Western Kid
Encyclopedia
The Western Kid is a fictional
Old West character in Marvel Comics
' shared universe
, the Marvel Universe
, and the star of Western
feature published by Marvel's 1950s precursor, Atlas Comics
.
' Western Kid #1 (Nov. 1954), created by an unknown writer and penciler-inker
John Romita Sr., who the following decade would become one of Spider-Man
's signature artists. The feature, drawn exclusively by Romita, ran through issue #17 (Aug. 1957), with cover art by Romita, Joe Maneely
, John Severin
, and, for one cover each, Carl Burgos
, Russ Heath
, and Syd Shores
.
The character resurfaced as the lead feature of the omnibus title Gunsmoke Western
#51 (March 1959), in a story written by Atlas/Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee
and drawn by Dick Ayers
.
Western Kid reprints appeared in Marvel's 1970s omnibus series Western Gunfighters
#3-6 and 17-33 (Dec.1970 - Sept. 1971, Sept. 1973 - Nov. 1975). In-between, the character starred in the reprint series The Western Kid vol. 2, #1-5 (Dec. 1971 - Aug. 1972) — the first issue of which sported a new cover by original artist Romita — and in Rawhide Kid
#105 (Nov. 1972) and Gun-Slinger #1-3 (Jan.-June 1973), a series reflecting the character's temporary new name. The first issue, with a cover drawn by Jim Steranko
, was titled Tex Dawson, Gun-Slinger.
The character returned in Apache Skies
(2002), a four-issue miniseries
starring the Rawhide Kid
and two persons called the Apache Kid: Dazii Aloysius Kare, and his wife, Rosa. This was a sequel to the miniseries Blaze of Glory
(2000), which specifically retconned that the naively clean-cut Marvel Western stories of years past were merely dime novel
fictions of the characters' actual lives.
with a stallion
named Whirlwind and a white German shepherd dog named Lightning. Unlike such fellow Atlas Western stars as Kid Colt
and the Rawhide Kid
, he was not hunted by the law for a perceived crime, and unlike the Two-Gun Kid
or the Outlaw Kid
, he wore no mask. Wandering the range as a do-gooder adventurer, the Western Kid was respected by sheriff
s and marshal
s, whom he often helped, and idolized by children.
Six Guns (#1-4 cover-dated Jan.-March 2012), by writer Andy Diggle
and artist Davide Gianfelice, and also starring the extant female mercenary Tarantula and new contemporary versions of the Marvel Old West heroes the Black Rider
; Matt Slade
; and the Two-Gun Kid
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
Old West character in Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
' shared universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
, the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
, and the star of Western
Western comics
Western comics is a comics genre usually depicting the American Old West frontier and typically set during the late nineteenth century...
feature published by Marvel's 1950s precursor, Atlas Comics
Atlas Comics (1950s)
Atlas Comics is the term used to describe the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used Atlas as the umbrella name for his comic...
.
Publication history
Tex Dawson, the Western Kid, debuted in Atlas ComicsAtlas Comics (1950s)
Atlas Comics is the term used to describe the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used Atlas as the umbrella name for his comic...
' Western Kid #1 (Nov. 1954), created by an unknown writer and penciler-inker
Inker
The inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional comic book or graphic novel. After a pencilled drawing is given to the inker, the inker uses black ink to produce refined outlines over the pencil lines...
John Romita Sr., who the following decade would become one of Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
's signature artists. The feature, drawn exclusively by Romita, ran through issue #17 (Aug. 1957), with cover art by Romita, Joe Maneely
Joe Maneely
Joseph "Joe" Maneely is an American comic book artist best known for his work at Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics, where he co-created the Marvel characters the Black Knight, the Ringo Kid, the Yellow Claw, and Jimmy Woo.An exquisite draftsman whose delicate yet solid, fine-line...
, John Severin
John Severin
John Powers Severin is an American comic book artist noted for his distinctive work with EC Comics, primarily on the war comics Two-Fisted Tales and Frontline Combat; for Marvel Comics, primarily on its war and Western comics; and for the satiric magazine Cracked...
, and, for one cover each, Carl Burgos
Carl Burgos
Carl Burgos was an American comic book and advertising artist best known for creating the original Human Torch in Marvel Comics #1 Carl Burgos (né Max Finkelstein, April 18, 1916, New York City, New York; died March 1984) was an American comic book and advertising artist best known for creating...
, Russ Heath
Russ Heath
Russell Heath, Jr. is an American artist best known for his comic book work — particularly his DC Comics war stories for several decades and his 1960s art for Playboy magazine's Little Annie Fanny featurettes — and for his commercial art, two pieces of which, depicting Roman and...
, and Syd Shores
Syd Shores
Sydney Shores was an American comic book artist known for his work on Captain America both during the 1940s, in what fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books, and during the 1960s Silver Age of comic books....
.
The character resurfaced as the lead feature of the omnibus title Gunsmoke Western
Gunsmoke Western
Gunsmoke Western was an American comic book series published initially by Atlas Comics, the 1950s forerunner of Marvel Comics, and then into the 1960s by Marvel...
#51 (March 1959), in a story written by Atlas/Marvel editor-in-chief Stan Lee
Stan Lee
Stan Lee is an American comic book writer, editor, actor, producer, publisher, television personality, and the former president and chairman of Marvel Comics....
and drawn by Dick Ayers
Dick Ayers
Richard "Dick" Ayers is an American comic book artist and cartoonist best known for his work as one of Jack Kirby's inkers during the late-1950s and 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comics, including on some of the earliest issues of Marvel Comics' The Fantastic Four, and as the signature...
