Western comics is a

comics a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...

genre usually depicting the

American Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

frontier (usually anywhere west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest Drainage system (geomorphology), drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson B ...

) and typically set during the late nineteenth century. The term is generally associated with an

American comic books An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'', ...

genre published from the late 1940s through the 1950s (though the genre had continuing popularity in Europe, and persists in limited form in American comics today). Western comics of the period typically featured dramatic scripts about

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaqu ...

gunfighter Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...

s, lawmen, bounty hunters,

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill th ...

s, and Native Americans. Accompanying artwork depicted a rural America populated with such iconic images as guns, cowboy hats, vests, horses, saloons, ranches, and deserts, contemporaneous with the setting.

Origins

Western novel Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 20th century and ...

films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

, and pulp magazines were extremely popular in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

from the late 1930s to the 1960s. Western comics first appeared in syndicated

newspaper strips A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

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. 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 William Garrett Price (November 21, 1896 – April 8, 1979) was an American artist, cartoonist and illustrator. He is remembered for cartoons and cover illustrations in '' The New Yorker'' and for children's book illustrations. Early life and e ...

's ''White Boy'' (later changed to ''Skull Valley'') was another syndicated strip from the 1930s. The first Western stories to appear in the comics were in the mid-1930s: National Allied's '' New Fun Comics'' #1 (Feb. 1935) ran the modern-West feature "Jack Woods" and the Old West feature "Buckskin Jim"; Centaur Publications' ''The Comics Magazine'' #1 (May 1936) ran the feature "Captain Bill of the Rangers"; and

David McKay Publications David McKay Publications (also known as David McKay Company) was an American book publisher which also published some of the first comic books, including the long-running titles ''Ace Comics'', ''King Comics'', and '' Magic Comics''; as well as ...

's ''Feature Book'' #1 (May 1937) and a single issue of ''King Comics'' (also 1937) featured '' King of the Royal Mounted'' reprints before Dell took over licensing of the character.

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark" ...

' '' The Funnies'' published a run of short adaptations of

B-movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feat ...

Westerns starting in vol. 2, issue #20 (May 1938). Whitman Comics' ''Crackajack Funnies'' ran regular Western features (including

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...

stories) beginning with issue #1 in June 1938. The first stand-alone Western comics titles were published by Centaur Publications. ''Star Ranger'' and ''Western Picture Stories'' both debuted from the publisher in late 1936, cover-dated Feb. 1937. ''Star Ranger'' ran for 12 issues, becoming ''Cowboy Comics'' for a couple of issues, and then becoming ''Star Ranger Funnies''. The series ended in October 1939. ''Western Picture Stories'' ran four issues in 1937.

published ''Western Action Thrillers'' #1 shortly thereafter (cover-date Apr. 1937), and began publishing ''

Red Ryder Comics Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

'',Schelly, Bill and Keith Dallas. ''American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1950s'' (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2013), p. 17. initially reprinting the long-running comic strip, in 1941.

"Golden Age": 1948–1960

Western comics became popular in the years immediately following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

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

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in ...

and its forerunners Timely Comics and

Atlas Comics Atlas Comics may refer to * Atlas Comics (1950s) Atlas Comics is the 1950s comic-book publishing label that evolved into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitud ...

. ''

Kid Colt Outlaw ''Kid Colt, Outlaw'' is a comic book title featuring the character Kid Colt originally published by Atlas Comics beginning in 1948 and later Marvel Comics. Publication history Kid Colt and his horse Steel first appeared in ''Kid Colt'' #1 (August ...

'' debuted in 1948, running until 1979 (though it was primarily a reprint title after 1967). The company soon established itself as the most prolific publisher of Western comics with other notable long-running titles, including '' Rawhide Kid'', '' Two-Gun Kid'', and '' Wild Western''. The six-issue 1950

Harvey Comics Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by A ...

series '' Boys' Ranch'', by

Joe Simon Joseph Henry Simon (October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the ...

and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gre ...

, was a seminal example of the Western comics genre.

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. ( doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with the ...

published the long-running series '' All-Star Western'' and '' Western Comics''. Charlton Comics published '' Billy the Kid'', ''Cheyenne Kid'', ''Outlaws of the West'', ''Texas Rangers in Action'', and the unusual title '' Black Fury'', about a

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

that roamed the West righting wrongs. Both

and Fawcett Comics published a number of Western titles, including '' The Lone Ranger'' (Dell) and ''

Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He wa ...

