One genre that has evolved from this and people tend to confuse or blend with the weird west is “Steampunk”. This doesn’t seem like a weird western but rather a show or book of another genre. Some tend to ride the line and border of what classifies as a “weird western” meaning despite not having to do with a straight up western the plot and idea is still that of one. It could be argued all day long whether or not people read as much as they used to or even read westerns as much as they used to but one thing can be certain is that the weird west has helped bring a lot of younger readers to the western genre. This like many genres has helped it resonate and find it’s fan base. One thing that has perhaps given the genre it’s niche of people is the tv shows and movies of it that have been released over the last decade.
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It’s just like any two genres that come together or weird tag that gets added onto a genre, you can still stay true to the core and have a little fun in the process. You can still have a true to itself western and have the added features that add the weirdness it’s just the author has to be able to create the balance of both.
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A weird western is still a western and I feel many forget that and some just assume it’s crap because they are ruining what makes a western great, not true. Let this not be all you take from it, there is so much more that a weird west is besides oddities there’s still the gritty feel and aspects that make it a western and this cannot be ignored. When you take a strange place a western would not normally take place, add cohesive characters with real life historical figures and give them or have them use modern or created technology you make a weird western. Also technology is a big factor as weapons are usually modified to a fictional aspect but defined and told in a manner which seems plausible. For one it usually involves a typical Western plot created into a unique one whether it’s a sci-fi element or fantasy one. One question one might ask is what goes into making it “weird”? Well aside from the settings and characters there’s a few things that make this so. R Lansdale who usually combines the original western with a violent and graphic type of horror. It became popular during the 1990's by author Joe. The genre was first introduced in the 1970's and while it’s hard to imagine it being smaller and virtually lesser known than it already is today it does in fact trace all the way back to the 70's.
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However the intrigue and fact that someone came along and did change the western genre and did add a fun and strange yet captivating and unique twist makes it all the more powerful and interesting. The western genre really doesn’t need any added tropes or coating so to speak and in many ways seems stern to itself like a firm law book in the crime genre. Despite it’s “weird” term it is to be taken with a grain of salt and a person who wishes to write it should remember to not stir away from the “western” aspects of it because after all westerns in themselves are certainly unique. Meaning you could see a made up character interacting with a notorious western outlaw like Jesse James or riding the western front with Teddy Roosevelt. The weird west genre is distinct because it is known for blending not only a typical western with outside elements but also combines fictitious settings and characters with real ones. Weird West, what is it? According to a definition it’s a literary subgenre of Westerns combined with another, usually horror, science fiction or fantasy.