I honestly can’t remember what led me to pick up the first issue of Gutsville. It’s not a book that would normally interest me – I’ve never been into the whole steam-punk thing and I tend to read only capes and tights books in issues, and I leave the rest for trades. For some reason though, this book caught my eye and reeled me in with it’s unique story and art style. The first two issues were outstanding, but issue #3, while solid, left me somewhat befuddled.

Perhaps it was the months of delays between issues, but I was completely confused in the first dozen pages. The point-counterpoint of Oliphant and Mary Nazareth’s encounter with the NoSun Man and the JonahKin’s… whatever the heck they were doing, was an interesting exercise in theory, but it only served to muddle two already confusing sequences. Even after going back and re-reading the previous issues, I’m still not clear exactly what I was reading.

The second half of the issue however was just what I loved about the first two installments of Gutsville. Focusing on the violent revolutionary group, the Vittals, the latter half of the issue was an engrossing mix of political intrigue, action, and a mish-mash of anachronistic technology.

Despite the perplexing first half of issue #3, I would still recommend Gutsville as a unique and entertaining miniseries. However, given the sporadic release schedule, you may want to wait for the trade, where the context of the collected form might reduce your confusion.