Beau Smith is a man’s man. A writer whose stories comprise of tough characters, in tougher situations. He’s been working in comics for 20+ years for various companies such as Image, Eclipse, IDW, DC Comics, and most recently Dark Horse. His newest story is a western called “200 People to Kill” which was set to debut in Dark Horse Presents #7. Sadly, it was shelved after the unfortunate passing of his collaborator, Eduardo Barreto. I was privileged with the chance to talk to Beau about Eduardo, and the future of “200 People to Kill”. Ladies and gentlemen, Beau Smith!
Beau Smith: The personification of masculinity!
Adam Messinger: You were scheduled to start your new story in Dark Horse Presents #7. It was called 200 People to Kill. What was the premise behind it?
Beau Smith: Yeah, 200 PEOPLE TO KILL was to start in Dark Horse Presents #7, It’s been a project that I’ve had in the works for the last 10 years with my very good friend, and artist, the late Eduardo Barreto. Both Eduardo and I grew up being both fans and historians of the old west. We had worked together many times, but mostly on crime (COBB) and superhero (CAPTAIN ACTION) comic books. I had created a trilogy of western projects with Eduardo in mind as the artist. Those projects are JEFFERSON BUCK: MAN TRAPPER, COWBOY WARRIOR KING and of course, 200 PEOPLE TO KILL. 200 PEOPLE TO KILL takes place in my favorite time period of 1890-1920, the last of the old west. This story takes place in the border towns of Texas and Mexico. The main character in the story is Anderson Nodeen, former Rough Rider and personal bodyguard of President Teddy Roosevelt who has been “off the grid” since he left Roosevelt’s service. When the college age daughter of another former Rough Rider officer and now wealthy ranch owner, is kidnapped during a border raid, Roosevelt himself calls upon Nodeen to go undercover, over the border, to rescue her and bring back her captor, alive or dead. Her captor is Rojas, a Mexican born, U.S. college educated terrorist and master of anarchy. Basically the Osama Bin Laden of his time. What starts out as a stealth mission ends up in a wide open, full throttle border war when Nodeen finds himself up against the personal army of Rojas, made up of 200 of the most deadly killers of that time period. Nodeen has to save the girl, capture Rojas, but first he has 200 people to kill.
"200 People to Kill" page 1 by Eduardo Barreto
Adam: The comics industry suffered a major loss with the passing of your collaborator, Eduardo Barreto. What did making 200 People to Kill mean to you before his passing, and how has it changed going forward?
Beau: 200 PEOPLE TO KILL has always been a dream project for both Eduardo and I. It was to be our chance to bring westerns back to comics in a way that would appeal to old and new readers. We had already had film people in Hollywood very interested in it, and that came through the entertainment grapevine of people that had read the proposal. Sadly, in the last couple of years, Eduardo had become ill and our opportunities to complete this and other projects became harder due to his illness and the speed that the comic book business works at. Finally, Eduardo began to feel better and it was then that we decided to shove other things aside and go forth with bringing the western trilogy to print. Mike Richardson, founder of Dark Horse Comics, was very excited when I brought this to him. Within one phone call he gave it the green light and thought it would fit perfectly into Dark Horse Presents, which he was editing himself. Mike assigned editor, John Shork to the project and we all hit the trail in a gallop. I’m sad to say that within months, Eduardo’s illness returned and began to take it’s toll on him. All through this, Eduardo continued to draw and sketch, always concerned about everyone else’s time and health and never complaining about his own. Finally in December of 2011, Eduardo lost the battle. This was heartbreaking. He and I had worked so long and hard to bring these westerns to the comic book reading public, to fulfill our boyhood dreams about telling stories about the old west, now our dreams hit a wall, a very hard wall. Before, it was the thrill and enjoyment of working with my good friend on a project we both loved. Now it’s become something that I want to continue in honor of Eduardo, I want to see these projects through to finish as a tribute to my friend, Eduardo Barreto. To do this, I’ll have to find another artist to pick up the saddle and mount the horse that will take 200 PEOPLE TO KILL to it’s printed destination. That’s my goal.
Adam: You announced in your column, Busted Knuckles, that 200 People to Kill had been shelved. Do you have an idea of what the future holds for the story?
Beau: Presently I’m talking to Dark Horse about what we plan to do with the series. I hope that as soon as I find the right artist for this project, someone with the passion for the western and one that will honor the work of Eduardo, I think the project will once again be ready to move forward.
Adam: Is there anything else you’d like to say, sir?
Beau: Just as working with Eduardo stoked me for each of our projects when he was alive, that same fire will continue to burn in me to carry on the love of the old west and these stories to others in his passing.
Eduardo Barreto: 1954-2011
You can find more from Beau Smith on his website, in his columns, Busted Knuckes and Beauology 101, or on Twitter: @BeauSmithRanch
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