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Golden Age Western Comics
The Wild West has been romanticized in American culture ever since the dime novels capturing the exploits of Jesse James were produced in the years directly following the Civil War, and the Western genre continues to enthrall audiences to this day. The stories of frontiersmen, outlaws, cowboys, Indians, prospectors, and marksmen surviving the harshest of environments through wit, skill, and determination, or meeting their end by bullet, noose, or exposure speak to what it means to be American and play an essential part in how we define ourselves as a nation. These mythic stories have been captured and created in almost every popular mass medium of the past century and beyond from tabloids to novels, radio plays, television shows, and movies.
Now, powerHouse Books is pleased to present a collection of these uniquely American stories as told through a uniquely American medium…the comic book! Golden Age Western Comics lovingly reproduces in full-color, restored, complete scans of 20 of the best Western stories—plus a few pin-ups—created between the years 1948 and 1956. These lavishly illustrated stories of guts and glory, violence and valor, intrigue, romance, and betrayal, on the range and in lawless frontier towns, were created by some of the best artists and writers of the era. The action flies off the page in stories such as “The Tragedy at Massacre Pass,” and “Breakout in rondo Prison,” from the greatest earliest publishing houses, Fawcett, Charlton, Avon, Youthful, and more.Golden Age Western Comics is a collection unlike any other and is sure to delight fans of rootin-tootin, gun-toting, adventure of all ages!
Featuring Western Legends of Life, Literature, and Filmdom such
• Wild Bill Hickok
• Jesse James
• Annie Oakley
• Davy Crockett
• Daniel “Dan’l” Boone
• Tex Ritter
• Lash Larue
• Gabby Hayes
• Tom Mix
And Many More!
Now, powerHouse Books is pleased to present a collection of these uniquely American stories as told through a uniquely American medium…the comic book! Golden Age Western Comics lovingly reproduces in full-color, restored, complete scans of 20 of the best Western stories—plus a few pin-ups—created between the years 1948 and 1956. These lavishly illustrated stories of guts and glory, violence and valor, intrigue, romance, and betrayal, on the range and in lawless frontier towns, were created by some of the best artists and writers of the era. The action flies off the page in stories such as “The Tragedy at Massacre Pass,” and “Breakout in rondo Prison,” from the greatest earliest publishing houses, Fawcett, Charlton, Avon, Youthful, and more.Golden Age Western Comics is a collection unlike any other and is sure to delight fans of rootin-tootin, gun-toting, adventure of all ages!
Featuring Western Legends of Life, Literature, and Filmdom such
• Wild Bill Hickok
• Jesse James
• Annie Oakley
• Davy Crockett
• Daniel “Dan’l” Boone
• Tex Ritter
• Lash Larue
• Gabby Hayes
• Tom Mix
And Many More!
144 pages, Hardcover
First published February 21, 2012
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 3, 2022
So this collection isn't bad exactly but the selection process must have been "we have all these random public domain western comics. What can we do with them?". Dick Giordano is still a beast, though.
October 9, 2020
This is a decent collection of Western comics from the late 40s and 50s. It’s an enjoyable set of stories of various heroes and outlaws, of varying quality and length. The art is the standard comic fare of that era, shooting for realism and expressive action, with a few highlights in the Kit Carson story and the Black Hawk story as standout examples.
None of the stories are great, but you have to consider the medium and the art form. There were many limitations in place here, as well as constraints on time and money. The review I wrote for the collection of Red Barry comics from the 30s applies here, too. For what they are, these are an interesting and often enjoyable trip into a certain era, in which writers and artists regale us with tales from another, even further back era, heavily romanticized and dramatized and simplified. From the vantage point of sheer intellectual curiosity they provide some fascinating looks at the earlier days of a modern art and storytelling form, as well as preserving a now-defunct storytelling medium.