'' (Fawcett, later continued by DC after Fawcett folded in 1953). Many issues of Dell's ''

Four Color ''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...

'' featured Western stories during the 1950s.

Avon Comics Avon Publications is one of the leading publishers of romance fiction. At Avon's initial stages, it was an American paperback book and comic book publisher. The shift in content occurred in the early 1970s with multiple Avon romance titles reach ...

published a number of Western comics, the most notable titles being based on historical figures like

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the " Little Dixie" area of Western Missouri, James and his family maintained st ...

and Wild Bill Hickok. Youthful published the Western titles ''Gunsmoke'', ''Indian Fighter'', and ''Redskin'' (later known as ''Famous Western Badmen''). And Toby Press published its own '' Billy the Kid Adventure Magazine''.

Characters

The first Western hero to have his adventures published in the comics was the

Masked Raider The Masked Raider is an alias of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original character went by the name of Jim Gardley and appeared in comic books published during the 1930s and 1940s per ...

, published by Timely Comics beginning in 1939. Timely/Atlas/Marvel favored Western characters with the word "Kid" in their name, including the

Apache Kid Haskay-bay-nay-ntayl ( 1860 – in or after 1894), better known as the Apache Kid, was born in Aravaipa Canyon (25 miles (40 kilometers) south of San Carlos Agency) into one of the three local groups of the Aravaipa/Arivaipa Apache Band (in Apa ...

, Kid Colt, the

Outlaw Kid The Outlaw Kid is a fictional Western hero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character originally appeared in the company's 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics. A lesser-known character than the company's Kid Colt, Rawh ...

, the Rawhide Kid, the Ringo Kid, the Two-Gun Kid, and the Western Kid—as well as the more obscure heroes the Prairie Kid, the Arizona Kid, and the Texas Kid. Other companies followed suit, with DC's Stuff the Chinatown Kid and the

Wyoming Kid Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

; Charlton Comics' Billy the Kid and the Cheyenne Kid; and Dell's the

Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in ''Everybody's Magazi ...

. Black Rider and Phantom Rider were two other Marvel company characters from the genre's peak. Other early

Western characters included

Johnny Thunder Johnny Thunder is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. A fourth character has the variant name Jonni Thunder. The character appeared in the second season of '' Stargirl'' on The CW network played b ...

, Nighthawk,

Pow Wow Smith Ohiyesa "Pow Wow" Smith is a fictional Western hero published by DC Comics. Created by writer Don Cameron and penciler Carmine Infantino, he is a Sioux who is the sheriff of the small Western town of Elkhorn, where he is known as a master detec ...

, Tomahawk, the Trigger Twins, and

Vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

featured the

Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

, and Dell's Lobo (debuting in 1965) was the medium's first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

character to headline his own series.

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: Fawcett published Allan Lane,

Monte Hale Monte Hale (born Samuel Buren Ely June 8, 1919 – March 29, 2009) was an American B-Western film star and country musician. Biography Sometimes reported to have been born in San Angelo, Texas, Hale was actually born in Ada, Oklahoma but gre ...

, Gabby Hayes, Lash LaRue, Tex Ritter, and

comics; Dell published

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

, Rex Allen,

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

, and

Wild Bill Elliott Wild Bill Elliott (born Gordon Nance, October 16, 1904 – November 26, 1965) was an American film actor. He specialized in playing the rugged heroes of B Westerns, particularly the Red Ryder series of films. Early life Elliott was born Gor ...

comics; Magazine Enterprises published Charles Starrett and

Tim Holt Charles John "Tim" Holt III (February 5, 1919 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He was a popular Western star during the 1940s and early 1950s, appearing in forty-six B westerns released by RKO Pictures. In a career spanning mo ...

comics; Toby Press published a

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Go ...

title; and DC produced short-lived Dale Evans and Jimmy Wakely titles. (Dale Evans and

Reno Browne Reno Browne was the stage name of Josephine Ruth Clarke (April 20, 1921 – May 15, 1991), an American equestrian and B-movie actress during the late 1940s and into the 1950s, with most of her films being in 1949. She was sometimes billed as ...

were the only two Western actresses to have comics based on their characters.) Most of the cowboy actor titles featured photo covers of the stars; most series had been canceled by 1957.

Creators

Since Westerns were such a popular genre in the 1950s, many of the period's notable creators spent at least some time doing Western comics. Writer Paul S. Newman and artist Tom Gill had an 11-year stretch on

Dell Dell is an American based technology company. It develops, sells, repairs, and supports computers and related products and services. Dell is owned by its parent company, Dell Technologies. Dell sells personal computers (PCs), servers, data ...

's '' The Lone Ranger'', a 107-issue run that marks one of the longest of any writer/artist team on a comic-book series. Larry Lieber spent nine years as writer-artist of Marvel's '' Rawhide Kid''.

France Herron Francis Edward Herron (July 23, 1917 – September 2, 1966) was an American comic book writer and editor active in the 1940s–1960s, mainly for DC Comics. He is credited with co-creating Captain Marvel Jr. and the Red Skull, as well as such cha ...

and

Fred Ray Frederic E. "Fred" Ray, Jr. (February 4, 1920 – January 23, 2001)Dates and spelling of name peFrederic E.Ray Social Security Number 204-03-7262, aSocial Security Death Index Source gives birthplace and "Jr." was an American comic book artist and ...

were the long-time writer and artist of DC's '' Tomahawk''. Gaylord DuBois excelled in writing Western comics featuring realistic animals: he wrote the entire run of '' The Lone Ranger's Famous Horse Hi-Yo Silver'', the entire run of '' National Velvet'' under both the Dell and Gold Key imprints, and many other animal stories for a number of publishers. Carl Pfeufer was the longtime artist of Fawcett's

comics. Artist Fred Guardineer had a long run on Magazine Enterprises' ''The Durango Kid''. Pete Tumlinson illustrated most of Kid Colt's early stories. Later, Tumlinson drew Western stories for

' ''Outlaw Fighters'', ''Two-Gun Western'', and '' Wild Western''. Russ Heath drew a corral-full of Western stories for such Marvel titles as '' Wild Western,'' ''All Western Winners,'' ''Arizona Kid,'' '' Black Rider,'' ''Western Outlaws,'' and ''Reno Browne, Hollywood's Greatest Cowgirl.''

Vic Carrabotta Victor Carrabotta (June 24, 1929 – November 22, 2022) was an American comic-book artist and advertising art director whose career stretches to the early 1950s. His comic book art includes much work for Marvel Comics' 1950s forerunner, Atlas C ...

worked on such Marvel Westerns as ''

'', '' Kid Colt: Outlaw'', The Outlaw Kid, and ''Western Outlaws''. Artist John Severin was known for his 1950s Western comics art for Atlas. Artist Mike Sekowsky drew such characters as the

, the Black Rider, and Kid Colt for Atlas; he later freelanced for other companies, drawing the

TV-series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

spin-offs ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'' and ''

Buffalo Bill, Jr. ''Buffalo Bill, Jr.'' is a half-hour western series that aired in syndication starting in March 1955. The last new episode was broadcast in September 1956. The series was produced by Gene Autry's Flying A Productions, and distributed by CBS Tele ...

'' for

. Artist Rocke Mastroserio specialized in Western stories for such Charlton Comics series as '' Billy the Kid'', '' Black Fury'', '' Jim Bowie'', ''Rocky Lane's Black Jack'', ''Sheriff of Tombstone'', ''Six-Gun Heroes'', '' Texas Rangers in Action'', and ''

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman and gambler in the American West, including Dodge City, Deadwood, and Tombstone. Earp took part in the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral, during which la ...

, Frontier Marshal''. Pat Boyette worked on such Charlton Western series as '' Billy the Kid'', ''Cheyenne Kid'', and ''Outlaws of the West''.

1960s decline

The Western genre in general peaked around 1960, largely due to the tremendous number of Westerns on American

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

. 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 Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

, the genre seemed increasingly out of touch. As the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

public's interest in the genre waned, Western literature—including comics—began to lose its appeal as well. At the same time, the comics industry was shifting back to superheroes (entering its " Silver Age") and away from some of the other genres which had flourished during the 1950s. In fact, of the original Western comics series begun in the late 1940s and early 1950s, only a handful of titles survived the 1950s. Charlton's low production costs enabled it to continue producing a number of Western titles, but otherwise Dell's '' The Lone Ranger'', and Marvel's ''

Gunsmoke Western ''Gunsmoke Western'' was an American comic book series published initially by Atlas Comics, the 1950s forerunner of Marvel Comics, and then into the 1960s by Marvel. A Western anthology that ran 46 issues, it featured early stories of the Marvel ...

'', ''

'', and '' Rawhide Kid'' were the only Western titles to make it through the 1960s. Gary Friedrich, Mike Esposito, and

Ogden Whitney John Ogden Whitney (May 1, 1919 – August 13, 1975) was an American comic-book artist and sometime writer active from the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of comics through the 1960s Silver Age. He is best known as co-creator of the aviator hero Sk ...

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 Bat Lash, who starred in a short-lived series. They also revived the '' All-Star Western'' title, starting volume two of the series in 1970. In 1972, ''All-Star Western'' changed its name to ''

Weird Western Tales ''Weird Western Tales'' is a Western genre comics anthology published by DC Comics from June–July 1972 to August 1980. It is best known for featuring the adventures of Jonah Hex until #38 (Jan.–Feb. 1977) when the character was promoted to h ...

'', with many stories featuring the newly created Western antihero Jonah Hex (debuting in 1975 in his own title). ''Weird Western Tales'' (sister title of ''

Weird War Tales ''Weird War Tales'' was a war comic book title with supernatural overtones published by DC Comics. It was published from September–October 1971 to June 1983. Publication history The original title ran for 12 years and 124 issues. It was ...

'') defined a new

multi-genre A hybrid genre is a literary genre that blends themes and elements from two or more different genres. Works in hybrid genres are often referred to as cross-genre, multi-genre, mixed genre, or fusion genre. Hybrid genres are a longstanding element ...

form: "

Weird West Weird West (aka Weird Western) is a term used for the hybrid genres of fantasy Western, horror Western and science fiction Western. The term originated with DC's '' Weird Western Tales'' in 1972, but the idea is older as the genres have been ...

," a combination of the Western with another literary genre, usually horror,

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

, or

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

. Other Western characters DC created during this period include the heroes Scalphunter and

El Diablo Diablo or El Diablo may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * Diablo (Disney), a raven in ''Sleeping Beauty'' * Diablo (Marvel Comics), a Fantastic Four villain * El Diablo (comics), several fictional characters from DC Comics ...

, and the villains El Papagayo,

Terra-Man Terra-Man (real name Toby Manning) is a supervillain who appears in Superman stories published by DC Comics. Publication history Terra-Man first appeared in ''Superman'' #249 (March 1972) and was created by Cary Bates, Curt Swan, and Dick Dillin. ...

, and Quentin Turnbull. 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 Skywald Publications was an American publisher of black-and-white comics magazines, primarily the horror anthologies ''Nightmare'', ''Psycho'', and ''Scream''. It also published a small line of comic books and other genre magazines. Skywald's or ...

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

imprint Vertigo reintroduced the Western genre in 1995 with '' Preacher'', set in a contemporary version of the West. In the 1990s and 2000s, the Western comic leaned toward the Weird West subgenre, usually involving supernatural monsters. However, more traditional Western comics are found throughout this period, from '' Jonah Hex'' to '' Loveless''. Series like '' Desperadoes'', ''

High Moon ''High Moon'' is a horror Western webcomic series featuring werewolves. It was developed in 2004 with a debut in 2007 as a part of Zuda, DC Comics' webcomic imprint. The first season concluded on July 8, 2008. Season two ran from August 16 to ...

'', and ''

Scalped Scalping is the act of cutting or tearing a part of the human scalp, with hair attached, from the head, and generally occurred in warfare with the scalp being a trophy. Scalp-taking is considered part of the broader cultural practice of the taki ...

'' demonstrate the genre's continuing appeal. Creators like Joe R. Lansdale,

Michael Fleisher Michael Lawrence Fleisher (November 1, 1942 — February 2, 2018) was an American writer known for his DC Comics of the 1970s and 1980s, particularly for the characters Spectre and Jonah Hex. Biography Early life and career Fleisher was raised ...

, and Tony DeZuniga were notable contributors to Western comics from this period. In addition, publishers like America's Comics Group and

AC Comics AC Comics (formerly known as Paragon Publications and Americomics) is a comic book publishing company started by Bill Black.

have reprinted a number of Western comics from the genre's "Golden Age." ''

The Goodbye Family ''The Goodbye Family'' are a fictional family of undertakers created by fantasy Western author and illustrator Lorin Morgan-Richards. The Goodbye Family comprises Pyridine Goodbye, matriarch and mortician, Otis, father and driver of the hearse ...

'', 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

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

, and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Many European countries published reprints of American-made Western comics (translated into the respective country's native language). The Italian publishers

Sergio Bonelli Editore Sergio Bonelli Editore (formerly CEPIM and other names) is a publishing house of Italian comics founded in 1940 by Gian Luigi Bonelli (1908–2001). It takes its name from its former president, comic book writer Sergio Bonelli (1932–2011), son of ...

and Editorial Novaro led the field—Editorial Novaro's ''

'' title ran 424 issues from 1954 to 1984. The Norwegian publisher Se-Bladene and the British publisher L. Miller & Son were also particularly known for their Western comics reprint titles. Se-Bladene's ''Texas'' ran 606 issues between 1954 and 1975. The Australian publishers Ayers & James, Cleland, Federal Publishing, Gredown, and Horwitz Publications all published reprints of American Western comics during the 1950s and 1960s.

Italy

The most popular and long-running Italian-produced Western comic is Gian Luigi Bonelli and Aurelio Galleppini's ''Tex'' (starring

Tex Willer Tex Willer is the main fictional character of the Italian comics series ''Tex'', created by writer Gian Luigi Bonelli and illustrator Aurelio Galleppini, and first published in Italy on 30 September 1948. It is among the most popular characters ...

), first published in 1948. ''Tex'' is among the most popular characters in Italian comics, and has been translated into numerous languages, including Portuguese, Finnish, Norwegian, Tamil, Turkish,

Slovenian Slovene or Slovenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Slovenia, a country in Central Europe * Slovene language, a South Slavic language mainly spoken in Slovenia * Slovenes, an ethno-linguistic group mainly living in Slovenia * Sl ...

, Croatian,

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also * * * Old Serbian (disambiguation ...

and

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

. '' Captain Miki'', by the trio

EsseGesse EsseGesse was an Italian team of cartoonists, most famous for their Western (genre), Western comics, which were popular in the 1950s. The comics were translated to French language, French, Serbo-Croatian language, Serbo-Croatian, Turkish language, T ...

, was published in

(and translated into many other languages) throughout the 1950s. Characters in the comic were inspired by Gabby Hayes and the popular 1939 Western film ''

Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are dra ...

''. EsseGesse also produced the popular series '' Il Grande Blek''.

Benito Jacovitti Benito Jacovitti (; March 19, 1923 – December 3, 1997) was an Italian comics artist. Biography Benito Jacovitti was born in Termoli, Molise. He was still a kid when he started drawing on the pavement of the village's streets. The son of a rai ...

's ''

Cocco Bill Cocco Bill is an Italian comics character by Benito Jacovitti. He is the star of a parody Western comic set in hypothetical places in the Far West. He is a hot-tempered gunslinger who drinks chamomile Chamomile (American English) or camomile ...

'' is a Western humor comic produced since the mid-1950s. Sergio Bonelli and

Gallieno Ferri Gallieno Ferri (21 March 1929 – 2 April 2016) was an Italian comic book artist and illustrator. He was born in Genoa. In 1960 Ferri met writer Sergio Bonelli Sergio Bonelli (2 December 1932 – 26 September 2011) was an Italian comic book ...

's '' Zagor'' was first published in Italy by

in 1961. Carlo Boscarato and

Claudio Nizzi Claudio Nizzi (born 9 September 1938 in Sétif, Algeria) is an Italian comic author. He started his career as comic scriptwriter in 1963, writing for the comics magazine '' Il Vittorioso''. During 1969 he started working for ''Il Giornalino'' c ...

Larry Yuma Larry Yuma is the title character of an Italian western comics series created by Carlo Boscarato and Claudio Nizzi. It was published in the comics magazine ''Il Giornalino'' from 1971 to 1992 for a total of 164 episodes. The comic is strongly i ...

was a popular character in the Italian magazine '' Il Giornalino'' throughout the 1970s.

Giancarlo Berardi Giancarlo Berardi (born 15 November 1949) is an Italian comic book writer. Born in Genoa, he is most famous as creator of comics '' Ken Parker'' (1977) and ''Julia Julia is usually a feminine given name. It is a Latinate feminine form of th ...

and

Ivo Milazzo Ivo Milazzo (born 20 June 1947) is an Italian comic book artist. Born in Tortona, Milazzo worked mainly for Sergio Bonelli Editore. He debuted in 1971, drawing some ''Tarzan'' stories for the French market. Together with his friend, writer Gian ...

's 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 Magico or Mágico may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Magico'' (manga), a Japanese manga series * ''Mágico'' (album), an album by Charlie Haden * '' Mágico: Carta de Amor'', an album by Jan Garbarek, Egberto Gismonti and Charlie Haden * M ...

'' was a popular title from

. Since the late 1990s, Enrico Teodorani's Djustine has been featured in erotic "

" 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. ''

Tintin Tintin or Tin Tin may refer to: ''The Adventures of Tintin'' * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), a fictional character in the series ** ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (film), 2011, ...

'' magazine featured Western-themed comics starting in 1947 with Le Rallic's various series, and later, between 1955 and 1980 the humor-based Chick Bill by Greg and

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

. The competing magazine ''Spirou'' published

Jijé Joseph Gillain (), better known by his pen name Jijé (; 13 January 1914 – 19 June 1980), was a Franco-Belgian comics, Belgian comic book creator, comics artist, best known for being a seminal artist on the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' strip (and for ...

'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 Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (; 8 May 1938 – 10 March 2012) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer who worked in the Bandes dessinées, Franco-Belgian ''bandes dessinées'' (BD) tradition. Giraud garnered worldwide acclaim under the pseu ...

's ''

Blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' within the genus '' Vaccinium''. ''Vaccinium'' also includes cranberries ...

'' 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

. Charlier and Giraud created the '' Jim Cutlass'' series in 1981; subsequent volumes were written by Giraud and drawn by Christian Rossi. Greg and Hermann Huppen's ''

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in ...

'' 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 Buddy Longway is a western comic book written by the Swiss comic book writer Derib. It is published under the Le Lombard publishing house. The first issue came out in 1972, and 16 issues were published until 1987. Derib restarted the series in 20 ...

'', 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 David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of ...

'', ''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 Héctor Germán Oesterheld, also known as his common abbreviation HGO (born July 23, 1919; disappeared and presumed dead 1977), was an Argentine journalist and writer of graphic novels and comics. He has come to be celebrated as a master in his ...

'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 '' Straight Arrow'', the Durango Kid, and

; and original Japanese

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

. The story goes that during the American occupation of Japan directly after World War, General Eisenhower forbade Japanese publishers to publish

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

comics, and that the next best thing were Western stories of adventure.FALK, RAY
"Howdy! Pardner-San,"
''New York Times'' (May 3, 1953), p. 296.

Hyung Min-woo Hyung Min-woo (born 14 April 1974) is a South Korean manhwa artist best known for ''Priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one ...

's manhwa series ''

Priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

'' was published in Korea and the U.S. from 1998 to 2007.

Notable American Western comics

Golden Age of Comic Books

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) * ''

'', 121 issues (Dell, 1946–1955) * '' Jimmy Wakely'', 18 issues (DC, 1949–1952) * ''

Adventure Comics'', 31 issues (Toby Press, 1949–1955) * '' Lash LaRue Western'', 84 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1949–1961) * ''

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 * ''

Comics'', 91 issues (Dell, 1948–1961) * ''Six-Gun Heroes'', 83 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1950–1965) – featured cowboy actors like Allan "Rocky" Lane, Lash LaRue,

, Smiley Burnette, and Tex Ritter * '' Tex Ritter Western'', 46 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1950–1959) * ''

'', 41 issues (Magazine Enterprises, 1948–1954) * ''

Western'', 61 issues (Fawcett, 1948–1953) * ''Western Hero'', 112 issues (Fawcett, 1948–1952) – featured cowboy actors like

and

; formerly known as ''Real Western Hero'' * ''

'', 14 issues (Dell, 1950–1955)

Contemporary titles

* ''

'' (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) * ''

'' (DC/Vertigo, 2007–2012) * ''

'' (DC/Zuda, 2007–2017) * ''

'' (2015–present)

References

Notes

Sources

Grand Comics Database
* Horn, Maurice. ''Comics of the American West'' (New Win Publishing, 1977)

External links

* Grost, Michael E
"Western Comics,"
MikeGrost.com. Accessed July 4, 2011. * Smith, Troy D

Western Fictioneers: Official Blog of the Western Fictioneers, Professional Authors of Traditional Western Novels and Short Stories (Apr. 25, 2011)

The Old Corral. Accessed July 10, 2011. {{Comics Comics genres