.
Western Kid reprints appeared in Marvel's 1970s omnibus series Western Gunfighters
Western Gunfighters
Western Gunfighters is the name of two American Western omnibus comic book series published by Marvel Comics and its 1950s forerunner, Atlas Comics....
#3-6 and 17-33 (Dec.1970 - Sept. 1971, Sept. 1973 - Nov. 1975). In-between, the character starred in the reprint series The Western Kid vol. 2, #1-5 (Dec. 1971 - Aug. 1972) — the first issue of which sported a new cover by original artist Romita — and in Rawhide Kid
Rawhide Kid
The Rawhide Kid is a fictional Old West cowboy in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A heroic gunfighter of the 19th-century American West who was unjustly wanted as an outlaw, he is one of Marvel's most prolific Western characters...
#105 (Nov. 1972) and Gun-Slinger #1-3 (Jan.-June 1973), a series reflecting the character's temporary new name. The first issue, with a cover drawn by Jim Steranko
Jim Steranko
James F. Steranko is an American graphic artist, comic book writer-artist-historian, magician, publisher and film production illustrator....
, was titled Tex Dawson, Gun-Slinger.
The character returned in Apache Skies
Apache Skies
Apache Skies is a four-issue comic book limited series, published in 2002 by Marvel Comics as a part of that company's MAX imprint. The series was written by John Ostrander and drawn by Leonardo Manco.The series was a sequel to 2000's Blaze of Glory....
(2002), a four-issue miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
starring the Rawhide Kid
Rawhide Kid
The Rawhide Kid is a fictional Old West cowboy in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A heroic gunfighter of the 19th-century American West who was unjustly wanted as an outlaw, he is one of Marvel's most prolific Western characters...
and two persons called the Apache Kid: Dazii Aloysius Kare, and his wife, Rosa. This was a sequel to the miniseries Blaze of Glory
Blaze of Glory (comics)
Blaze of Glory is a four-issue comic book limited series published in 2000 by Marvel Comics. It was written by John Ostrander and drawn by Leonardo Manco....
(2000), which specifically retconned that the naively clean-cut Marvel Western stories of years past were merely dime novel
Dime novel
Dime novel, though it has a specific meaning, has also become a catch-all term for several different forms of late 19th-century and early 20th-century U.S...
fictions of the characters' actual lives.
Fictional character biography
Tex Dawson, a.k.a. the Western Kid, was a clean-cut Old West cowboyCowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
with a stallion
Stallion
A Stallion is a male horse.Stallion may also refer to:* Stallion , an American pop rock group* Stallion , a figure in the Gobot toyline* Stallion , a character in the console role-playing game series...
named Whirlwind and a white German shepherd dog named Lightning. Unlike such fellow Atlas Western stars as Kid Colt
Kid Colt
Kid Colt is the name of two fictional characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first is a cowboy whose adventures have taken place in numerous western themed comic book series published by Marvel...
and the Rawhide Kid
Rawhide Kid
The Rawhide Kid is a fictional Old West cowboy in comic books published by Marvel Comics. A heroic gunfighter of the 19th-century American West who was unjustly wanted as an outlaw, he is one of Marvel's most prolific Western characters...
, he was not hunted by the law for a perceived crime, and unlike the Two-Gun Kid
Two-Gun Kid
The Two-Gun Kid is a fictional character, a cowboy gunslinger in the Wild West of Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
or the Outlaw Kid
Outlaw Kid
The Outlaw Kid is a fictional Western hero in Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe, whose comic book series was originally released by the company's 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics...
, he wore no mask. Wandering the range as a do-gooder adventurer, the Western Kid was respected by sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
s and marshal
Marshal
Marshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
s, whom he often helped, and idolized by children.
Other versions
A modern-day version of the character stars in the five-issue ensemble miniseriesMiniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Six Guns (#1-4 cover-dated Jan.-March 2012), by writer Andy Diggle
Andy Diggle
Andy Diggle is a British comic book writer and former editor of 2000 AD. He is best known for his work on The Losers, Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Adam Strange and Silent Dragon at DC Comics and for his run on Thunderbolts and Daredevil after his move to Marvel.-Career:Diggle took over editing 2000 AD...
and artist Davide Gianfelice, and also starring the extant female mercenary Tarantula and new contemporary versions of the Marvel Old West heroes the Black Rider
Black Rider (comics)
The Black Rider is a fictional Western character in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in All-Western Winners #2 , from the company's 1940s forerunner, Timely Comics.-Publication history:...
; Matt Slade
Matt Slade
Matt Slade is a Paralympian athlete from New Zealand competing mainly in category T37 sprint events.Matt competed in his first paralympic games in 2000 where he won a silver in the T37 200m and a bronze in the T37 100m as well as competing in the T37 400m. In 2004 he restricted himself to the 100m...
; and the Two-Gun Kid
Two-Gun Kid
The Two-Gun Kid is a fictional character, a cowboy gunslinger in the Wild West of Marvel Comics' shared universe, the Marvel Universe.-Publication history:...
.
External links
- The Unofficial Handbook of Marvel Comics Creators
- Atlas Tales
- Western Kid at International Heroes