How many times has a young man tried to impress a girl by taking her to a haunted pueblo and then getting into trouble. It's an old, old story. Indian Chief #9 (January-March 1953) shows us this sort of thing was going on even in Pre-Columbian America.
The writer and artist of "The Haunted Pueblo" are unknown, but (like most of the creators who worked for Dell in the 1950s) they were good at their jobs. The story jumps into the action right away as a young Taos Indian boy named Cloud shows a pretty young lady named Aster that he's not afraid of spooks. Without hesitation, he climbs into the ancient ruins of a pueblo that's rumored to be Ghost Central. Well, he's doesn't find any ghosts. He DOES find Apache warriors who are planning to raid his village. Cloud is captured while Aster hides in a large vase.
Cloud manages to saw through his robes with a piece of broken pottery. We then hit the one arguable weak spot in the otherwise strong story. Cloud tricks his guard into looking directly at the sun--a trick that works only because the guard is apparently an idiot. If you are ever a prisoner, try telling your guard there's a picture on the sun so that he looks directly into it. Try. I dare you. See how well it works.
While the guard is dazzled, Cloud makes a break for it. He finds Aster and they get back to the village. But they can't get anyone to believe there are Apaches hiding in the pueblo. Cloud, in desperation, steals the village shaman's prayer stick. This act can potentially carry the death penalty, but he refuses to return the stick unless someone searches the pueblo.
The shaman, to his credit, figures Cloud wouldn't take a chance like that without a reason. So the pueblo is searched. But the Apaches saw the villagers coming and hid. Nothing is found and the villagers still don't believe Cloud. The village is still in danger.
Cloud and Aster return to the pueblo on their own. Cloud steals a bow and arrow as proof that the Apaches are there, but when the Apaches realize those meddling kids have returned, Cloud uses the weapon to shoot fire arrows as a warning signal.
The kids then spend several desperate minutes holding off the Apaches until help arrives. After a short and brutal fight, the Apaches are captured, the village is saved and Cloud & Aster are vindicated.
As is typical with Indian Chief, the story is expertly told. It moves along at a brisk pace, with the art as well as the script combining to tell the short adventure tale in an effective and exciting manner. Giving that Apache guard the Idiot Ball is definitely a weak point, but overall "The Haunted Pueblo" is an example of the excellent storytelling that was regularly found in the pages of Indian Chief.
You can read it online HERE
No comic book review next week as I'll be in the hospital getting a hernia repaired. In two weeks, we'll begin a two-part look at an issue of Strange Adventures. Martian spies and giant babies will soon abound.
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