Western comics is a

comics a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...

genre usually depicting the American Old West frontier (usually anywhere west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

) and typically set during the late nineteenth century. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published from the late 1940s through the 1950s (though the genre had continuing popularity in Europe, and persists in limited form in American comics today). Western comics of the period typically featured dramatic scripts about

cowboy 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'' ...

s, gunfighters, lawmen, bounty hunters,

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

s, and Native Americans. Accompanying artwork depicted a rural America populated with such iconic images as guns,

cowboy hat The cowboy hat is a high-crowned, wide-brimmed hat best known as the defining piece of attire for the North American cowboy. Today it is worn by many people, and is particularly associated with ranch workers in the United States, Canada, Mexico, C ...

s, vests, horses, saloons, ranches, and deserts, contemporaneous with the setting.

Origins

Western novels,

films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...

, and pulp magazines were extremely popular in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

from the late 1930s to the 1960s. Western comics first appeared in syndicated newspaper strips in the late 1920s. Harry O'Neill's '' Young Buffalo Bill'' (later changed to ''Buckaroo Bill'' and then, finally, ''Broncho Bill''), distributed by United Feature Syndicate beginning in 1927, and was a pioneering example of the form. Starting in the 1930s, '' Red Ryder'', '' Little Joe'', and '' King of the Royal Mounted'' were syndicated in hundreds of newspapers across the United States. Garrett Price's ''White Boy'' (later changed to ''Skull Valley'') was another syndicated strip from the 1930s. The first Western stories to appear in the comics were in the mid-1930s: National Allied's '' New Fun Comics'' #1 (Feb. 1935) ran the modern-West feature "Jack Woods" and the Old West feature "Buckskin Jim"; Centaur Publications' ''The Comics Magazine'' #1 (May 1936) ran the feature "Captain Bill of the Rangers"; and David McKay Publications's ''Feature Book'' #1 (May 1937) and a single issue of ''King Comics'' (also 1937) featured ''King of the Royal Mounted'' reprints before Dell took over licensing of the character.

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...

' '' The Funnies'' published a run of short adaptations of

B-movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

Westerns starting in vol. 2, issue #20 (May 1938). Whitman Comics' ''Crackajack Funnies'' ran regular Western features (including Tom Mix stories) beginning with issue #1 in June 1938. The first stand-alone Western comics titles were published by Centaur Publications. ''Star Ranger'' and ''Western Picture Stories'' both debuted from the publisher in late 1936, cover-dated Feb. 1937. ''Star Ranger'' ran for 12 issues, becoming ''Cowboy Comics'' for a couple of issues, and then becoming ''Star Ranger Funnies''. The series ended in October 1939. ''Western Picture Stories'' ran four issues in 1937. Dell Comics published ''Western Action Thrillers'' #1 shortly thereafter (cover-date Apr. 1937), and began publishing '' Red Ryder Comics'',Schelly, Bill and Keith Dallas. ''American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1950s'' (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2013), p. 17. initially reprinting the long-running comic strip, in 1941.

"Golden Age": 1948–1960

Western comics became popular in the years immediately following

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when superheroes went out of style. Adult readership had grown during the war years, and returning servicemen wanted subjects other than superheroes in their books. The popularity of the Western genre in comic strips and other media gave birth to Western comics, many of which began being published around 1948. Most of the larger publishers of the period jumped headfirst into the Western arena during this period, particularly

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

and its forerunners Timely Comics and Atlas Comics. '' Kid Colt Outlaw'' debuted in 1948, running until 1979 (though it was primarily a reprint title after 1967). The company soon established itself as the most prolific publisher of Western comics with other notable long-running titles, including '' Rawhide Kid'', '' Two-Gun Kid'', and '' Wild Western''. The six-issue 1950 Harvey Comics series '' Boys' Ranch'', by Joe Simon and

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

, was a seminal example of the Western comics genre.

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

published the long-running series '' All-Star Western'' and '' Western Comics''.

Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic-book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T. W. O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line (comics), line was a divi ...

published '' Billy the Kid'', ''Cheyenne Kid'', ''Outlaws of the West'', ''Texas Rangers in Action'', and the unusual title '' Black Fury'', about a

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

that roamed the West righting wrongs. Both

and Fawcett Comics published a number of Western titles, including '' The Lone Ranger'' (Dell) and '' Hopalong Cassidy'' (Fawcett, later continued by DC after Fawcett folded in 1953). Many issues of Dell's '' Four Color'' featured Western stories during the 1950s. Avon Comics published a number of Western comics, the most notable titles being based on historical figures like

Jesse James Jesse Woodson James (September 5, 1847April 3, 1882) was an American outlaw, Bank robbery, bank and Train robbery, train robber, guerrilla and leader of the James–Younger Gang. Raised in the "Little Dixie (Missouri), Little Dixie" area of M ...

and Wild Bill Hickok. Youthful published the Western titles ''Gunsmoke'', ''Indian Fighter'', and ''Redskin'' (later known as ''Famous Western Badmen''). And Toby Press published its own '' Billy the Kid Adventure Magazine''.

Characters

The first Western hero to have his adventures published in the comics was the Masked Raider, published by Timely Comics beginning in 1939. Timely/Atlas/Marvel favored Western characters with the word "Kid" in their name, including the Apache Kid, Kid Colt, the Outlaw Kid, the Rawhide Kid, the Ringo Kid, the Two-Gun Kid, and the Western Kid—as well as the more obscure heroes the Prairie Kid, the Arizona Kid, and the Texas Kid. Other companies followed suit, with DC's Stuff the Chinatown Kid and the Wyoming Kid;

' Billy the Kid and the Cheyenne Kid; and Dell's the Cisco Kid. Black Rider and Phantom Rider were two other Marvel company characters from the genre's peak. Other early DC Comics Western characters included Johnny Thunder,

Nighthawk The nighthawk is a nocturnal bird of the subfamily Chordeilinae, within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, which is a grouping of 92 species of medium-sized birds with long wings and short bills specialized for eating insects. The nighthawk's ...

, Pow Wow Smith,

Tomahawk A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Native Americans in the United States, Indian peoples and nations of North America, traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. Etymology The name comes from Powhatan langu ...

, the Trigger Twins, and Vigilante. Dell Comics featured the Lone Ranger, and Dell's Lobo (debuting in 1965) was the medium's first

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

character to headline his own series.

Cowboy actor comics

The years 1946–1949 saw an explosion of titles "starring" Western film actors and cowboy singers. Almost every star, major or minor, had their own title at some point; and almost every publisher got in on the action: Fawcett published Allan Lane, Monte Hale, Gabby Hayes, Lash LaRue, Tex Ritter, and Tom Mix comics; Dell published

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

, Rex Allen,

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), nicknamed the King of the Cowboys, was an American singer, actor, television host, and Rodeo, rodeo performer. Following early work under his given name, first as a c ...

, and Wild Bill Elliott comics; Magazine Enterprises published Charles Starrett and Tim Holt comics; Toby Press published a

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...

title; and DC produced short-lived Dale Evans and Jimmy Wakely titles. (Dale Evans and Reno Browne were the only two Western actresses to have comics based on their characters.) Most of the cowboy actor titles featured photo covers of the stars; most series had been canceled by 1957.

Creators

Since Westerns were such a popular genre in the 1950s, many of the period's notable creators spent at least some time doing Western comics. Writer Paul S. Newman and artist Tom Gill had an 11-year stretch on Dell's '' The Lone Ranger'', a 107-issue run that marks one of the longest of any writer/artist team on a comic-book series. Larry Lieber spent nine years as writer-artist of Marvel's '' Rawhide Kid''. France Herron and Fred Ray were the long-time writer and artist of DC's ''

''. Gaylord DuBois excelled in writing Western comics featuring realistic animals: he wrote the entire run of '' The Lone Ranger's Famous Horse Hi-Yo Silver'', the entire run of '' National Velvet'' under both the Dell and Gold Key imprints, and many other animal stories for a number of publishers. Carl Pfeufer was the longtime artist of Fawcett's Tom Mix comics. Artist Fred Guardineer had a long run on Magazine Enterprises' ''The Durango Kid''. Pete Tumlinson illustrated most of Kid Colt's early stories. Later, Tumlinson drew Western stories for Atlas Comics' ''Outlaw Fighters'', ''Two-Gun Western'', and '' Wild Western''. Russ Heath drew a corral-full of Western stories for such Marvel titles as '' Wild Western,'' ''All Western Winners,'' ''Arizona Kid,'' '' Black Rider,'' ''Western Outlaws,'' and ''Reno Browne, Hollywood's Greatest Cowgirl.'' Vic Carrabotta worked on such Marvel Westerns as '' Apache Kid'', '' Kid Colt: Outlaw'', The Outlaw Kid, and ''Western Outlaws''. Artist John Severin was known for his 1950s Western comics art for Atlas. Artist

Mike Sekowsky Michael Sekowsky (; November 19, 1923 – March 30, 1989) was an American comics artist known as the penciler for DC Comics' '' Justice League of America'' during most of the 1960s, and as the regular writer and artist on ''Wonder Woman'' durin ...

drew such characters as the Apache Kid, the Black Rider, and Kid Colt for Atlas; he later freelanced for other companies, drawing the TV-series spin-offs ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...

