The Sixth Gun is a comic book series created by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt and published by Oni Press consisting of a monthly ongoing series and several spinoffs.
Summary The Sixth Gun ongoing series The series takes place in the Old West during the late 1880s. The story centers around a set of six pistols, each imbued with dark powers. The wielder of each pistol gains an ability unique to the weapon and is tied to the pistol until their death. The main protagonists, Becky Montcrief and Drake Sinclair, attempt to collect the Six and learn their secrets. Antagonists in the series include General Hume and his four horsemen, the Knights of Solomon, the Sword of Abraham, and the Grey Witch.
Cold Dead Fingers Drake Sinclair searches for the Sixth Gun, which he believes will grant him access to General Hume's vault, which is rumored to be filled with treasures Hume had amassed during the Civil War. His search leads him to a young woman, Becky Montcrief, who is bound to the Sixth Gun after its former owner is killed. They are pursued by General Hume, his four horsemen, and his wife, Missy Hume, each of whom carries one of the Six Guns.
As Becky and Drake head to the Maw, where Hume's vault awaits, Drake manages to pick off Hume's four horsemen one by one and claim their guns for himself. At the Maw, they meet Gord Cantrell, who is also trying to gain access to Hume's vault. However, Becky realizes the vault does not contain treasure but rather unlocks some dark power. It requires all six guns to unlock.
In a battle at the Maw, General Hume is defeated, but Missy Hume escapes.
Crossroads Drake, Becky, and Gord try to uncover the secrets of the Six while various agents try to claim the Six for themselves. In the process, they make allies with the Sword of Abraham. Gord discovers the Six may unlock the power to remake the world.
Bound While trying to transport Hume's corpse to a secure location so that he won't be resurrected, the Sword of Abraham is attacked by undead horsemen sent by Missy Hume. Drake is thrown from a train and separated from the others.
After the attack, Becky is taken to the secure location for Hume's corpse, only to learn she will be imprisoned there too so that no one can get the Sixth Gun from her. By tapping into the powers of her gun, Becky is able to escape.
Gord returns to the now deserted estate where he had once been a slave and learns how the Six were summoned into the world.
A Town Called Penance Becky's search for Drake leads her to a town called Penance. She gradually learns that the people in the town are unable to leave and are kept so that they can be human sacrifices for the Knights of Solomon.
In a hideout of the Knights of Solomon, hidden beneath Penance, Drake is interrogated and tortured. Becky manages to rescue him, but during their escape, they discover a mosaic mural depicting Drake as a medieval knight.
Winter Wolves A wendigo captures Becky and Drake in the spirit world. Drake suspects he has lived other lives and that the world has not only been remade before but many times. The two manage to escape from the spirit world, but Becky also unlocks some of the deeper powers of the Sixth Gun, and she feels it is beginning to transform her.
Ghost Dance Becky is half stuck in the spirit world after using the sixth gun. Drake takes her to a shaman, who tries to guide Becky back. In the spirit world, Becky walks the Winding Way, a path that cuts through all of creation. She sees the different realities the Six have created, and others that may exist. She sees Drake in different lives as he seeks to destroy the Six, the most ancient of which is a caveman, back when the Six were clubs.
From inside the Winding Way, Becky is attacked by shamans sent by Missy Hume, but she manages to escape. General Hume's mother, the Grey Witch, tires of Missy Hume's failures and murders her.
Not the Bullet, but the Fall The Grey Witch attacks with all her strength and manages to kill all of Becky and Drake's allies and claim the Six.
The Grey Witch In a flashback, we learn that the Grey Witch serves the Great Wyrms, ancient creatures from the dawn of time. They caused humans untold suffering, and it was this suffering that first brought the Six into existence. The first time the humans remade the world, they tried to remake it without the Great Wyrms, but they managed to burrow themselves deep into the roots of creation. Each time the world is remade, they fade from it a little more, but since humanity no longer remembers them, the recreation of the world is too inarticulate to precisely weed them out entirely. The Grey Witch seeks to remake a world in which the Great Wyrms have returned to their former strength.
Hell and High Water The Grey Witch begins to recreate the world. Becky and Drake pursue her into the Devil's Workshop.