Strangely, whoever wrote the back cover of the book wasn’t aware of its content. It mentions there are 40 Western stories in the collection. There are 20. It also names a story that is nowhere to be found in the collection: “The Tragedy at Massacre Pass.” It’s too bad, because that sounds like it would have been cool.
Some of these stories are dull and thoughtless, evidently written on a short deadline, while the author had better things to do. Despite this, the art always looks good, if standard. Still better than most anime, by a long shot. Particularly the Jesse James and Annie Oakley stories seemed undercooked, too brief, and rushed. Almost all of the stories, however, are filled with questionable plots, odd choices of advancement and development, no real character development, a good chunk of violence and action, and weirdly abrupt and convenient endings. But again, one has to understand this in the right context. The things I have just described are not unique to western comics of the time, but seem to describe all genre comics of the time.
Some of the other stories here are pretty good, relatively speaking, like the Black Hawk, Kit Carson, Range Busters, and Daniel Boone stories, which were pretty involved, enjoyable, and elaborate considering the limitations of the medium. We have bank robberies, train robberies, bandit encounters of all flavors, a lot of murder and death, two-faced people in power, drama and heroes of different types, each seeming like a blend of heroic cowboy or cowgirl tropes with some unique slant to make each character stand out from the others. We have a delightful story of old man Gabby Hayes protecting a wild moose from an egomaniacal hunter, and of a strange rancher testing the men in town who want to date his daughter, and more traditional style cowboys like Lash Larue and Tom Mix and Texas Tim who solve problems with guns or fists or lassos or horse riding or daring or even brains.
Most stories fall somewhere in between lazy-but-fun and good.
Given the period these were written, we also have a surprisingly multi-dimensional portrayal of the Native Americans in many of the stories. The Native Americans/Indians and white men and women are all given equally minimal characterization, but also equal diversity of agency and motivations and actions. This has led some reviewers to unfairly characterize some stories as racist toward non-white characters (because moral complexity or grayness and non-noble-savage portrayals are confusing? The representations of the Native American characters in these comics are the very definition of non-racist -- a non-uniform characterization, unrestricted by stereotypes or monolithic traits, and allowing for agency instead of culturally prescriptive behavior).
In some stories the Indians are the heroes, in others the neutral party, in others the aggressors who clearly state their motivations for violence as being the white man taking their lands, making them not mindless barbarians, but sympathetic agents, and in other stories we see that they cannot be painted with a broad brush of identical loyalties or ideals or values. In short, they are portrayed no better or worse than anyone else. One might not expect this from the 40s and 50s, given how we’re often conditioned to think of everything Before The Now as being nothing but rampant thoughtcrime and evil, but there it is.
In fact, the greed and selfishness of a white man trying to frame the Indians for murder is a major plot point in the Golden Arrow story, with the titular character showing that the mob mentality of angry citizens thirsting for revenge against an entire tribe was wrongheaded. One can’t say any of these comics displayed racism without having to heavily doctor their definition of racism to be almost arbitrary. Most of the social qualities in these stories are undoubtedly positive if they are anything.
All in all, this is a satisfactory collection of comics from an era that was interesting for genre fiction in general. It could have been a lot better, and I don't believe many of these comics were the best representations of their respective series. They seemed almost randomly selected, with a few better than average ones in the bunch. As a complete set, it’s a fun experience that takes you back in time for a little while. They’re appealing if you like westerns or enjoy exposure to elements of times past, and maybe still kind of entertaining if you don’t.
None of the stories are great, but you have to consider the medium and the art form. There were many limitations in place here, as well as constraints on time and money. The review I wrote for the collection of Red Barry comics from the 30s applies here, too. For what they are, these are an interesting and often enjoyable trip into a certain era, in which writers and artists regale us with tales from another, even further back era, heavily romanticized and dramatized and simplified. From the vantage point of sheer intellectual curiosity they provide some fascinating looks at the earlier days of a modern art and storytelling form, as well as preserving a now-defunct storytelling medium.
