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Post by brutalis on Jul 19, 2016 8:20:14 GMT -5
Saddle up and grab your six shooters, it's time to hit the trail compadre's! Any recollections from the rest of you old timers about the late great western comics of Marvel and DC? Some of my best memories in the early 70's was finding these bargain treasures on the cheap in used bookstores, yard sales and thrift stores. I still have a small box of beat up and torn well read and beloved westerns that i always go to for "comfort" reading. Relaxing the mind from the hectic work day or the insanity of reality. They were of a simpler, happier time when these short stories tried to instill a sense of justice within the framework in entertaining kids.
Any favorites or memories? For me the only western on the stands i could find regularly was Jonah Hex from DC. Anything else was usually found scrounging through any second hand stores i could find. Marvel's Two-Gun Kid and Rawhide Kid and Kid Colt were the most fun for me. And the old reprinted stories as their back ups were newly found treasures in my eyes.
Every summer i would spend 4-6 weeks up in the mountains of Payson (north of Phoenix) with my grandparents and i would take whatever western's i had along. Nothing like a crisp mountain summer morning with the smell of pine tree's and birds chirping away in the forest and the wind whistling through the tree tops while i sat with my morning chocolate milk reading and re-reading away about a time that was not so far past or forgotten.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,867
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Post by shaxper on Jul 19, 2016 8:55:21 GMT -5
I was so afraid you were going to be discussing this:  I've never really been a reader of Western comics, though I've recently begun watching old Gene Autry movies, so the comics is probably the next step for me. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2016 9:11:34 GMT -5
My Dad read a lot of Western comics. The only western titles I read was The Lone Ranger from Dell.
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Post by brutalis on Jul 19, 2016 9:38:08 GMT -5
I may be evil minded Shax but not so cruel as to want anything to do with discussions of the Olsen Twin Folly's. They are far more scarred in many ways than Jonah Hex could ever dream of!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2016 10:01:21 GMT -5
I read quite of few Lone Ranger and I did managed to read some Rawhide Kid and Kid Colt too. But, both of them were less than 6 issues a piece. I did managed to read a lot of Zorro Comic Books just a much as Lone Ranger and I did managed to read some Tonto books as well.
Additional Edit
I did managed to read Rawhide, Roy Rogers, and couple other similar titles as well.
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Jul 19, 2016 10:07:36 GMT -5
My grandpa use to read Louis Lamour (?) western novels. There was always one there next to his Camels and his deck of cards. And he was a big fan of western movies and the Italian westerns. It's pretty much how I know much of anything about western movies. I myself have never read western comics. But I think about it every time I watch the Jonah Hex episodes of Batman: TAS.
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Post by Nowhere Man on Jul 19, 2016 10:23:55 GMT -5
I haven't read many Marvel or DC westerns, but I have read a big chunk of Moebius' Blueberry in Marvel's 80's Epic collection format. Those are some of the best comics I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 19, 2016 10:46:23 GMT -5
The translated Marvel comics I read as a kid had back-up features taken from the company's mystery or western mags. I grew quite fond of Night Rider, Ghost Rider, Ringo Kid, Two-gun kid, Apache Kid and Tex Dawson. (Night Rider was particularly cool, since he didn't rely on impossible tricks like Ghost Rider). The standard for us kids was however the Rawhide Kid, as drawn by Larry Lieber. Cheyenne Kid had his own mag (a few Charlton books were translated too), and that title really stood out. Pat Boyette's art looked far more artsy than that found in regular comics. That being said, the western comics we read the most were not American translations but rather European books like Charlier and Giraud's Lt. Blueberry (a series whose actual name used to be Fort Navajo); Greg and Hermann's Comanche; Palacios and Gourmelen's McCoy and, naturally, Goscinny and Morris's Lucky Luke. The brilliant frontier series Buddy Longway should also be mentioned there, even if it's more Fenimore Cooper than Louis L'Amour. |
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Post by brutalis on Jul 19, 2016 11:00:28 GMT -5
My grandpa use to read Louis Lamour (?) western novels. There was always one there next to his Camels and his deck of cards. And he was a big fan of western movies and the Italian westerns. It's pretty much how I know much of anything about western movies. I myself have never read western comics. But I think about it every time I watch the Jonah Hex episodes of Batman: TAS. My grandfather had so many paper grocery bags full of used paperback westerns and "guys" action/adventure/crime all there for the reading whenever i visited. So every weekend i stayed with them was a smoke filled bedroom of reading and memories created. He too had all the Louis Lamour novels, Max Brand and Mickey Spillane. I credit this and therefore my grandfather's fault for my addiction to reading. I always have a book open for being read whether at home, in my car or an e-book on my kindle. westerns and mysteries and fantasy's at the top of my reading list. Thanks Gramps, i now have my own spare bedroom full of boxes with comics and paperbacks  piling |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 19, 2016 21:49:23 GMT -5
I read Jonah Hex pretty regularly throughout his various runs.
