''Billy the Kid'' is a
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
series published by
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T.W.O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line was a division of Charlton ...
, with stories of a
fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditi ...
al character based on the historical
Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at t ...
. Taking over the numbering of a previous Western comic, ''Masked Raider'', ''Billy the Kid'' was published from issues #9-153 (Nov. 1957 - March 1983). The Billy the Kid character made his first appearance in ''Masked Raider'' #6.
Regular backup features in the book included Bounty Hunter Shawn O'Meara, Tenderfoot Sheriff John Lind, Mr. Young Of The Boothill Gazette, and Apache Red.
Regular contributors to the title included writer
, and artists
Pat Boyette
Aaron P. "Pat" Boyette (July 27, 1923 – January 14, 2000) was an American broadcasting personality and news producer, and later a comic book artist best known for two decades of work for Charlton Comics, where he co-created the character the Pe ...
,
José Delbo
José Delbo (born December 9, 1933) is an Argentine comics artist. He is best known for his work on ''Wonder Woman'' for DC Comics and '' The Transformers'' for Marvel Comics.
Career
José Delbo became a professional comics artist at the age of 1 ...
,
Jack Keller,
Sanho Kim
Sanho Kim (born 1939 in Korea) is a South Korean comic book artist, considered the first artist working in a manhwa style to be published regularly in the United States. The bulk of Kim's American work was for Charlton Comics' horror comics, a ...
,
Rocke Mastroserio
Rocco A. "Rocke" Mastroserio (June 8, 1927 — early March 1968Dates per AdditionaWebCitation archivemade June 15, 2010. Note: The Social Security Death Index lists Rocco Mastroserioof New York City, born September 15, 1901, died December 1966.) w ...
,
Charles Nicholas
"Charles Nicholas" is the pseudonymous house name of three early creators of American comic books for the Fox Feature Syndicate and Fox Comics: Chuck Cuidera (1915–2001), Jack Kirby (1917–1994), and Charles Wojtkoski (1921–1985). The name o ...
,
Warren Sattler
Warren Sattler (born September 7, 1934) is an American artist and cartoonist, who contributed work to many popular publications from the early 1960s through the 1990s.
Biography
A lifelong Connecticut resident, Warren Sattler started cartooning a ...
, and
.
Publication history
The book's first five issues (June 1955 - Aug. 1956) were titled ''Masked Raider'' (not to be confused with the
Timely Comics character), starring a masked gunfighter and his pet
golden eagle
The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...
Talon. With issue #6 the book was titled ''Masked Raider Presents Billy the Kid''. This title lasted three issues, through cover-date July 1957. With issue #9, the full cover title was ''Billy the Kid: Western Outlaw'', lasting through issue #37.
''Billy the Kid'' was twice put under publication hiatus, first between #121 and #122 (Jan.–Aug. 1977), and then from #123 to #124 (Nov. 1977–Feb. 1978). From that point the end of the run, ''Billy the Kid'' was a reprint title.
Recurring features
* The Cheyenne Kid made appearances in issues #19, 117, 118, 127-129, 134, 135, and 138-141.
* Bounty Hunter (Shawn O'Meara) stories were featured in issues #66-78, 80, 81, 83, and 87.
* Fictional
Doc Holliday
John Henry Holliday (August 14, 1851 – November 8, 1887), better known as Doc Holliday, was an American gambler, gunfighter, and dentist. A close friend and associate of lawman Wyatt Earp, Holliday is best known for his role in the event ...
stories appeared in issues #68, 77, and 86.
* Tenderfoot Sheriff John Lind appeared in issues #73, 85, 90, 93, 147, and 152.
* Mr. Young of ''The Boothill Gazette'' stories were featured in issues #88-98, 100, 102, and 104-110.
* Apache Red stories appeared in issues #112, 114-116, and 119-123.
References
*
*
*
External links
Charlton Spotlight: Charlton Characters & Features''Billy the Kid'' cover gallery
{{Billy the Kid
Charlton Comics titles
Western (genre) comics
Comics characters introduced in 1957
Defunct American comics
1957 comics debuts
1983 comics endings
Comics about Billy the Kid