The True Death of Billy the Kid

Last updated
The True Death of Billy the Kid
Main characters Billy the Kid
Series Treasury of 20th Century Murder
Page count60 pages
Publisher NBM Publishing
Original publication
LanguageEnglish

The True Death of Billy the Kid is a 2018 graphic novel about the death of wild west outlaw Billy the Kid written and drawn by cartoonist Rick Geary.

Contents

Publication history

The book was Geary's third to be financed by Kickstarter and was montivated partially by wishing to do a more commercial work after his second Kickstarter campaign was barely a success, as well as his move to Lincoln County, New Mexico, where many events of Billy the Kid's life took place. [1] At the Kickstarter the book was planned as a 60-page black and white graphic novel. [2] In 2014 when speaing on the project Geary stated that he "consulted different people who are experts on the subject to give me advice and pass on the accuracy on the book" since he was aware that many people of New Mexico hold Billy the Kid's legend in high regard. [3] In October 2016 Geary held a presentation on the book at the Capitan Public Library's First Friday Event. [4]

The book was published in 2018 by NBM Publishing as part of their Treasury of 20th Century Murder series. [5]

By 2018 Geary was working on a sequel to the book about the Lincoln County War. [6]

Reception

Jason Michelitch of The Comics Journal states that the book follows the trends Geary set in previous works in that it depicts history in an objective maner which still implies complexities beyond the snipets of events choosen to be shown. Michelitch also commends the emotions depicted on characters faces, even ones which only show up for a few panels. [7] A. F. Jones of Outright Geekery praised the comic, stating that it's a "must read". [8] Publishers Weekly gave the book a good review, noting that Geary depicts the human side of Billy the Kid's life. [9] Simon Wigzell of Serienytt was very positive towards the book and noted how it displayed changes in Geary's artwork with his lines becoming thicker over time compared to his early work. [10] Stephen Wiacek of Now Read This praised the book, stating that Geary's storytelling is a testament to the graphic novel medium being fit more than just for fantasy. [11] Frank Plowright of The Slings & Arrows graphic novel guide rated it 4.5 of 5 stars. [12] Brigid Alverson of ICv2 gave it 5 out of 5 stars. [13] [14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Johnston, Rich (November 8, 2016). "Rick Geary Talks About His Kickstarter Life". Bleeding Cool . Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  2. ↑ Ó Méalóid, Pádraig (8 April 2014). "Interview: Rick Geary on Kickstarter, Murder, and Billy the Kid". Comics Beat . Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  3. ↑ Maass, Dave (July 25, 2014). "NM's Comic-Con Connection: Artist Rick Geary Brings Billy the Kid to San Diego Comic-Con". Santa Fe Reporter . Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  4. ↑ "First Friday: Graphic Novelist Rick Geary presentation at CPL". Ruidoso News . October 5, 2016. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  5. ↑ Lenihan, Patricia (November 16, 2018). "The boy chief of New Mexico outlaws: Billy the Kid gets a graphic novel". The Santa Fe New Mexican . Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  6. ↑ < "Q&A With Rick Geary On New Graphic Novel "The True Death Of Billy The Kid"". Mystery Tribune. January 23, 2018. Archived from < the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  7. ↑ Michelitch, Jason (June 1, 2018). "The True Death of Billy the Kid". The Comics Journal . Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  8. ↑ Jones, A. F. (May 7, 2018). "The True Death of Billy the Kid by Rick Geary – review". Outright Geekery. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  9. ↑ "The True Death of Billy the Kid". Publishers Weekly . February 5, 2018. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  10. ↑ Wigzell, Simon (June 6, 2018). "The True Death of Billy the Kid". Serienytt (in Swedish). Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  11. ↑ Stephen, Wiacek (March 21, 2018). "The True Death of Billy the Kid". ComicsReview.co.uk. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018.
  12. ↑ Plowright, Frank. "The True Death of Billy the Kid". The Slings & Arrows. Archived from the original on 2018-11-24. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  13. ↑ Alverson, Brigid (March 28, 2018). "Review: 'The True Death of Billy the Kid' HC". ICv2 . Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  14. ↑ https://www.indianagazette.com/entertainment/captain-comics-still-heading-to-the-beach-here-are-great/article_b81bc864-4ffd-5b79-9ef7-b9e66c8c5743.html https://archive.today/20250723193503/https://www.indianagazette.com/entertainment/captain-comics-still-heading-to-the-beach-here-are-great/article_b81bc864-4ffd-5b79-9ef7-b9e66c8c5743.html
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