The Gunmaster: Reloaded!

By Dan Johnson

The Gunmaster by Rodney Bennett

Since coming aboard at Charlton Neo, I’ve had the pleasure of discovering a whole new world of creations that are flowing forth from various contributors. We’ve got a lot of great writers and artists working hard and coming up with exciting new concepts and stunning artwork that I know will be thrilling readers as we head into 2015.

Invest heavily in helmets, my friends. We’re going to be blowing your minds very soon!

While it is great to see these brand new characters, I must confess it is also just as much fun dusting off some of the Charlton characters that have fallen into the public domain and finding new takes on them. I’m very privileged, along with artist Rodney Bennett, with the task of creating new adventures for one such character now, The Gunmaster.

I love the idea of this character, a masked hero in the Wild West who is using the latest in advanced weaponry to wage a war on criminals, outlaws and bandits. And while this character seems tailor made to be turned into a grim and gritty anti-hero, I’ve been having a ball finding ways to make The Gunmaster one of the most anti-violent heroes you’ve ever seen.

Don’t get me wrong. He has guns! All manner of firearms! And explosives! Oh, the things this man makes go boom! Plus, he’s not afraid to use his fists either. But this character also has a sacred oath. All human life is precious, and never to be taken lightly. Even though some of the owlhoots The Gunmaster and his young companion, Bullet, will encounter might deserve to swing at the end of a hangman’s noose, this character will always remember that it is up to a judge and a jury to make that decision.

So, if you like your heroes mysterious and old-fashioned and your tales rousing and action-packed, check out the all-new, reloaded Gunmaster, coming soon to a future issue of Charlton Neo’s Wild Frontier!

© Dan Johnson & Rodney Bennett