Western comics

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Western comics is a

Western comics first appeared in syndicated newspaper strips in the late 1920s. Harry O'Neill's Young Buffalo Bill (later changed to Buckaroo Bill and then, finally, Broncho Bill), distributed by United Feature Syndicate beginning in 1927, , and was a pioneering example of the form.^[1] Starting in the 1930s, Red Ryder, Little Joe, and King of the Royal Mounted were syndicated in hundreds of newspapers across the United States. Garrett Price's White Boy (later changed to Skull Valley) was another syndicated strip from the 1930s.^[2]

The first Western stories to appear in the comics were in the mid-1930s:

Western comics became popular in the years immediately following World War II, when superheroes went out of style. Adult readership had grown during the war years, and returning servicemen wanted subjects other than superheroes in their books. The popularity of the Western genre in comic strips and other media gave birth to Western comics, many of which began being published around 1948.^[5][4]

Most of the larger publishers of the period jumped headfirst into the Western arena during this period, particularly

The first Western hero to have his adventures published in the comics was the Masked Raider, published by Timely Comics beginning in 1939.

Timely/Atlas/Marvel favored Western characters with the word "Kid" in their name, including the

Cowboy actor comics

The years 1946–1949 saw an explosion of titles "starring" Western film actors and cowboy singers. Almost every star, major or minor, had their own title at some point; and almost every publisher got in on the action:

The Western genre in general peaked around 1960, largely due to the tremendous number of Westerns on American television.^{[citation needed]} Increasingly, the genre reflected a Romantic view of the American West—and American history in general. As the country grappled with the cultural issues of the 1960s and the Vietnam War, the genre seemed increasingly out of touch.^{[citation needed]}

As the

Gary Friedrich, Mike Esposito, and Ogden Whitney are three of the few notable Western comics creators from the 1960s.

Weird West and continuing appeal

The late 1960s and early 1970s saw the rise of revisionist Western film. Elements include a darker, more cynical tone, with focus on the lawlessness of the time period, favoring realism over romanticism, and an interest in greater historical authenticity. Anti-heroes were common, as were stronger roles for women and more-sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans and Mexicans. The films were often critical of big business, the American government, and masculine figures (including the military and their policies).

Reflecting the trend, in 1968 DC debuted the new character

Marvel also attempted to capitalize on the renewed interest in the Western with two mostly reprint titles, The Mighty Marvel Western (1968–1976) and Western Gunfighters vol. 2 (1970–1975).

The short-lived publisher Skywald Publications attempted a line of Western titles in the early 1970s, but nothing came of it.

Weird Western Tales survived until 1980, and Jonah Hex until 1985. By then no major publishers were producing Western titles, though iconic characters from the DC and Marvel canons would occasionally make cameo appearances in other books.

The

The Goodbye Family, about a family of Weird West undertakers, started in 2015 and continues in both online and print formats.

Outside of the United States

The Western genre's overall popularity in Europe spawned a Western comics trend, particularly in

is a Western humor comic produced since the mid-1950s.

Ken Parker

is a popular Western hero appearing in Italian comics since 1977.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, writer Gianfranco Manfredi's Magico Vento was a popular title from Sergio Bonelli Editore. Since the late 1990s, Enrico Teodorani's Djustine has been featured in erotic "Weird West" stories in Italy and the United States.

Franco-Belgian Western comics

The Western humor comic Lucky Luke, published since 1946, debuting in Spirou magazine, is one of the most popular and best-selling comics series in continental Europe. Popular in Canada, about half of the series' adventures have been translated into English. Lucky Luke comics have been translated into 23 languages, including many European languages, and some African and Asian languages.

Tibet. The competing magazine Spirou published Jijé's Jerry Spring

, in a realistic vein, beginning in 1954. Albums from the Jerry Spring series were published until 1990.

Jean-Michel Charlier and Jean Giraud's Blueberry is a Western series published beginning in 1963 and continuing until 2005. The series were inspired by Jerry Spring, and the artist Giraud had been mentored by Jijé. Charlier and Giraud created the Jim Cutlass series in 1981; subsequent volumes were written by Giraud and drawn by Christian Rossi.

