis, though Lusche has a point about Ennis's themes. I still think he's doing it well, but I hear you man.

I'll be "waiting for the trade." I don't really get mini-series these days. I'd rather just get them all at once. I guess not everyone agrees on that point. That's how I buy the Ennis PUNISHER. I buy the trades as they come out.

I hate it that that makes Marvel think he's less popular, though, since they are mostly interested in how the floppy sells. I buy the trades because Ennis's work is a BIGGER deal to me. I like to do it in big gulps.

[grphxkindaguy]

Originally Posted by GenerallZodd

Garth Ennis is a talented man who I enjoy reading, but at some point, I'm going to have to wonder if he has anything MORE in him. The violence is starting to get repetitive. He's a little too fascinated with that type of thing and it's kind of bordering on creepy.

Ennis is well known (at this point) for his over the top violence in stories. If you don't like it, you should probably not read his work anymore...

...better yet, go back to reading Archie's, they sound more your speed!

[SmokinBones]

Unless he ruins the debut of a new All-Star title, Ennis can do no wrong in my book. It's true, there is a lot of violence in popular entertainment today, but no one writes it quite like Ennis. I feel like I'm watching a very realistic action movie when I read Ennis violence. Plus, it takes place in the old west. Anyone who thinks there wasn't a whole lot o' killin' in that time is kidding themselves.

I'll be there for this one. Ennis is a truly revolutionary writer who deserves all the praise he gets. Not to mention the fact that he's a damn nice guy.

[artjunkie]

So what kind of content would you prefer to see in a Garth Ennis comic? I mean, if you're a fan of his you know his interests...crime, criminals who portray them, the people they hurt, the moral (and sometimes amoral) justice that's doled out...be it westerns, war stories, or mainstream crime suspense or sci-fi/fantasy (with a smidge of superheroes thrown in there just to keep him "Americanized").

Personally I don’t want Ennis giving us his take on, say, slice-of-life indies like Love & Rockets or Strangers In Paradise. He would be bored with it which would translate into a boring read for us. Let the man do what he does best and what pays his bills.

[Sambo253]

Originally Posted by GenerallZodd

Garth Ennis is a talented man who I enjoy reading, but at some point, I'm going to have to wonder if he has anything MORE in him. The violence is starting to get repetitive. He's a little too fascinated with that type of thing and it's kind of bordering on creepy.

artjunkie beat me to it, but I think the "Garth's violence is gettin repetitive" 'criticism' is wildly unfair. No one asks "I wonder what Geoff Jones has got besides super-hero fights."

The fact that Ennis has classics or near-classics in the horror (Hellblazer), sci-fi, western and war genres makes him more versatile than a lot of other well regarded comic writers.

[blokhed]

I'm a big fan of Westerns, so my curiosity is piqued, but that art is very weak in points. He draws this well-done sweeping vista, but then fumbles with posing his humans and facial anatomy. First time gig?

[wespierce1]

Very surprised to see how poorly written this was. The art at Avatar never surprises me, always amateurish, but to have one of the best writers in comics today deliver a lame duck like this.... Well... my shop ordered 5... we sold one and had that guy attempt to get a refund. Not getting issue number 2. Sorry Garth.

[kinkeshiman]

Originally Posted by RedSquirrel

Yeah, but Jonah Hex is already great with Gray and Palmiotti. Add on Ennis' Streets of Glory, and we get two great westerns!

I love Ennis, but man, what was he thinking with #10 of The Boys?

You gotta love that last page...