Boot Hill Drake realizes it was he who remade the world the first time, and ever since he has been bound to the Six, recalled to life every time the Six are summoned back into existence. Every time the world is remade, it's corrupted by the selfish desires of the person remaking it. The last time the world was remade, Drake attempted to make something that could undo the power of the Six—he created Becky. In the final battle, Becky takes hold of creation and remakes the world one last time. To prevent the world from being corrupted by her own desires, she unmakes herself in the process.
Publication history The Sixth Gun issuesStory arcIssueRelease dateWriterArtistColoristCold Dead Fingers1May 1, 2010 (FCBD)July 13, 2010 (retail)Cullen BunnBrian HurttBrian Hurtt2July 13, 20103August 18, 20104September 8, 20105October 20, 20106November 17, 2010Bill CrabtreeCrossroads7December 22, 2010Cullen BunnBrian HurttBill Crabtree8January 26, 20119February 23, 201110March 23, 201111April 20, 2011Bound12June 29, 2011Cullen BunnBrian HurttBill Crabtree13July 27, 201114August 31, 2011Tyler Crook15September 28, 2011Brian Hurtt16October 26, 201117November 23, 2011A Town Called Penance18January 25, 2012Cullen BunnBrian HurttBill Crabtree19February 22, 201220March 21, 201221April 18, 201222May 16, 201223June 13, 2012Tyler CrookWinter Wolves24August 29, 2012Cullen BunnBrian HurttBill Crabtree25September 26, 201226October 17, 201227December 19, 201228January 30, 201329February 20, 2013Ghost Dance30April 17, 2013Cullen BunnBrian HurttBill Crabtree31May 22, 201332June 19, 201333August 21, 201334September 18, 201335October 9, 2013Not the Bullet, But the Fall36December 11, 2013Cullen BunnBrian HurttBill Crabtree37January 15, 201438February 5, 201439March 12, 201440May 7, 2014The Grey Witch41June 11, 2014Cullen BunnTyler CrookBill CrabtreeHell and High Water42August 27, 2014Cullen BunnBrian HurttBill Crabtree43September 24, 201444November 5, 201445December 3, 201446February 11, 201547March 25, 2015Boot Hill48April 20, 2016Cullen BunnBrian HurttBill Crabtree49May 18, 201650June 15, 2016
Spinoffs The Sixth Gun: Sons of the Gun A five-issue spinoff featuring General Hume's horsemen: Bill Sumter, Ben Kinney, Will Arcene, and Silas Hedgepeth.
The Sixth Gun: Sons of the Gun issuesIssueRelease dateWriterArtistColorist1February 20, 2013Cullen BunnBrian HurttBrian ChurillaBill Crabtree2March 27, 20133April 17, 20134June 19, 20135July 31, 2013
The Sixth Gun: Days of the Dead A five-issue spinoff featuring Brother Roberto Vargas and Jesup Sutter.
The Sixth Gun: Days of the Dead issuesIssueRelease dateWriterArtistColorist1August 6, 2014Cullen BunnBrian HurttMike NortonBill Crabtree2September 17, 20143October 15, 20144January 7, 20155February 4, 2015
The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust A three-issue spinoff miniseries featuring Billjohn O'Henry.
The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust issuesIssueRelease dateWriterArtistColorist1March 11, 2015Cullen BunnTyler CrookBill Crabtree2April 15, 20153May 13, 2015
The Sixth Gun: Valley of Death A three-issue spinoff miniseries.
The Sixth Gun: Valley of Death issuesIssueRelease dateWriterArtistColorist1June 3, 2015Brian HurttA.C. ZamudioRyan Hill2July 15, 20153August 26, 2015
Shadow Roads Shadow Roads issuesStory arcIssueRelease dateWriterArtistColoristThe Crossroads1May 5, 2018 (FCBD)June 27, 2018 (retail)Cullen BunnBrian HurttA.C. ZamudioCarlos N. Zamudio2August 8, 20183September 5, 20184October 10, 20185November 14, 2018The New World6February 6, 2019Cullen Bunn (story)Brian Hurtt (story & script)Brian HurttCarlos N. Zamudio7May 8, 2019Birthright8June 5, 2019Cullen Bunn (story)Brian Hurtt (story & script)A.C. ZamudioCarlos N. Zamudio9July 29, 202010September 2, 2020
The Sixth Gun: Battle for the Six The Sixth Gun: Battle for the Six is a revival series of miniseries beginning in 2025. It was originally announced under the placeholder title The Sixth Gun Reborn, with Bunn and Hurtt saying they had a title in mind for the series, but they were waiting for the right time to reveal it. The series was announced as part of the Kickstarter campaign for the Deluxe Omnibus Library. During the campaign, stretch goals for three prelude one-shot stories and a prose short story were unlocked. Bunn has described the upcoming series as, "One part Shadow Roads, one part The Sixth Gun, with a whole bunch of action, adventure, and epic fantasy thrown into the mix."
The series returned with The Sixth Gun: Road to the Six #0, collecting the three preludes from the Kickstarter, followed by the three-issue miniseries The Sixth Gun: Battle for the Six, with more to follow in 2026. The Battle for the Six miniseries will be published in extra long issues without any advertisements.
The Sixth Gun: Battle for the Six issuesMiniseriesIssueRelease dateWriterArtistColoristRoad to the Six0Scheduled forJune 4, 2025Cullen BunnBrian HurttBill CrabtreeBattle for the Six1Scheduled forJuly 24, 2025Cullen BunnBrian HurttBill Crabtree2Scheduled forAugust 20253Scheduled forSeptember 2025
Collections Trade Paperbacks The Sixth Gun and Shadow Roads have been collected into the following trade paperbacks:
Trade Paperback CollectionsSeriesVolumeTitleMaterial collectedRelease dateISBNTheSixthGun1Cold Dead FingersThe Sixth Gun #1–6January 12, 20112CrossroadsThe Sixth Gun #7–11June 15, 20113BoundThe Sixth Gun #12–17April 25, 20124A Town Called PenanceThe Sixth Gun #18–23November 28, 20125Winter WolvesThe Sixth Gun #24–29August 23, 2013Sons of the GunThe Sixth Gun:Sons of the Gun #1–5December 11, 20136Ghost DanceThe Sixth Gun #30–35February 5, 20147Not the Bullet, But the FallThe Sixth Gun #36–41September 24, 2014Days of the DeadThe Sixth Gun:Days of the Dead #1–5May 20, 20158Hell and High WaterThe Sixth Gun #42–47July 22, 2015Dust to DeathThe Sixth Gun:Dust to Dust #1–3 The Sixth Gun:Valley of Death #1–3December 2, 20159Boot HillThe Sixth Gun #48–50October 26, 2016ShadowRoadsVolume OneShadow Roads #1–5June 5, 2019Volume TwoShadow Roads #6–10August 26, 2020
Oversized Hardcovers There are six hardcover collections, available in both a "Deluxe Edition" (the standard version) and a "Gunslinger Edition" (a limited print version). These collect all fifty issues of the regular series, plus all the spinoffs. The first Gunslinger volume was limited to 1000 copies, whereas subsequent volumes were limited to 500.
Oversized Hardcover CollectionsTitleMaterial collectedBonus MaterialRelease dateISBNThe Sixth GunVolume OneThe Sixth Gun #1–11 "Them's What Ails Ya!"Introduction by John Layman Cover Gallery Pitch Artwork Production ArtworkNovember 27,2013The Sixth GunVolume TwoThe Sixth Gun #12–23Introduction by Jason Aaron Interview with Tyler Crookfrom The Sixth Gun #14 Interview with Joe R. Lansdale The Sixth Gun #17 script Cover Gallery Sketch GalleryApril 22,2015The Sixth GunVolume ThreeThe Sixth Gun #24–35 The Christmas StoryIllustrated Introduction by Chris Schweizer Interview with Bill Crabtree Cover Gallery Sketch GalleryNovember 4,2015The Sixth GunVolume FourThe Sixth Gun #36–41 The Sixth Gun:Sons of the Gun #1–5Illustrated Introduction by Stan Sakai