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THE REVIEWS:
LAW OF THE DESERT BORN!

Law of the Desert Born Did you ever stumble across a comic from one of your favorite creators that you didn't know about and then gasp, "Gee I almost missed that!"? In today's Previews-driven world, some fans complain the surprise of comics collecting and reading is gone. It's so easy for a well-informed fan to know exactly what's coming out when, what it's about, and what creators are working on it. But with the deluge of information flooding us, every once in a while we get a nice surprise. Louis L'Amour's "Law of the Desert Born" is one of those surprises. Despite having enjoyed the free comic last year during Free Comic Book Desk (does anyone else remember that?), this graphic novel was off my radar. But it crept back "on screen" and I'm so glad it did. This is not a run-of-the-mill comic or graphic novel. A gorgeous oversize hardcover volume with a sepia dust jacket, Charles Santino adapts a short story by Western author Louis L'Amour, based on a script by Beau L'Amour and Katherine Nolan. The art is wonderfully rendered in black and white, with lush inks and washes by Thomas Yeates. You know Yeates' work from Swamp Thing, Airboy, Tarzan, Zorro or perhaps just as the current artist on Prince Valiant. Read More

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Law of the Desert Born Louis L’Amour, Charles Santino, Beau L’Amour, Katherine Nolan, and Thomas Yeates. Bantam, $25 (160p) ISBN 978-0-345-52812-4 Revered western writer L’Amour finally gets the graphic novel treatment. At the opening of this engaging tale, a lone rider shoots down two men at a ranch house, then flees into the desert. Flashbacks reveal the killer’s motivations, as a posse follows him and civilized notions of right and wrong are left far behind. L’Amour dashed off the original yarn for a pulp magazine in the mid-1940s, and it has passed through several versions—an audio play, a screenplay, and comics. This actually may be the story’s ideal form, since the author’s son Beau came to realize that the core of the tale was the tense relationship between the murderer, Shad Marone, and Lopez, the Mexican-Apache tracker pursuing him; the graphic novel version provides room to develop this theme. Yeates’s black-and-white depiction of the rugged landscape and the hard-bitten characters is superb. The result is stunning and richly textured. (Sept.) Reviewed on: 05/27/2013

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Law of the Desert Born Louis L’Amour, Charles Santino, Beau L’Amour, Katherine Nolan, and Thomas Yeates. Bantam, $25 (160p) ISBN 978-0-345-52812-4 Law of the Desert Born is a beautifully illustrated retelling of one of L'Amour's short stories - based more upon an audio version by L'amour's son Beau and Katherine Nolan. This is the first graphic novelization of a L'Amour novel and the attention to detail really shows. . . . To say the artwork is breathtaking would be an understatement. This is one of the most beautifully illustrated black and white graphic novels I've read in a long time. The panels are clean and the artist/authors were judicious in avoiding making the story too wordy. Surprisingly so considering this came from an audio version. This is a new way to enjoy L'Amour's work. Not a retread of the short story but a new perspective that is interesting, fresh, full of dimension, but still paying homage to the original. Read the Full Andrea J. Review on Goodreads! Reviewed by Andrea J. - July 15th, 2013

 

Law of the Desert Born Louis L’Amour, Charles Santino, Beau L’Amour, Katherine Nolan, and Thomas Yeates. Bantam, $25 (160p) ISBN 978-0-345-52812-4 I love myself a good western but never seem to read them much anymore. I absolutely loved this atypical form of the classic western. ... Incredible black and white art with intricately detailed background and emotional close-ups of facial features especially shown in the eyes. A masterpiece both in story and art that complements the mood. Impressive! Read the Full Nicola Review on Goodreads! Reviewed by Andrea J. - October 8th, 2013

 

Law of the Desert Born Louis L’Amour, Charles Santino, Beau L’Amour, Katherine Nolan, and Thomas Yeates. Bantam, $25 (160p) ISBN 978-0-345-52812-4 ... this is a beautifully written and nuanced tale of the wild west and the stunning black-and-white art work by Thomas Yates meshes perfectly with the story and brings the action and the characters to life. Read the Full Andrea J. Review on Goodreads! Reviewed by Maxine - October 15th, 2013

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Law of the Desert Born Louis L’Amour, Charles Santino, Beau L’Amour, Katherine Nolan, and Thomas Yeates. Bantam, $25 (160p) ISBN 978-0-345-52812-4 By Anna Russell - October 4th, 2013

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Law of the Desert Born Louis L’Amour, Charles Santino, Beau L’Amour, Katherine Nolan, and Thomas Yeates. Bantam, $25 (160p) ISBN 978-0-345-52812-4 VERDICT The action favorites of pulp-Western megascribe L’Amour (1908–88) make ready fodder for comics. Here, the richer plot and characters from L’Amour’s son Beau and collaborator Kathy Nolan add appeal and value in addition to the finely crafted visuals. Read the Full Review Reviewed by M.C. - September 15th, 2013

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With each turn of the page, Law of the Desert Born takes you on a journey deeper into those incredible desert vistas, and deeper into the conflict between its characters. Thanks to Yeates’ elegant black-and-white drawings and the superb pacing of Charles Santino’s adaptation, readers are in for a real treat -- with an amazing level of detail and ambience that breathes new life into Louis L’Amour’s already stunning story.  Read the Full Review by Steven Phelps. - October 2013

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Read the Full Review By Matt Staggs on October 16, 2013

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Yeates’ artwork is incredible. . . Read the Full Interview with Charles Santino October 2013

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Read the Full Review by Nick Smith ... October 21st, 2013

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"... Law of the Desert Born, the first graphic novel adaptation of a Louis L'Amour story, an authentic, understated and well, dignified comic book story of posses and rustling and lingering resentment. " "... terrifically impressed with the book!" Review and interview by Jon B. Cooke Find it at your local News Stand today! Read the Full Review by Jon B. Cooke ... Fall 2013

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Read the Full Review by Ted Holteen ... December 2013

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