Greg and

Comanche was published from 1972 to 1983 (with the series being continued by Rouge for four more stories). The Belgian publisher Le Lombard produced the title Buddy Longway, by Swiss comics creator Derib

, from 1972 to 1987, and from 2002 to 2006.

Durango is a western series created by the Belgian Yves Swolfs in 1981. Currently 17 tomes are available.

Other countries

England's

L. Miller & Son's original Western comics titles included Colorado Kid, Davy Crockett, Kid Dynamite Western Comic, Pancho Villa Western Comic, and Rocky Mountain King Western Comic, all published in the 1950s. Jim Edgar and Tony Weare's "Matt Marriott" was a daily strip which ran in the London Evening News

from 1955 to 1977.

Spanish cartoonist Manuel Gago Garcia's The Little Fighter was a popular series of Western comics between 1945 and 1956. Yuki the Bold (debuting in 1958) is another popular Spanish series, as were the shorter-lived series Apache and Red Arrow. Other Spanish Western comics include Sheriff King (beginning in 1964), Sunday (1968), and Kelly Hand (1971).

Hugo Pratt and Héctor Germán Oesterheld's Sergeant Kirk was a popular Western comics title in Argentina during the 1950s. Additional Sergeant Kirk stories were published into the early 1970s.

Western comics were popular in Japan in the early 1950s, both translations of American titles like

Durango Kid, and Tim Holt; and original Japanese manga. The story goes that during the American occupation of Japan directly after World War, General Eisenhower forbade Japanese publishers to publish samurai comics, and that the next best thing were Western stories of adventure.^[7]

Hyung Min-woo's manhwa series Priest was published in Korea and the U.S. from 1998 to 2007.

Notable American Western comics

Golden Age of Comic Books

Title	Publisher	Issues published	Publication dates	Notes
All-Star Western	DC	62	1951–1961	vol. 1 (vol. 2, published from 1970 to 1972, became Weird Western Tales)
Billy the Kid	Charlton	145	1957–1983	Mostly a reprint title from issue #125 (Jan. 1979) onward
Black Fury	Charlton	57	1955–1966
Gunfighter	EC	9	1948–1950	Continued as The Haunt of Fear
Cheyenne Kid	Charlton	92	1957–1973
The Cisco Kid	Dell	41	1951–1958
Crack Western	Quality	22	1949–1953	took over the numbering of Quality's Crack Comics
Gene Autry Comics	Dell	121	1946–1959	title changed to Gene Autry and Champion with issue #102
Gunsmoke Western	Marvel	46	1948–1963	began as Black Rider (#8–27), Western Tales of Black Rider (#28–31), and, finally, Gunsmoke Western (#32–77), the last primarily starring Kid Colt, Outlaw
Hopalong Cassidy	Fawcett/DC	134	1946–1959	DC takes over titles in 1953 after Fawcett's demise
Kid Colt Outlaw	Marvel	225	1949–1979	Mostly a reprint title from issue #130 (Sept. 1966) onward
The Lone Ranger	Dell	145	1948–1962	Gold Key picked up the character, sporadically publishing 28 issues from 1964 to 1977, making heavy use of reprint material from the Dell comics, adding in new material toward the end of the run.
The Lone Ranger's Famous Horse Hi-Yo Silver	Dell	34	1952–1960
Outlaws of the West	Charlton	71	1957–1980	numbering continues in 7-issue reprint series published in 1979–1980
Prize Comics Western	Prize	51	1948–1956
Rawhide Kid	Marvel	151	1955–1957 1960–1979	Mostly a reprint title from issue #116 (Oct. 1973) onward
Red Ryder	Dell	151	1941–1956	Initially reprints of the long-running syndicated newspaper strip. With issue #47 (June 1947), began producing original material.[8]
Straight Arrow	Magazine Enterprises	55	1950–1956	Adapted from a popular radio program
Texas Rangers in Action	Charlton	75	1956–1970
Tomahawk	DC	140	1950–1972
Two-Gun Kid	Marvel	126	1948–1962	Mostly a reprint title from issue #93 (July 1970) onward
Western Comics	DC	85	1948–1961
Wild Western	Marvel	55	1948–1957	Published by the Marvel forerunner Atlas
Wrangler Great Moments in Rodeo	American Comics Group	50	1955–1966