Strangely, whoever wrote the back cover of the book wasn’t aware of its content. It mentions there are 40 Western stories in the collection. There are 20. It also names a story that is nowhere to be found in the collection: “The Tragedy at Massacre Pass.” It’s too bad, because that sounds like it would have been cool.
Some of these stories are dull and thoughtless, evidently written on a short deadline, while the author had better things to do. Despite this, the art always looks good, if standard. Still better than most anime, by a long shot. Particularly the Jesse James and Annie Oakley stories seemed undercooked, too brief, and rushed. Almost all of the stories, however, are filled with questionable plots, odd choices of advancement and development, no real character development, a good chunk of violence and action, and weirdly abrupt and convenient endings. But again, one has to understand this in the right context. The things I have just described are not unique to western comics of the time, but seem to describe all genre comics of the time.
Some of the other stories here are pretty good, relatively speaking, like the Black Hawk, Kit Carson, Range Busters, and Daniel Boone stories, which were pretty involved, enjoyable, and elaborate considering the limitations of the medium. We have bank robberies, train robberies, bandit encounters of all flavors, a lot of murder and death, two-faced people in power, drama and heroes of different types, each seeming like a blend of heroic cowboy or cowgirl tropes with some unique slant to make each character stand out from the others. We have a delightful story of old man Gabby Hayes protecting a wild moose from an egomaniacal hunter, and of a strange rancher testing the men in town who want to date his daughter, and more traditional style cowboys like Lash Larue and Tom Mix and Texas Tim who solve problems with guns or fists or lassos or horse riding or daring or even brains.
Most stories fall somewhere in between lazy-but-fun and good.
Given the period these were written, we also have a surprisingly multi-dimensional portrayal of the Native Americans in many of the stories. The Native Americans/Indians and white men and women are all given equally minimal characterization, but also equal diversity of agency and motivations and actions. This has led some reviewers to unfairly characterize some stories as racist toward non-white characters (because moral complexity or grayness and non-noble-savage portrayals are confusing? The representations of the Native American characters in these comics are the very definition of non-racist -- a non-uniform characterization, unrestricted by stereotypes or monolithic traits, and allowing for agency instead of culturally prescriptive behavior).
In some stories the Indians are the heroes, in others the neutral party, in others the aggressors who clearly state their motivations for violence as being the white man taking their lands, making them not mindless barbarians, but sympathetic agents, and in other stories we see that they cannot be painted with a broad brush of identical loyalties or ideals or values. In short, they are portrayed no better or worse than anyone else. One might not expect this from the 40s and 50s, given how we’re often conditioned to think of everything Before The Now as being nothing but rampant thoughtcrime and evil, but there it is.
In fact, the greed and selfishness of a white man trying to frame the Indians for murder is a major plot point in the Golden Arrow story, with the titular character showing that the mob mentality of angry citizens thirsting for revenge against an entire tribe was wrongheaded. One can’t say any of these comics displayed racism without having to heavily doctor their definition of racism to be almost arbitrary. Most of the social qualities in these stories are undoubtedly positive if they are anything.
All in all, this is a satisfactory collection of comics from an era that was interesting for genre fiction in general. It could have been a lot better, and I don't believe many of these comics were the best representations of their respective series. They seemed almost randomly selected, with a few better than average ones in the bunch. As a complete set, it’s a fun experience that takes you back in time for a little while. They’re appealing if you like westerns or enjoy exposure to elements of times past, and maybe still kind of entertaining if you don’t.
January 31, 2021
From the middle fifties to the middle sixties, the western genre was extremely popular. There is a list of the 30 best westerns from this time frame, and any internet search of all the westerns that appeared during this time interval is extensive. That popularity extended into the comic books, many of which had western themes. This book has examples of many of the most popular comics, which just like the television western, declined rapidly in popularity.
