Weird Western Novella ‘Dead Acre’ To Be Adapted As A Graphic Novel By Vault Comics
by Olly MacNamee
Vault Comics will be adapting Rhett Bruno and Jaime Castle’s hit weird western novella, Dead Acre. as a graphic novel from the creative team of writer Cullen Bunn, artist Riley Brown, colourist Fares Maese, and lettered by AndWorld Design.
“The first volume in the acclaimed, award-winning Black Badge series, Dead Acre is the story of James Crowley, an outlaw who met his mortal end in a hail of gunfire, and now finds himself in purgatory, serving the White Throne to avoid falling to hell. Not quite undead, though not alive either, the best he can hope for is to work off his servitude and fade away. His not-so-sacred duty as a Hand of God? Use his new abilities to hunt down demonic beings that have infiltrated the mortal realm.”
Speaking about taking on this adaption, Bunn stated:
“I’m no stranger to supernatural westerns. I’m a huge fan of the genre. And, supernatural westerns rooted in prose is really what cemented my fandom. So, working on a story like this was a lot of fun for me. James Crowley, gunfighter returned from the grave as a kind of revenant-with-a-mission, is a character with tons of potential. There’s no end to the stories that could be harvested from his adventures.”
Bruno added:
“There’s nothing more visual and visceral than a good western. Add in a little magic and what can beat it? To see Black Badge in comic form has been a dream since we came up with the idea.”
Fellow Black Badge co-creator, Jaime Castle, also said:
“Working alongside industry heroes like Cullen and Riley has literally made my dreams come true. This is the best-looking western comic ever made. Like striking oil.”
Dead Acre is out on September 16th, 2025 from Vault Comics
