Franky Quietly faces have never been more wrinkly. Scotland may never produce another comic artist whose quirks lead so perfectly into the post-apocalyptic western world of Missionary Man. For the stories he illustrates; Quietly presents clear, brutal violence with a grimace and streamlined enough to sit within 2000AD’s publication schedule. Any background that can be a solid block of colour is left that way so that clear character acting can carry the strip. 

The first story where Preacher Cain, retired lawman of the Mega-City turn preacher and drifter, gives a town a false hope of salvation before a brutal punchline angles the series into being a satire of religious hypocrisy. This quickly dissipates for the rest of the series as the Missionary Man travels the West to uncover crimes, conspiracy and alien threats as a steely-eyed hero. If it weren’t for his constant Bible quotes you’d believe this could be any other gunslinger. The biggest surprise of the entire serial are the strips done by artist Gary Marshall. Attempting to research Marshall’s career revealed he spent very little time in the comic industry, with Gordon Rennie on Missionary Man and Vector 13, but he proves himself to be astonishingly capable in the weird western tales. His handling of the macabre insures that the conversation between our gunsligher and an alcoholic zombie is the standout story of the entire series.

Missionary Man: Bad Moon Rising is a decent selection of cowboy adventures with a science fiction twist that jettisons any broader commentary for straight-forward but competent tales of good and evil. As a short-lived strip it lacks a proper conclusion. But visually it can be beautiful in its grotesquerie and showcases the talents of an artist who would soar to international acclaim very while, while an under-appreciated artist of the British comics seen appears to have walked down the dusty trail to leave us pondering what Gary Marshall could have accomplished if he’d stayed behind.