It was a time when the publishers of comics paid their artists and writers very poorly, so much of the work was not of the highest quality. The dialog is generally boilerplate western simplistic, phrases such as “vamoose,” “them two are worse’n a barrel o’ wildcats,” and “keep chuckin’ lead long enough yuh polecats” are the norm.
The Native Americans are sometimes presented in a favorable manner, yet most often they speak a pidgin English similar to what the Lone Ranger’s sidekick Tonto spoke. Other times they are depicted as murderous, ruthless savages hungry for white scalps to take away in victory. With the exception of the heroes, most of the characters are depicted as mentally simplistic.
What makes this book interesting is that it is a lesson in the history of what can be called the pulp entertainment of the fifties. Often poorly drawn and authored, it has none of the slick characteristics of the comics that came later. Yet, they remain a fun read where not a lot of thought needs to be expended.
It was a time when the publishers of comics paid their artists and writers very poorly, so much of the work was not of the highest quality. The dialog is generally boilerplate western simplistic, phrases such as “vamoose,” “them two are worse’n a barrel o’ wildcats,” and “keep chuckin’ lead long enough yuh polecats” are the norm.
The Native Americans are sometimes presented in a favorable manner, yet most often they speak a pidgin English similar to what the Lone Ranger’s sidekick Tonto spoke. Other times they are depicted as murderous, ruthless savages hungry for white scalps to take away in victory. With the exception of the heroes, most of the characters are depicted as mentally simplistic.
What makes this book interesting is that it is a lesson in the history of what can be called the pulp entertainment of the fifties. Often poorly drawn and authored, it has none of the slick characteristics of the comics that came later. Yet, they remain a fun read where not a lot of thought needs to be expended.
March 29, 2012
Meh. I don't mean to be negative, but... meh. There's not much here except some kitsch-factor eye-rolling. Unlike, say, horror comics from this same ers (1940s and 50s), there are few-to-no moments of genuine surprise or shock or "Man, I can't believe they got away with that back then!" Just fairly pedestrian cowboys & Indians with the expected sexism and racism. Yawn.
May 12, 2018
A sampling of Westerns from when the Western was king. (There's something ironic about how, just like the time period they're portraying, the western comic had a relatively short shelf life, but was huge in the imaginations at the time.)
These are not very good. Unlike the horror and romance comics of the same time period--and even to a degree, the campy sci-fi Batman stories of the same period--these just don't have a lot of life to them. If you like Westerns--and I grew up on them--it's interesting to see how they were portrayed in comics. But whether it's the quick, rough art or the obviously terribly dialogue, these just didn't do much for me as a whole. (By comparison, I've read and re-read so many pre-code horror stories and even the proto-Marvel monster ones.) Native Americans come off a bit better than I expected, except when they're the bad guys. Oh Lord, the ones where they're the bad guys. Ugh ugh ugh.
The highlight is unsurprisingly Dick Giordano's work, which is still slick and amazing even in this early stage of his career. While others might have just been working fast for a paycheck, he clearly was trying his best.
Overall, unless you really are into this sort of thing, not a collection you need to read. Other than Giordano, the "names" here aren't big draws--assistants to Eisner and the like--and the quality of the stories is very so-so. Kinda proved to me I don't need to read any more Westerns and will stick to my horror and romances from the time period.
These are not very good. Unlike the horror and romance comics of the same time period--and even to a degree, the campy sci-fi Batman stories of the same period--these just don't have a lot of life to them. If you like Westerns--and I grew up on them--it's interesting to see how they were portrayed in comics. But whether it's the quick, rough art or the obviously terribly dialogue, these just didn't do much for me as a whole. (By comparison, I've read and re-read so many pre-code horror stories and even the proto-Marvel monster ones.) Native Americans come off a bit better than I expected, except when they're the bad guys. Oh Lord, the ones where they're the bad guys. Ugh ugh ugh.
