The Coming Thing: An Appreciation of Brisco County Jr.

My 2006 autographed photo by Bruce Campbell, Julius Carry and creator Carlton Cuse!

Twenty years ago this month, "The Adventures Of Brisco County, Jr." debuted on the Fox network.  The premise seemed straightforward: It's 1893, and Harvard-educated bounty hunter Brisco County, Jr (Bruce Campbell), with the help of his partner/frenemy Lord Bowler (the late, lamented Julius Carry), his lawyer Socrates Poole and way-smart horse Comet set out to capture the John Bly gang - the gang that murdered Brisco's father.

Here's where it gets a little weird.  Along the way, Brisco contended with old fashioned villains as well as futuristic orbs, beloved pistols (Pete's piece), lopsided gunfights, mad scientists, love interests (Dixie Cousins, who had the big musical hit of 1893), robber barons, tanks, motorcycles, the US Cavalry and lead zeppelins.  The show never skimped on the action, but it also delivered a healthy dose of "just under over-the-top" humor.



"Brisco County" was considered a western, but could also be regarded as a comedy and as science fiction.  "The Coming Thing," Brisco's secondary search for new technology and enlightened ideas became a major theme for the show.  Brisco didn't grieve over the demise of the cowboy way of life, he embraced the coming 20th century and the promise it entailed.  Perhaps the most progressive thing was his equal partnership (in action and jokes) with Lord Bowler, an African American.  Race was never an issue in the show!  

The cast of "The Adventures Of Brisco County, Jr."

The main thing that stands out with "The Adventures Of Brisco County, Jr." was even though the show had some very cool characters from philosopher/dimwitted Pete Hutter to Elvis-impersonator Aaron Viva, the coolest character on the show was Brisco himself.  That is a credit to the talented cast and writers!

It's a lesson well-learned.

In my Pretty Vacant comics, there are some truly interesting characters: reporter Diane, mad scientist (and art lover) Hans, perpetual victim Mindy and level-headed Barnaby.  Yet the most interesting character in the comic is the main character, Gigi Gutierrez.  Even when the others take the lead, Gigi is still the center of it all:

Pretty Vacant: Final Repose Part II, Page 19

With the cool characters, big action and the humorous one-liners, maybe Brisco himself would say, "Very fancy!"