The Sixth Gun is a comic book series created by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt that was published by Oni Press. The story is set in the Old West, shortly after the end of the Civil War. It’s a Western with fantasy elements (or sci-fi, I’m not quite sure how to define it).
The story of The Sixth Gun takes place in the Old West during the late 1880s and centers around a set of six magic pistols connected to each other by dark powers. They will be used to rewrite the World. Each one of the six guns is bound to the man who used it until his death.
The Sixth one ends up in the hand of Becky Montcrief and now people want to kill her in order to take it back. With the help of the mysterious Drake Sinclair, Becky goes hunting for the other guns, and she’s not the only one. During their quest, they must fight against General Hume and his four horsemen, the Knights of Solomon, the Sword of Abraham, and the Grey Witch.
The main Sixth Gun series is composed of 50 issues. During its original run, the publication of the series was punctuated by multiple spin-off miniseries. Once the main story was concluded, a new ongoing spin-off series titled Shadow Roads was launched.
The Sixth Gun Comics Reading Order
A Popular series (part of our 50 Best Comics to Read) The Sixth Gun has been collected in multiple formats, from the standard trade paperback to the limited omnibus collection.
We are starting this guide with the different editions of The Sixth Gun comics series, then with a guide for the spin-off books and series.
The Sixth Gun Omnibus
- The Sixth Gun Omnibus Vol. 1
Collects The Sixth Gun #1-17 and The Sixth Gun: Sons of the Gun #1-5. - The Sixth Gun Omnibus Vol. 2
Collects The Sixth Gun #18-35 and The Sixth Gun: Days of the Dead #1-5. - The Sixth Gun Omnibus Vol. 3
Collects The Sixth Gun #36–50, The Sixth Gun: Valley of Death #1–3, and The Sixth Gun: Dust to Dust #1. - The Sixth Gun: Shadow Roads Omnibus
Collects The Sixth Gun: Shadow Roads #1–10.
The Sixth Gun Deluxe Edition
The Sixth Gun Deluxe Edition is presented as an oversized format jammed with extras and bonus features.
- The Sixth Gun: Volume One
Collects The Sixth Gun #1–11, and “Them’s What Ails Ya!”, a previously web-exclusive short story - The Sixth Gun: Volume Two
Collects The Sixth Gun #12–23. - The Sixth Gun: Volume Three
Collects The Sixth Gun #24–35, and “The Christmas Story”, also a previously web-exclusive short story. - The Sixth Gun: Volume Four
Collects The Sixth Gun #36–41, and the miniseries The Sixth Gun: Sons of the Gun. - The Sixth Gun: Volume Five
Collects The Sixth Gun #42-47, and the miniseries”Days of the Dead.” - The Sixth Gun: Volume Six
Collects The Sixth Gun #48-50, and the miniseries “Dust to Dust” and “Valley of Death.”
The Sixth Gun Trade Paperback Edition
During the original run of The Sixth Gun series, multiple miniseries exploring side characters were published. You don’t have to read them as they have no direct impact on the main story. However, if you want to explore the world of The Sixth Gun comics further, you’ll find some recommendations to integrate them into your readings.
Also, some times after the series concluded, another ongoing comics series was launched called Shadow Roads–more details in the dedicated section at the end of this article.
The Sixth Gun: The Main Series
- The Sixth Gun: Cold Dead Fingers
Collects The Sixth Gun #1–6. - The Sixth Gun: Crossroads
Collects The Sixth Gun #7–11. - The Sixth Gun: Bound
Collects The Sixth Gun #12–17. - The Sixth Gun: A Town Called Penance
Collects The Sixth Gun #18–23. - The Sixth Gun: Winter Wolves
Collects The Sixth Gun #24–29. - The Sixth Gun: Ghost Dance
Collects The Sixth Gun #30–35. - The Sixth Gun: Not the Bullet, But the Fall
Collects The Sixth Gun #36–41. - The Sixth Gun: Hell and High Water
Collects The Sixth Gun #42–47. - The Sixth Gun: Boot Hill
Collects The Sixth Gun #48–50.
The Sixth Gun Spin-Off miniseries
Each of The Sixth Gun miniseries can be read independently from each other and from the main series, and in the order you prefer. Those are complementary stories, I recommend reading them after at least the end of the first half of the main The Sixth Gun series, and before the last volume, Boot Hill.
- Sons of the Gun
The backstories of Bloodthirsty Bill Sumter, Filthy Ben Kinney, Will Arcene, and Silas ‘Bitter Ridge’ Hedgepeth, also known as General Hume’s horsemen, the killers with magic guns. - Days of the Dead
It’s better to read it after The Sixth Gun issue #20. It’s the backstories of Roberto Vargas and Jesup Sutter – one an agent of the Knights of Solomon, the other a priest of the Sword of Abraham. - Dust to Dust
The story of Billjohn O’Henry as he goes on a heartbreaking adventure to save his beloved daughter. From the House of Death to a Wild West Medicine Show. Collected with Valley of Death in The Sixth Gun: Dust to Death. - Valley of Death
The story of the reclusive witch Buzzard Wife as she gathers a Hunting Party for a treacherous journey into the fabled Valley of Death. Collected with Dust to Dust in The Sixth Gun: Dust to Death.
The Sixth Gun: Shadow Roads
Shadow Roads is a stand-alone story set in the world of The Sixth Gun. More precisely, the story is set after the conclusion of the series, but you don’t need to read it before.
The world is thinnest at The Crossroads, a mythical plane that serves as a doorway throughout the universe. It is here that a band of adventurers throughout the Wild West gather, brought together by Kalfu and Abigail Redmayne with a singular purpose: to fight back against the creatures that would endanger the sanctity of all creation.
- Shadow Roads: Volume One
Collects Shadow Roads #1-5. - Shadow Roads: Volume Two
Collects Shadow Roads #6-10.
Note: An earlier version of this article originally appeared on the site in 2020. Since then, a new omnibus collection has been released.