The highlight is unsurprisingly Dick Giordano's work, which is still slick and amazing even in this early stage of his career. While others might have just been working fast for a paycheck, he clearly was trying his best.
Overall, unless you really are into this sort of thing, not a collection you need to read. Other than Giordano, the "names" here aren't big draws--assistants to Eisner and the like--and the quality of the stories is very so-so. Kinda proved to me I don't need to read any more Westerns and will stick to my horror and romances from the time period.
December 6, 2018
This is a collection of western comics from the 1940s and 1950s, when the genre was popular on film and later on television. The ones in this assortment were mostly the odd ones, though. Lash Larue was a popular western star for a while, but Gabby Hayes was one of the best grumpy old sidekicks ever, and it was a treat to see him in a comic.
The Native Americans in this collection are a wide range. Like the cowboys, there were good ones and evil ones, and a few just weird, like the one that had a working set of wings he could wear.
A few of the stories had specific historic settings, like the one about Black Hawk and the war involving him and his people. Others were just generically in "the Wild West," complete with odd bits here and there.
The artwork in these stories wasn't great, keeping me from giving the book fourth star. This is partly because about half of the stories were from Charlton Comics, which paid poorly. Still, some good creators did work for them, and those few examples stand out. Still, for the place of these stories in the history of comics and popular culture, this book was a fun read.
The Native Americans in this collection are a wide range. Like the cowboys, there were good ones and evil ones, and a few just weird, like the one that had a working set of wings he could wear.
A few of the stories had specific historic settings, like the one about Black Hawk and the war involving him and his people. Others were just generically in "the Wild West," complete with odd bits here and there.
The artwork in these stories wasn't great, keeping me from giving the book fourth star. This is partly because about half of the stories were from Charlton Comics, which paid poorly. Still, some good creators did work for them, and those few examples stand out. Still, for the place of these stories in the history of comics and popular culture, this book was a fun read.
July 14, 2022
I liked the art, a lot different than the manga I usually read. The brush strokes are what make it really cool to look at, I think, and the fact that it's in full color. I also love how the front cover as actual holes in it, like bullet holes.
The stories were a little boring, but some were pretty great and clever. I'm glad they chose comics that portrayed Native Americans in a relatively good light, but I can't help but feel like I was being shielded from what the majority of western comics actually portrayed Native Americans as back then.
The stories were a little boring, but some were pretty great and clever. I'm glad they chose comics that portrayed Native Americans in a relatively good light, but I can't help but feel like I was being shielded from what the majority of western comics actually portrayed Native Americans as back then.
November 14, 2023
I love the cover more than anything else. It’s a very soft paper heavy cover with “bullet” holes actually in it to represent the style.
There are 20 comics in total, I don’t know why some reviewer‘s are saying there are 30 and I don’t know why the back cover is misprinted to say there are 40. This book unfortunately feels a bit rushed, due to the fact that there is such a grave misprinting on the back.
There is a lovely four page blurb about the history of western comics but unfortunately it doesn’t do a good job selling you about what’s inside, it pretty much talks about how this particular collection is from a not very well known publicist who paid their artists very little and it reflects in the stories and artwork. For the record the stories and artwork vary greatly and each have their own unique charm but I feel that the restored aspect could’ve been a little bit better because some pages are very yellow and others are very poorly inked.
The oldest comic in this little collection is from 1948! Which in of it self is pretty impressive considering how far back that is and I’m just glad it’s printed at all, the most recent is from 1955.
I think this book would probably be for one of the more avid comic book collectors or a historical nut. Otherwise it’s just the editor’s own personal collection that he could get the copyright for and got printed for others to enjoy.
—
Inside:
Texas Tim, Ranger from blazing west American comics group.
The Kings Ransom from Lash Larue.
Magic Arrow Rides the Pony Express by Indian Fighter.
Tom Mix and the Desert Maelstrom by Tom Mix Western.
Jesse James by Cowboy Western Comics.