Cowboy actor comics

• Charles Starrett as the Durango Kid, 41 issues (Magazine Enterprises, 1949–1955)
• Dale Evans Comics, 24 issues (DC, 1948–1952)
• Gabby Hayes
  Western, 50 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1948–1957)
• Gene Autry, 121 issues (Dell, 1946–1955)
• Jimmy Wakely, 18 issues (DC, 1949–1952)
• John Wayne Adventure Comics, 31 issues (Toby Press, 1949–1955)
• Lash LaRue Western, 84 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1949–1961)
• Monte Hale Western, 60 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1948–1956)
• Rex Allen, 30 issues (Dell, 1951–1959)
• Rocky Lane Western, 87 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1949–1959) – many issues featured Slim Pickens
  backup stories
• Roy Rogers Comics, 91 issues (Dell, 1948–1961)
• Six-Gun Heroes, 83 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1950–1965) – featured cowboy actors like
  Allan "Rocky" Lane, Lash LaRue, Monte Hale, Smiley Burnette, and Tex Ritter
• Tex Ritter Western, 46 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1950–1959)
• Tim Holt, 41 issues (Magazine Enterprises, 1948–1954)
• Tom Mix Western, 61 issues (Fawcett, 1948–1953)
• Western Hero, 112 issues (Fawcett, 1948–1952) – featured cowboy actors like Tom Mix and Monte Hale; formerly known as Real Western Hero
• Wild Bill Elliott, 14 issues (Dell, 1950–1955)

Contemporary titles

• Weird Western Tales (DC, 1972–1980) – began in 1970 as volume two of All-Star Western
• Jonah Hex (DC, 1977–1985; DC/Vertigo, 2005–2011)
• Preacher (DC/Vertigo, 1995–2000)
• Desperadoes (Homage/Wildstorm, 1997–2002; IDW, 2005–2007)
• Loveless (DC/Vertigo, 2005–2008)
• Scalped (DC/Vertigo, 2007–2012)
• High Moon (DC/Zuda, 2007–2017)
• The Goodbye Family (2015–present)

References

Notes

1. ^ Markstein, Don. "Broncho Bill," Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Nov. 23, 2011.
2. ^ Markstein, Don. "Whiteboy," Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Nov. 23, 2011.
3. ^ Sexton, Lansing and Sexton, Andrea. "Cowboy Comic Books - an Overview: Tim Holt," The Old Corral. Accessed July 25, 2011.
4. ^ ^{a b} Schelly, Bill and Keith Dallas. American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1950s (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2013), p. 17.
5. ^ Rhoades, Shirrel (2008). A Complete History of American Comic Books. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, p. 47.
6. ^ Markstein, Don. "Two-Gun Kid," Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Dec. 19, 2011.
7. ^ FALK, RAY. "Howdy! Pardner-San," New York Times (May 3, 1953), p. 296.
8. ^ Sexton, Lansing and Sexton, Andrea. "Cowboy Comic Books - an Overview: Red Ryder," The Old Corral. Accessed July 25, 2011.

Sources

• Grand Comics Database
• ISBN 9780876911907

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Western comics.

• Grost, Michael E. "Western Comics," MikeGrost.com. Accessed July 4, 2011.
• Smith, Troy D. "The Top Ten Western Comics — and a whole slew of runners-up," Western Fictioneers: Official Blog of the Western Fictioneers, Professional Authors of Traditional Western Novels and Short Stories (Apr. 25, 2011)
• "Cowboy Comic Books - an Overview," The Old Corral. Accessed July 10, 2011.