The Outlaw Kid becomes an... Outlaw? Part 2

cover art by Gil Kane

Outlaw Kid #11 (August 1972) continues the Kid's journey towards becoming (at least in the eyes of the law) a real outlaw. Jack McDaniels, wielding like a club the fact that he owns half the town, wants the Kid arrested and the sheriff buckles to his demands. The Kid makes a traditional "crashing through a window" escape, but that doesn't help his public image. The store owner is upset over the cost of the damage, but McDaniels wins him over to his side by handing over some cash.

Writer Mike Friedrich and artist Dick Ayers establish a very strong dynamic in this story arc. McDaniels is not a nice guy, but he's not overtly breaking the law and uses his money (at least at first) to gain popularity with the townfolk. The Outlaw Kid has saved the town many times, but now is declared an outlaw, leaving him with no apparent way of fighting back without becoming an outlaw in actuality.

Lance Temple is flummoxed and uncertain of what to do next, but when McDaniels starts sweet-talking his gal... well, that's when things get REAL.

This is another aspect of the story I like. Temple has a very human reaction to the situation and acts impulsively because of it.

But his eventual plan of action isn't completely impulsive. It's not long before McDaniels' inherently greedy nature starts to show when he raises rates on what it costs farmers to haul goods. When the Outlaw Kid intervenes at just the right moment, at least some of the farmers react favorably to him, considering him a Robin Hood.

McDaniels is peeved enough to attack the Kid on his own, with Dick Ayers choreographing an effective and brutal fist fight in which the Kid comes out on the losing end and nearly gets run over by a train.

The Kid has to make a break for it and McDaniels brings in an outside bounty hunter to track him down. This is Bounty-Hawk, a character created earlier that year (initially called Gunhawk) by Gary Friedrich in Western Gunfighters #7.

We are going to pause for a couple of weeks before moving on to the conclusion of this story arc. Next week, we'll visit with Supergirl.