I never liked Marvel's western books. Too super-hero-y. And they paled in comparison to Bat Lash and Hex.
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Post by senatortombstone on Jul 19, 2016 22:04:58 GMT -5
I used to watch the syndicated western series, Bonanza, Big Valley, and Gunsmoke, when I was growing up. I still watch them and other older Westerns from the 1940s through to the 1970s. I never really got into western comics, though. I did buy a Bonanza lot on eBay, last year, but I didn't find it as interesting as the series, so I sold the same lot a few months ago. Some of those western books command high prices, even VG condition or less.
In 04/2015, I found a stack of 20 or so old Dell comics from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, all for a dollar each. They were all probably in 5.0 condition, save for the fact that the employee placed the price stickers on the actual cover of each issue - ugh! There were some interesting titles like Rocky Lane and various Four Colors, including a comic adaption of Rio Bravo.
Anyway, I found the stories to be a little too much on the tame side for my tastes. It is interesting that I enjoy the filmed westerns from that era, but not the western comics. At the same time, I enjoy the more modern western comics, but not the modern western movies and television shows.
The title of one such comic that I enjoyed is "Pistolero.",It was published in the early 1990s and features a bounty hunter who takes no chances on fair fights. Great read, if you can find it at a cheap price, which you should be able to, if you can find it.
I have also been meaning to purchase the "Law of the Desert Born" graphic novel, when I can find it for the right price.
I would love a comic book adaption of the Lonesome Dove series.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 19, 2016 22:05:59 GMT -5
I always thought Western comics would be repetitive and silly, but once I started reading a few, I was totally wrong. Sure, there are some tropes (like anything), but I really enjoy them alot.. there's something simple and pure about Westerns that makes it really goo escapist literature. Also, Bat Lash was pretty awesome, and I know, since I read it recently |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 20, 2016 5:46:45 GMT -5
What did you people think of Caleb Hammer, a Marvel character pretty much in the tradition of Jonah Hex?
Not exactly overexposed, but his Marvel Premiere issue showed great promise. I liked the reference to early workers' unions.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 20, 2016 6:48:39 GMT -5
Jonah Hex Vol 2 (2005-2011) was consistently my favorite DC comic. Writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti managed to keep the book fresh and interesting and the various artists were top-notch. Then came the wretched New52 revamp, tying it into the Batman mythos and bringing Hex into modern times. Absolutely destroyed what made the book special. I tried to stick with it as long as I could, hoping it would revert back. Alas it was not to be and I said adios and rode off into the sunset, consigning Hex and his DC brethren on Boot Hill
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Post by Prince Hal on Jul 20, 2016 8:20:15 GMT -5
I've never really been a reader of Western comics, though I've recently begun watching old Gene Autry movies, so the comics is probably the next step for me. Autry threw a mean punch, as did Rogers: two of the better actors in the fisticuffs category. |
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