A self-described Twilight Zone soldier plans to rob the Devil’s Train. If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s the high concept behind Matthew Dickens’ comic Shitkicker Bullseye, the first issue of which came out last summer. A couple of months ago, I noticed more than a little similarity between the character design for Dickens’ time traveling stuntman and one of Ryan Gosling’s main costumes in The Fall Guy.
As both projects had help from Stunts Unlimited, and Dickens’ comic had been kicking around a while, let’s call it imitation as the sincerest form of flattery. Because they’re different projects, and the stuntman/writer/musician Dickens has retrenched a bit with his publisher, Bliss on Tap Publishing. Rather than have us wait between issues for this wild heist story, Dickens and artist Julius Abrera will release a larger graphic novel, now with the subtitle The Devil’s Train. And they’ll have 50 copies of a preview edition at Comic-Con this summer.
It’s still the same balls to the wall action with more than a dollop of philosophy and theological history (really). Adding the subtitle gives the graphic novel two extra advantages. First, that promises more adventures — which Dickens has hinted he has planned. Second, it’s a lot easier sell to put The Devil’s Train up on a theater marquee. Because yes, it’s just been announced that director JJ Perry is attached to direct a film adaptation.
In my initial version of this article, I’d referred to this project as Blood Sheet Cowboy. Though Dickens had given me the mock movie poster with that title, that’s actually the title of a movie being made within the story, similar to the plot structure of The Fall Guy. See? Pretty sure Dickens got there first.
There’s something interactive with the graphic novel, too, but Dickens hasn’t really spilled the beans on that yet. What I do know is that he’s written two songs for the film adaptation’s soundtrack, produced by three-time Grammy winner Andrew Coleman. So perhaps if you play the notes of one of the songs in the right key, you can join the heist? One of the original songs is called BSC, and homages the careers of Jack Gill and Hal Needham. The other song is called “The Devil’s Train,” (of course) and is sung by former Stone Temple Pilots front man Dave Coutts.
It may be the greatest film Hal Needham never made, but his influence is all over the graphic novel. Needham founded Stunts Unlimited, as well as directed the Smokey and the Bandit series and the underrated Hooper. Oh, and he also inspired the original TV series The Fall Guy. You may just love seeing his influence live on in this comic. Find it at Bliss On Tap Publishing’s booth at Comic-Con.
Oh, and catch Perry’s style on September 13, 2024 when his new film The Killer’s Game hits theaters.