Peril Shadows and Forest Trail by Dan’l Boone.
Buffalo Belle by Blazing West.
Little Lobo the Bantam Buckaroo by Blazing West.
Tenderfoot by Blazing West.
Little Eagle: Soldier in the Making by Indian Fighter.
Terror at Taos by Kit Carson.
Young Falcon and the Swindlers by Gabby Hayes Western.
Annie Oakley by Cowboy Western Comics.
Flying Eagle in Golden Treachery by Death Valley.
Cry for Revenge by Cowboy Western.
Chief Black Hawk and His Dogs of War by Kit Carson.
Triple Test by Cowboy Western.
The Big Game Hunt by Gabby Hayes.
Breakout in Rondo Prison by Range Busters.
Four Talon’s Nest by Masked Raider.
There are 20 comics in total, I don’t know why some reviewer‘s are saying there are 30 and I don’t know why the back cover is misprinted to say there are 40. This book unfortunately feels a bit rushed, due to the fact that there is such a grave misprinting on the back.
There is a lovely four page blurb about the history of western comics but unfortunately it doesn’t do a good job selling you about what’s inside, it pretty much talks about how this particular collection is from a not very well known publicist who paid their artists very little and it reflects in the stories and artwork. For the record the stories and artwork vary greatly and each have their own unique charm but I feel that the restored aspect could’ve been a little bit better because some pages are very yellow and others are very poorly inked.
The oldest comic in this little collection is from 1948! Which in of it self is pretty impressive considering how far back that is and I’m just glad it’s printed at all, the most recent is from 1955.
I think this book would probably be for one of the more avid comic book collectors or a historical nut. Otherwise it’s just the editor’s own personal collection that he could get the copyright for and got printed for others to enjoy.
—
Inside:
Texas Tim, Ranger from blazing west American comics group.
The Kings Ransom from Lash Larue.
Magic Arrow Rides the Pony Express by Indian Fighter.
Tom Mix and the Desert Maelstrom by Tom Mix Western.
Jesse James by Cowboy Western Comics.
Peril Shadows and Forest Trail by Dan’l Boone.
Buffalo Belle by Blazing West.
Little Lobo the Bantam Buckaroo by Blazing West.
Tenderfoot by Blazing West.
Little Eagle: Soldier in the Making by Indian Fighter.
Terror at Taos by Kit Carson.
Young Falcon and the Swindlers by Gabby Hayes Western.
Annie Oakley by Cowboy Western Comics.
Flying Eagle in Golden Treachery by Death Valley.
Cry for Revenge by Cowboy Western.
Chief Black Hawk and His Dogs of War by Kit Carson.
Triple Test by Cowboy Western.
The Big Game Hunt by Gabby Hayes.
Breakout in Rondo Prison by Range Busters.
Four Talon’s Nest by Masked Raider.
October 3, 2016
The most interesting thing about the book is the two short introductory essays, which point out, among other things, that these knocked super-hero comics to the brink of extinction after WWII.
These are all selected from the Charlton line of comics, which, as even when I was a kid I knew, produced the lowest quality comics on the market. So....I didn't expect much, and I wasn't let down. Somewhat interesting is the portrayal of Native Americans. It was largely positive, but since these stories were all cherry picked, one has no real idea of that was really common to the age.
Bad art, pretty bad stories.
These are all selected from the Charlton line of comics, which, as even when I was a kid I knew, produced the lowest quality comics on the market. So....I didn't expect much, and I wasn't let down. Somewhat interesting is the portrayal of Native Americans. It was largely positive, but since these stories were all cherry picked, one has no real idea of that was really common to the age.
Bad art, pretty bad stories.
July 4, 2016
Old-style comics were so different to modern ones: short, shallow, simplistic, and formulaic. I have to admit, most of them weren't actually very good in terms of plot, characters, writing or art, but I had a great afternoon reading them and feeling like I was twelve again.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews