If The Goon wasn't enough evidence, Billy the Kid's Old-Timey Oddities is Exhibit B in the case that something just ain't right in Eric Powell's head. Sure, plenty of folks could come up with the fever dream of bizarre humor influenced by EC Comics, monster movies and the Depression era that is The Goon, but when the same person coughs up a mixture of freak show, the old west and a heist story involving Dr. Frankenstein, there can be little doubt that their mind just doesn't work the way the rest of ours do. And I'm so grateful for that, because while Billy the Kid is almost completely different from The Goon in terms of tone and features the artwork of Kyle Hotz instead of Powell himself, it's nonetheless something different and inventive with memorable characters and striking art. It's not as strong as The Goon, at least not at the outset, but as a side project, Billy the Kid's Old-Timey Oddities is off to an intriguing start.
While Powell has had some serious elements to stories in The Goon, it is first and foremost a humor book, at least for me. Billy the Kid's Old-Timey Oddities is played more or less straight, which surprised me coming from this creator with this concept, which is just about as over the top as you can get. Legendary Old West gunfighter fakes his death, but then gets roped into a heist by a band of circus freaks looking to rip off a mad scientist whose creation includes an artificial man. It's not a concept that sounds like it could play out seriously, but Powell, aside from giving Billy an amusingly uncouth personality, generally presents this is a straight-up heist plot with unusual trappings rather than a gonzo comedy. Honestly, the book feels a little dry, and occasionally even lifeless, as a result, especially compared to The Goon, but it's an interesting choice.
What saves the book in my eyes is Powell's imaginative characters and the interaction of those characters. Billy the Kid, the epitome of the under-educated and uncouth western gunfighter, comes across as a most unlikely hero. His reaction to the freaks, based on their appearance and not their generally kindly demeanor, actually makes him come across as pretty much a jerk, and yet... there's also something almost charming about how frank he is with his opinions. I was also quite taken with Hector, the dog-faced boy, whose bad temper makes him a perfect match for Billy's brusque behavior, and there's a nice, sweet quality to Jeffrey Tinsle, the ever-polite miniature boy.
Besides the shift in tone from comedy to a more action-oriented approach, Billy The Kid's Old-Timey Oddities differs from The Goon in that it doesn't feature Powell's art. Instead, Kyle Hotz provides art in his highly exaggerated style, reminiscent of a reined-in Kelley Jones. Hotz's style is perfect for the freaks that populate the book, especially the inhuman savage appearance of Watta or the freakish proportions of Madam Tinsle and her son. The two-page splash of Billy being introduced to the show is a vivid encapsulation of the "can't look away" compelling ugliness of the freakshow, and a perfect snapshot of what makes Hotz perfect for this book. I must confess, given Powell's exquisite coloring on The Goon, that I was a bit disappointed at the somewhat bland overuse of blues and yellows here. It certainly doesn't impact the storytelling, but it does make the book feel a bit more dour and even bland than it otherwise would.
Billy the Kid's Old-Timey Oddities is a very different beast from Powell's The Goon, even though it has in common Powell's predilection for the strange. It's a quieter book, not as instantly engaging but certainly intriguing at any rate. The question now is whether Powell can take this unusual cast of characters and unusual plot premise and turn out an entertaining story even while the tone is being played fairly straight. Based on the first issue, I'd say the answer is an optimistic "maybe." 7/10