'' and '' Buffalo Bill, Jr.'' for

. Artist Rocke Mastroserio specialized in Western stories for such

series as '' Billy the Kid'', '' Black Fury'', '' Jim Bowie'', ''Rocky Lane's Black Jack'', ''Sheriff of Tombstone'', ''Six-Gun Heroes'', '' Texas Rangers in Action'', and '' Wyatt Earp, Frontier Marshal''. Pat Boyette worked on such Charlton Western series as ''Billy the Kid'', ''Cheyenne Kid'', and ''Outlaws of the West''.

1960s decline

The Western genre in general peaked around 1960, largely due to the tremendous number of Westerns on American

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

. Increasingly, the genre reflected a Romantic view of the American West—and American history in general. As the country grappled with the cultural issues of the 1960s and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, the genre seemed increasingly out of touch. As the American public's interest in the genre waned, Western literature—including comics—began to lose its appeal as well. At the same time, the comics industry was shifting back to superheroes (entering its " Silver Age") and away from some of the other genres which had flourished during the 1950s. In fact, of the original Western comics series begun in the late 1940s and early 1950s, only a handful of titles survived the 1950s. Charlton's low production costs enabled it to continue producing a number of Western titles, but otherwise Dell's '' The Lone Ranger'', and Marvel's '' Gunsmoke Western'', '' Kid Colt Outlaw'', and '' Rawhide Kid'' were the only Western titles to make it through the 1960s.

Gary Friedrich Gary Friedrich (; August 21, 1943 – August 29, 2018) was an American comic book writer best known for his Silver Age stories for Marvel Comics' '' Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos'' and in the following era, the series '' The Monster of Fr ...

, Mike Esposito, and Ogden Whitney are three of the few notable Western comics creators from the 1960s.

Weird West and continuing appeal

The late 1960s and early 1970s saw the rise of revisionist Western film. Elements include a darker, more cynical tone, with focus on the lawlessness of the time period, favoring realism over romanticism, and an interest in greater historical authenticity. Anti-heroes were common, as were stronger roles for women and more-sympathetic portrayal of Native Americans and Mexicans. The films were often critical of big business, the American government, and masculine figures (including the military and their policies). Reflecting the trend, in 1968 DC debuted the new character Bat Lash, who starred in a short-lived series. They also revived the '' All-Star Western'' title, starting volume two of the series in 1970. In 1972, ''All-Star Western'' changed its name to '' Weird Western Tales'', with many stories featuring the newly created Western antihero Jonah Hex (debuting in 1975 in his own title). ''Weird Western Tales'' (sister title of '' Weird War Tales'') defined a new multi-genre form: " Weird West," a combination of the Western with another literary genre, usually horror,

occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

, or

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

. Other Western characters DC created during this period include the heroes Scalphunter and El Diablo, and the villains El Papagayo, Terra-Man, and Quentin Turnbull. Marvel also attempted to capitalize on the renewed interest in the Western with two mostly reprint titles, '' The Mighty Marvel Western'' (1968–1976) and '' Western Gunfighters'' vol. 2 (1970–1975). The short-lived publisher Skywald Publications attempted a line of Western titles in the early 1970s, but nothing came of it. ''Weird Western Tales'' survived until 1980, and ''Jonah Hex'' until 1985. By then no major publishers were producing Western titles, though iconic characters from the DC and Marvel canons would occasionally make cameo appearances in other books. The

imprint

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

reintroduced the Western genre in 1995 with ''

Preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...

'', set in a contemporary version of the West. In the 1990s and 2000s, the Western comic leaned toward the Weird West subgenre, usually involving supernatural monsters. However, more traditional Western comics are found throughout this period, from '' Jonah Hex'' to '' Loveless''. Series like '' Desperadoes'', '' High Moon'', and '' Scalped'' demonstrate the genre's continuing appeal. Creators like Joe R. Lansdale, Michael Fleisher, and Tony DeZuniga were notable contributors to Western comics from this period. In addition, publishers like America's Comics Group and AC Comics have reprinted a number of Western comics from the genre's "Golden Age." '' The Goodbye Family'', about a family of Weird West undertakers, started in 2015 and continues in both online and print formats.

Outside of the United States

The Western genre's overall popularity in Europe spawned a Western comics trend, particularly in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, and

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Many European countries published reprints of American-made Western comics (translated into the respective country's native language). The Italian publishers

Sergio Bonelli Editore Sergio Bonelli Editore (formerly CEPIM and other names) is a publishing house of Italian comics founded in 1940 by Giulio Chio (2015–present). It takes its name from its former president, comic book writer Sergio Bonelli (1932–2011), son of G ...

and Editorial Novaro led the field—Editorial Novaro's ''

'' title ran 424 issues from 1954 to 1984. The Norwegian publisher Se-Bladene and the British publisher L. Miller & Son were also particularly known for their Western comics reprint titles. Se-Bladene's ''Texas'' ran 606 issues between 1954 and 1975. The Australian publishers Ayers & James, Cleland, Federal Publishing, Gredown, and Horwitz Publications all published reprints of American Western comics during the 1950s and 1960s.

Italy

The most popular and long-running Italian-produced Western comic is Gian Luigi Bonelli and Aurelio Galleppini's ''Tex'' (starring Tex Willer), first published in 1948. ''Tex'' is among the most popular characters in Italian comics, and has been translated into numerous languages, including Portuguese, Finnish, Norwegian, Tamil, Turkish, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian and

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

. '' Captain Miki'', by the trio EsseGesse, was published in

(and translated into many other languages) throughout the 1950s. Characters in the comic were inspired by Gabby Hayes and the popular 1939 Western film ''

Stagecoach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

''. EsseGesse also produced the popular series '' Il Grande Blek''. Benito Jacovitti's '' Cocco Bill'' is a Western humor comic produced since the mid-1950s. Sergio Bonelli and Gallieno Ferri's '' Zagor'' was first published in Italy by

in 1961. Carlo Boscarato and Claudio Nizzi's Larry Yuma was a popular character in the Italian magazine '' Il Giornalino'' throughout the 1970s. Giancarlo Berardi and Ivo Milazzo's Ken Parker is a popular Western hero appearing in Italian comics since 1977. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, writer Gianfranco Manfredi's '' Magico Vento'' was a popular title from

. Since the late 1990s, Enrico Teodorani's Djustine has been featured in erotic " Weird West" stories in Italy and the United States.

Franco-Belgian Western comics

The Western humor comic '' Lucky Luke'', published since 1946, debuting in '' Spirou'' magazine, is one of the most popular and best-selling comics series in continental Europe. Popular in Canada, about half of the series' adventures have been translated into English. ''Lucky Luke'' comics have been translated into 23 languages, including many European languages, and some African and Asian languages. '' Tintin'' magazine featured Western-themed comics starting in 1947 with Le Rallic's various series, and later, between 1955 and 1980 the humor-based

Chick Bill ''Chick Bill'' is a Belgium, Belgian humorous Western (genre), Western comic book series created by Tibet (comics), Tibet. It was first published in 1953 in the magazine ''Chez Nous Junior'', and its Dutch language counterpart '' Ons Volkske'', an ...

by Greg and

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

. The competing magazine ''Spirou'' published Jijé's '' Jerry Spring'', in a realistic vein, beginning in 1954. Albums from the ''Jerry Spring'' series were published until 1990.

Jean-Michel Charlier Jean-Michel Charlier (; 30 October 1924 – 10 July 1989) was a Belgian comics writer. He was a co-founder of the famed Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Pilote''. Life Charlier was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1924.De Weyer, Geert (2005) ...

and Jean Giraud's '' Blueberry'' is a Western series published beginning in 1963 and continuing until 2005. The series were inspired by ''Jerry Spring'', and the artist Giraud had been mentored by Jijé. Charlier and Giraud created the '' Jim Cutlass'' series in 1981; subsequent volumes were written by Giraud and drawn by Christian Rossi. Greg and Hermann Huppen's '' Comanche'' was published from 1972 to 1983 (with the series being continued by Rouge for four more stories). The Belgian publisher Le Lombard produced the title '' Buddy Longway'', by Swiss comics creator Derib, from 1972 to 1987, and from 2002 to 2006. ''

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

'' is a western series created by the Belgian Yves Swolfs in 1981. Currently 17 tomes are available.

Other countries

England's L. Miller & Son's original Western comics titles included ''Colorado Kid'', ''

Davy Crockett Colonel (United States), Colonel David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American politician, militia officer and frontiersman. Often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier", he represented Tennesse ...

'', ''Kid Dynamite Western Comic'', ''

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...

Western Comic'', and ''Rocky Mountain King Western Comic'', all published in the 1950s. Jim Edgar and Tony Weare's "Matt Marriott" was a daily strip which ran in the '' London Evening News'' from 1955 to 1977. Spanish cartoonist Manuel Gago Garcia's ''The Little Fighter'' was a popular series of Western comics between 1945 and 1956. ''Yuki the Bold'' (debuting in 1958) is another popular Spanish series, as were the shorter-lived series ''Apache'' and ''Red Arrow''. Other Spanish Western comics include ''Sheriff King'' (beginning in 1964), ''Sunday'' (1968), and ''Kelly Hand'' (1971). Hugo Pratt and Héctor Germán Oesterheld's '' Sergeant Kirk'' was a popular Western comics title in Argentina during the 1950s. Additional Sergeant Kirk stories were published into the early 1970s. Western comics were popular in Japan in the early 1950s, both translations of American titles like '' Straight Arrow'', the Durango Kid, and Tim Holt; and original Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

. The story goes that during the American occupation of Japan directly after World War, General Eisenhower forbade Japanese publishers to publish

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

comics, and that the next best thing were Western stories of adventure.FALK, RAY
"Howdy! Pardner-San,"
''New York Times'' (May 3, 1953), p. 296. Hyung Min-woo's manhwa series ''

Priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

'' was published in Korea and the U.S. from 1998 to 2007.

Notable American Western comics

Golden Age of Comic Books

Cowboy actor comics

* '' Charles Starrett as the Durango Kid'', 41 issues (Magazine Enterprises, 1949–1955) * '' Dale Evans Comics'', 24 issues (DC, 1948–1952) * '' Gabby Hayes Western'', 50 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1948–1957) * ''

'', 121 issues (Dell, 1946–1955) * '' Jimmy Wakely'', 18 issues (DC, 1949–1952) * ''

Adventure Comics'', 31 issues (Toby Press, 1949–1955) * '' Lash LaRue Western'', 84 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1949–1961) * '' Monte Hale Western'', 60 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1948–1956) * '' Rex Allen'', 30 issues (Dell, 1951–1959) * '' Rocky Lane Western'', 87 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1949–1959) – many issues featured Slim Pickens backup stories * ''

Comics'', 91 issues (Dell, 1948–1961) * ''Six-Gun Heroes'', 83 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1950–1965) – featured cowboy actors like Allan "Rocky" Lane, Lash LaRue, Monte Hale, Smiley Burnette, and Tex Ritter * '' Tex Ritter Western'', 46 issues (Fawcett/Charlton, 1950–1959) * '' Tim Holt'', 41 issues (Magazine Enterprises, 1948–1954) * '' Tom Mix Western'', 61 issues (Fawcett, 1948–1953) * ''Western Hero'', 112 issues (Fawcett, 1948–1952) – featured cowboy actors like Tom Mix and Monte Hale; formerly known as ''Real Western Hero'' * '' Wild Bill Elliott'', 14 issues (Dell, 1950–1955)

Contemporary titles

* '' Weird Western Tales'' (DC, 1972–1980) – began in 1970 as volume two of '' All-Star Western'' * '' Jonah Hex'' (DC, 1977–1985; DC/Vertigo, 2005–2011) * ''

'' (DC/Vertigo, 1995–2000) * '' Desperadoes'' (Homage/Wildstorm, 1997–2002; IDW, 2005–2007) * '' Loveless'' (DC/Vertigo, 2005–2008) * '' Scalped'' (DC/Vertigo, 2007–2012) * '' High Moon'' (DC/Zuda, 2007–2017) * '' The Goodbye Family'' (2015–present)

References

Notes

Sources

Grand Comics Database
* Horn, Maurice. ''Comics of the American West'' (New Win Publishing, 1977)

External links

* Grost, Michael E
"Western Comics,"
MikeGrost.com. Accessed July 4, 2011. * Smith, Troy D

Western Fictioneers: Official Blog of the Western Fictioneers, Professional Authors of Traditional Western Novels and Short Stories (Apr. 25, 2011)

The Old Corral. Accessed July 10, 2011. {{Comics Comics genres