Beware! The Swindler!

This fun little morality play is by Stan Lee with some right purty pictures by Jay Scott Pike. From Apache Kid #18, February 1956, here's "The Swindler"

Western Kid: Atlas' Dog and Pony Show.

Publish Post

The Western Kid (who has a singularly unimaginative moniker) is the original alias of Tex Dawson. Tex Dawson is a clean-cut, Hollywood-style cowboy hero who rides the range with his horse Whilrwind "The Wonder-Stallion" and his dog, Lightning "The Miracle Dog". Together, the three companions right wrongs and fight injustice in the Old West.

In the 1970's, Marvel reprinted the feature under a new name, Gun-Slinger.

I'm sure y'all will enjoy this beautiful five-pager from 1956's Western Kid #13, with artwork by a young Johnny Romita.

Triple Threat "When The Harpers Rode"

I found this little beaut' tucked away in the back pages of a 1972 Rawhide Kid I found yesterday. It was such a nice piece, I felt it needed to go up right away. It's only 6 pages long and it was writ by "Six-Gun" Stan Lee. I have no idee who a- drawed it. Whoever t'was ain't credited nohow. It were originally published in a 1954 issue (#15) of Western Outlaws by Atlas Comics.

Tall Tales and a Short Story- Rawhide Kid

The Rawhide Kid was a leftover from Marvel's 1950's predecessor, Atlas Comics. Atlas' Rawhide Kid was a pretty standard gunfighter comic that only lasted 16 issues. In 1960, Marvel started a new Rawhide Kid series, beginning with #17. Their version of the Kid was a little different, though. The Marvel Rawhide was young, diminutive, and soft-spoken. He was never looking for a fight, but when one came to him, he responded with a blend of circus-level trick-shooting and acrobatic contortionism. Of course, that's what happens when you put a western into the hands of Jack Kirby.

The 1960 run lasted 135 issues. It was picked up by Marvel once more in 1970. The 1970's run are almost exclusively reprints of earlier material, often with snazzy Gil Kane covers.

It's probably just me, but the cover sales pitch of "Blazing Western ACTION As You Like It!" always sounds kinda dirty.

From 1977's Rawhide Kid #142 (reprinting from #64) here's "Birth of a Legend". Writ by Stan Lee and drawed by Jack Davis






Jack Davis, of course, is famous for his work at EC Comics and for his later work on Mad Magazine. Personally, whenever I think of Davis, the first image in my mind is his Dracula from the SlimJim ads that used to run in the comics.




The original cover from #64, June 1968.