Bang, Bang Lucita is a collaboration from indie publishers Isle Squared Comics and NimProd Comics. Set in Harrisburg 1874 the story follows a Mexican cook named Lucita as she is drawn into a rescue mission for President Ulysses Grant’s wife. There is a decent amount of set up before the action takes place but it feels necessary in order to get to know the characters of the story. By the time Lucita shows off her skills during a fight with a local gang we feel like we know her as a person instead of just a hero. The role of a woman wasn’t very diverse in this time period neither was that of an immigrant. Westerns are dominated by males in media. Lucita is a strong female character. She’s is ready for any challenge that is presented to her. It’s refreshing to see Lucita thrive in this environment.

Writer Chuck Amadori doesn’t shy away from social commentary here. The attitudes of racism and sexism are brought up several times, but they are balanced by acceptance and characters seeing past their differences to unite for a common good. Dialogue is definitely realistic for the time period. Each character has their own distinct dialect specific to their background. This made every character feel well-represented and believable.

The artwork in this book is beautiful. Artist Edson Elves and Colorist Nimesh Morarji do a great job making the setting perfect for the Wild West. Nimish paints vivid sunny desert skies with shades of yellow and white. The mountain ranges textured by Edson down to the tiniest piece of rubble. It’s really easy to get lost in the details of these pages before you even begin to read the dialogue. The costumes are just as rich and colorful and the action scenes are well-paced. This is the type of quality that makes a book stand out.

As far as indie comics go I feel like Isle Squared and Nimprod have a really solid book here. It’s a western that doesn’t feel too over-the top to take serious. There’s also a lot of action and fun. More issues are to come and I for one can’t wait to read them.

Score: 4/5

Bang, Bang Lucita #2 Writer: Chuck Amadori Artist: Edson Elves Colorist Nimesh Morarji Publisher: Isle Squared Comics, NimProd Comics Price: $4.00 (Print)/ $2.00 (Digital) Release Date: 11/25/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital