Don't Mess with Lone Tree's Wife

cover art by Sam Savitt

Seriously. DO NOT mess with Lone Tree's wife. It will not end well for you.

I've been reading through Dell's Indian Chief series (which ran for 33 issues from 1951 to 1959) and I have pretty much come to the conclusion that it is one of the finest comics ever produced. Each issue gives us two well-told and exciting tales that can be help up as near-perfect examples of how to meld good writing together with good art.

It's really a pity that we often don't know who wrote a particular story. "Arrows of Fire," for instance, appeared in Indian Chief #10 (April-June 1953) and is a superbly told tale. We know the artist is almost certainly Jon Small, but we don't know who the writer is. If I had to guess, I would say the plot has a very Gaylord Dubois vibe to it, but that is indeed just a guess.

The story jumps right into the action when Pawnee warriors attack a Kiowa village. They capture Yellow Bud, the wife of Lone Tree.

That is the Pawnees' first mistake. If you want to live to see the next sunrise, the one thing you definitely don't do is threaten Lone Tree's wife.

But when the Kiowa chief decides to send a war party directly after the Pawnee, Lone Tree wants to try a rescue attempt first, concerned that the Pawnee will kill Yellow Bud if they get cornered by a large war party. The chief, who is concerned with the tribe as a whole, vetoes this idea. So, though it weighs on Lone Tree's conscience, he lies about the trail he found to send his fellow warriors off in the wrong direction.

The panel above is excellent, reflecting both Lone Tree's guilt over lying to his chief and his determination to save his wife no matter what.

Lone Tree runs into trouble when he catches up with the Pawnee and has to hide in a hollow log, causing him a bit of discomfort when the enemy braves light a fire right next to that log!

But he gets himself out of that situation and uses it as an opportunity to dispose of Yellow Bud's guard and run off with her.

 What follows are several pages of non-stop action as Lone Tree and Yellow Bud are closely pursued by the remaining Pawnee. Lone Tree uses every trick he can think of to stop those who threaten the woman he loves, including the particular brutal tactic of setting fire to some prairie grass to either burn the Pawnee to death or force them to jump off a cliff. A shifting wind spoils that plan and Lone Tree is soon making a last stand against the enemy.

It looks like they are doomed in the end, but the Kiowa chief shows up with a rescue party in the nick of time and Lone Tree personally kills the Pawnee chief. Gee whiz, you really need to avoid messing with Lone Tree's wife!

It turns out that the Kiowa chief knew Lone Tree was lying about the direction the Pawnee had taken, doubled back and followed him to the enemy. The chief isn't angry about the lie--he credits Lone Tree's love for his wife with giving the tribe their victory.

It's a great story (available to read online HERE). Dell Comics during the 1950s gave us some of the best graphic storytelling in the history of the medium and "Arrows of Fire" is a prime example of why you can reasonably argue that Dell was the best comic publisher ever.

Next week, we return to the Avengers for a look at the second part of their battle with Count Nefaria.