An Eventful Stagecoach Ride

 

cover art by Jack Kirby

In 1955, when Marvel Comics was still Atlas Comics and westerns were king in comic books, movies and TV, the original Rawhide Kid (a blonde gunfighter whose real name we never learn) began a 16-issue run that ended in 1957.

In 1960, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby revived the character name with a new gunfighter, keeping the same original numbering. Rawhide Kid #17 (August 1960) introduced us to dark-haired Johnny Bart, who has a reputation as an outlaw but is really a good guy. Taught to handle six-shooters by the former Texas Ranger who raised him after he was orphaned. 

His father-figure is killed in the very first story and Rawhide Kid becomes a wandering hero. The second story in that issue was used to both emphasis his public reputation as an outlaw, his status as a wanderer and his nigh-superhuman skill with a gun.

"Stagecoach to Shotgun Gap," by Lee and Kirby, starts with a great Kirby splash page that makes it look as if the Kid is indeed planning on robbing a stagecoach.

It turns out he just wants a ride, having missed the stage at its last stop. He climbs aboard, discovering that the other passengers are scared of him. Unwisely, a lady announces her entire life savings are in her bag. A kid traveling with his dad lets Rawhide Kid know they are carrying THEIR life savings as well, intended to pay a doctor to repair the boy's injured leg.

Gee whiz, these people are stupid. It's not the sort of think you should be telling the man you think is going to rob you.

Well, Stan Lee had only so much space to set up the situation and he was writing a zillion scripts a month at the time, so we can cut him a break. But the story is contrived in its set up.

The stage is stopped by a gang waiting along the road. It appears they've hit the jackpot with the passengers carrying so much cash. Of course, the owlhoots are indifferent to the pleas of those they are robbing.

Even when the outlaws have the drop on him, Rawhide still moves "like a bolt of unchained lightning," drawing and shooting the guns out of their hands. After that, he frankly shows off a little, holstering his guns so he can take the three guys in a fist fight.

The stage continues on its way. It's not clear what they did with the outlaws--tied up inside the stage, perhaps?--but the other passengers are now grateful and friendly to the Rawhide Kid.

It is a contrived story, but Kirby's dynamic art looks great and it is fun watching Rawhide's superhuman-level gunplay. Though I'm probably tossing around the word "superhuman" a little too casually. Gunplay such as this is common in various legendary versions of the Wild West. We're fortunate that no one at Marvel later retconned Rawhide Kid into being a mutant. Western gunfighters of legend (Rawhide, the Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, etc) should be as good as they because they are simply as good as they are. 

Next week, we'll begin a look at a two-part Batman story involving the Penguin and a bunch of really big robot birds.