So what is this Reed Gunther comic all about?
It’s a comedic western about a cowboy named Reed Gunther; strong, bold, fearless, and not quite as bright as he thinks he is, Reed is often the cause of the problems he faces. Fortunately, Reed can depend on his best friend and trusty steed, a grizzly bear named Sterling, to rescue him. Sterling is fiercely loyal, resourceful and heroic; he may occasionally roll his eyes at Reed’s impulsive actions, but he’s always ready to back up his friend.Together with a tough-as-nails, no-nonsense cattle-wrangler named Starla (whom Reed persists in seeing as a damsel in distress, though she’s not very damsel-like and seldom in distress), Reed and Sterling battle gigantic snakes, mutant mole-people, and various monsters across the West.
The first four issues were self-published by Shane & Chris in black & white in 2009-2010; the Image-produced run will publish those stories in full color, followed by at least six more issues. After the tenth issue, the series may be extended, depending on the sales figures.
The Reed Gunther website has a few kid-friendly features; coloring pages, wallpapers and pin-ups, “how it’s done” features showing the creation process, and a time-lapse video of Chris inking a page. Pop on by and take a look.
More about the brothers:
Writer Shane Houghton is a video editor; his younger brother, artist Chris Houghton, works at Nickelodeon as a storyboard artist. They have been developing Reed Gunther for a few years now, and are very excited to be working with Image to bring the book to a larger audience. I met with them over lunch in Burbank to hear about the project. The very youthful brothers projected a contagious enthusiasm for their comic, which has already become one of my new favorites. One reason for this is their personal connection to one of their characters; Sterling is named after their childhood pet, a golden retriever who shared a lot of personality traits with his ursine namesake. Sterling was a smart and loyal dog; the Houghton brothers grew up in a rural area in Michigan, and their dogs, Sterling and a black Labrador named Riley, often ran free in the woods behind their home. On one occasion, a pair of drunken and irresponsible hunters happened to be nearby and decided that it would be fun to shoot the dogs. Riley died immediately, but Sterling, despite being wounded, managed to make it home and bark insistently at the boys’ mother “just like Lassie” to get her to come to Riley’s aid. Sterling made a full recovery and lived for several more years, and today he lives on in the form of a cartoon bear.
From the Reed Gunter website:
Shane and Chris Houghton have been brothers as long as they can remember. Throughout the years, the two have collaborated on various creative projects, the most prolific being afternoon jam sessions in the garage. While growing up, it was hard to find either of them without a comic book within arms reach, and they are now extremely excited to be working together on one of their own.
Shane Houghton is the writer and co-creator of Reed Gunther. He has also written stories for Peanuts, Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror, and Casper’s Scare School. Aside from writing, Shane freelances as a filmmaker and has edited reality TV shows, shot webseries for Comedy Central, and directs promotional video game advertisements. Shane lives in a big house in Los Angeles with his fiancé Katie. He likes to eat burritos.
Chris Houghton is the artist and co-creator of Reed Gunther. He has also contributed work to The Simpsons, Adventure Time, MAD Magazine, and Kung Fu Panda comics. He is a member of the National Cartoonists Society and is currently working at Disney TV on Gravity Falls. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Kassandra, and wonder cat, Simon.
Little known fact : Shane and Chris started drawing cartoons when they were in 4th and 5th grades.
Got something to say? Shoot us an email: mail(at)reedgunther(dot)com
“Reed Gunther Creators Interviewed (with added DANGER!)“, December 8, 2010. Comic book creators Shane and Chris Houghton answer questions from Steven Surman at BrokenFrontier.com. Everything goes great… UNTIL THEY’RE POISONED!
“Indie Comic of the Week – Reed Gunther“, October 3, 2011.
“Artist Alley: The Houghton Brothers“, June 26, 2012. The Houghton Brothers, creators of Reed Gunther, talk with Kat Kan at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference about their start creating comics, advice for aspiring comic book creators, and what they’d like libraries to do to support comics.
Reed Gunther Behind the Scenes video with Shane and Chris Houghton. June 18, 2012.
Sources:
Shane and Chris Houghton’s Reed Gunther website.
Reed Gunther Comics Facebook page.
Jim MacQuarrie, “Reed Gunther : Big Fun with a Bear-Rding Cowboy“, Wired, April 18, 2011.
Chris Arrant, “Kid-Friendly Cowboy and Brainy Bear Sidekick in REED GUNTHER“, Newsarama, June 16, 2011.
Note: The MSU Special Collections Comic Book Collection has issues of Reed Gunther for consultation. It can also be purchased through local comic bookstores and via Amazon.