Devil Water
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Devil Water is a comic book series written by Steve Barr for King Tractor Press, based on a story by Steve Barr and Danny Grossman.
A nebbishy traveling inventor and salesman in the Old West discovers a stream of living water that transforms all who drink it into demons. With the help of a gunslinging preacher, an angelic little girl, and his faithful animal companions Mojo and Juju, he must battle monsters (both figurative and literal) before confronting the Devil Water.
While it can be enjoyed a simple horror / comedy set in the Old West, underneath the story of the hapless inventor fighting the malevolent demons run many interlocking themes dealing with the nature of faith and religion, and how they aren't necessarily the same thing.
The first issue was drawn by Tielman Cheaney. It introduces a stereotypical old prospector who discovers the mother lode in a cave, but who is murdered by a quartet of outlaws. The outlaws explore the cave and discover a pool of water with mystical (and probably malevolent) powers. The issue then introduces the protagonist, Henry Hill, a bookish inventor who is traveling through the west. He drives his small wagon into a frontier town, and quickly learns that the town doesn't take kindly to snake-oil salesmen.
The first issue has been reviewed in Broken Frontier, Silver Bullet, Cinescape, and Comic Avalanche.
The second issue was drawn by Harry Roland. The story continues with Henry Hill's attempt to sell his invention (a soda called "Henry Hill's Cool Refreshing Carbonized Libation") to Earl Daggett, the rough and dirty owner of the town saloon. Earl is skeptical until he drinks the beverage, at which point he informs Henry that they are now partners. Henry makes a batch of the Libation, which is a huge success for the Saloon. Unfortunately, Earl decides that he doesn't like having a partner, so he attempts to extort the secret recipe from Henry, and threatens to take his life. Henry is saved by his tiny dog Mojo, but he must gather his wagon and animal companions and escape into the desert. Henry is accosted in the desert by the four outlaws who were introduced in the first issue, and is saved by a mysterious gunslinger on the final page.
