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Dynamite's The Lone Ranger #1
The Lone Ranger, Vol. 1: Now & Forever
A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty -Hi-yo Silver!- - The Lone Ranger! With those words, fans young and old grew to love The Lone Ranger, and now Dynamite Entertainment proudly presents the definitive collection of an all-new Lone Ranger series featuring the all-star creative team of writer Brett Matthews, art director and cover artist John Cassaday, and artist Sergio Cariello. All six issues are presented in one ultimate hardcover collection - the complete story of how John Reid was transformed into The Lone Ranger and, along with his partner Tonto, set a new standard of justice in the Old West! Also includes a complete gallery featuring all of Cassaday's covers for the series, and more!
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 10, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
December 20, 2015
Decent. I guess my biggest question is Do we need a flashy and violent update of older, innocent material?
June 6, 2018
3.5 stars
Similar to their excellent but short-lived revival of the Green Hornet, Dynamite Entertainment again takes a character from a 30's radio series (though he's probably best remembered from the wildly popular 50's TV show) and makes things certainly more contemporary with explicit violence / sadism as well as greater respect for companion Tonto. Often it works, but sometimes it was jarring - there were times when it seemed like it was straying too far from the character's creed (or strict code of conduct, which was fairly consistent in the various interpretations) to simply be hip or provocative. Still, showing a well-meaning hero riding into the sunset to pursue true justice - and not just mindless, cold-blooded vengeance - was actually sort of invigorating for these cynical times.
Similar to their excellent but short-lived revival of the Green Hornet, Dynamite Entertainment again takes a character from a 30's radio series (though he's probably best remembered from the wildly popular 50's TV show) and makes things certainly more contemporary with explicit violence / sadism as well as greater respect for companion Tonto. Often it works, but sometimes it was jarring - there were times when it seemed like it was straying too far from the character's creed (or strict code of conduct, which was fairly consistent in the various interpretations) to simply be hip or provocative. Still, showing a well-meaning hero riding into the sunset to pursue true justice - and not just mindless, cold-blooded vengeance - was actually sort of invigorating for these cynical times.
May 1, 2021
Yeah, so, I practically read this in one sitting. How do I feel? I don't know, honestly.
The story was good. I liked the whole, getting- revenge-but-no-killing thing because there's less gore and more difficulties.
THAT IS, BY NO MEANS, TO SAY THAT THIS BOOK HAD NO GORE!!! BECAUSE IT DID!!!
That was honestly probably what brought my rating down so much. Not because I'm not able to tolerate gore (although the images in this book were quite disturbing) I feel it was more so that I really didn't know what to expect going into my first PA rated comic book. I suppose I was just expecting more explicit language and some more blood, but there was a bit more than "some more blood".
Aside from that, this comic seemed to have a lot of dialogue that seemed rather pointless and characters whose reactions to... certain things (I will not say what because I do not like spoilers in my reviews) seemed to feel a bit unrealistic.
Overall, though, the comic was a solid 3 star (which, to me, means that I don't know if there were more unlikable or likable parts) because, though it wasn't quite what I expected it to be, that is partly my doing, not really doing any research before opening the pages. I also trust that this is a solid beginning to a solid series (all the others are Teen rated, so I will be less hesitant to pick them up). But, yes, this book was good for what I expected it to be: a western, super hero, epic comic book.
The story was good. I liked the whole, getting- revenge-but-no-killing thing because there's less gore and more difficulties.
THAT IS, BY NO MEANS, TO SAY THAT THIS BOOK HAD NO GORE!!! BECAUSE IT DID!!!
That was honestly probably what brought my rating down so much. Not because I'm not able to tolerate gore (although the images in this book were quite disturbing) I feel it was more so that I really didn't know what to expect going into my first PA rated comic book. I suppose I was just expecting more explicit language and some more blood, but there was a bit more than "some more blood".
Aside from that, this comic seemed to have a lot of dialogue that seemed rather pointless and characters whose reactions to... certain things (I will not say what because I do not like spoilers in my reviews) seemed to feel a bit unrealistic.
Overall, though, the comic was a solid 3 star (which, to me, means that I don't know if there were more unlikable or likable parts) because, though it wasn't quite what I expected it to be, that is partly my doing, not really doing any research before opening the pages. I also trust that this is a solid beginning to a solid series (all the others are Teen rated, so I will be less hesitant to pick them up). But, yes, this book was good for what I expected it to be: a western, super hero, epic comic book.
October 18, 2020
Origin story for the Ranger. Entertaining. Great illustration with expressive detail. No explanation why Tonto is here.
August 27, 2008
This handsome volume once again relates the origin of the famed lawman. Using ideas expressed in the 1990s Joe R. Lansdale-penned Lone Ranger comic, Matthews wisely views Tonto and not the eponymous hero as the brains of the duo. Cariello's art effectively captures the period in a realistic manner. Complete with gorgeous John Cassaday covers and designs, this book successfully introduces the mythic western hero for a new generation of fans.
June 26, 2018
This comic series came out in 2006 and I remembered reading it somewhere around 2009 and feeling thoroughly irritated with it ...some days ago I picked this comic again and I had this feeling of deja Vu. What had irritated me so much in the first place was absolutely terrible artwork.
The artist has no sense of proportion . That is why the young boy has a face like a pumpkin and the artist doesn't know whether he is drawing a cartoon or a caricature or a serious work of art. And that is why we have a miserable 9 year old young boy about one and half inches high and the rest of the characters are in proportion. One wouldn't like to see this deformed body like a shut in telescope after every 2 panels with his spread skull.
As for the characters how do you know that the woman is the heroine. She is the one with the Botox lips and the pout. And how do you recognise a Lone Ranger. He the one with the fat lips and the Donald Duck pout. And his lipstick changes in every panel. Along with his skin tone.
And how to recognise Tonto. He is the one with the disproportionate body and of course the pout.
Gitme outta here.
I am writing this critical review as a reminder to myself never to pick up this series again after 10 years and half way begin to think that there was something wrong and what it was. And this sort of stuff gets awards. Will Eisner I sympathise with you.
When I had finished the seventh book in the series, – I did not waste a single red cent in buying this stuff, I borrowed it – I noticed that the quality had deteriorated so badly, that the text was not written in English or in American. It was written by a Spanish native speaker, who had mentally translated what he wanted to say in his language to his version of American and filled the bubbles with that creative brainstorm, without punctuation, without vocabulary without grammar and without sense.
Not readable. Thumbs down.
The artist has no sense of proportion . That is why the young boy has a face like a pumpkin and the artist doesn't know whether he is drawing a cartoon or a caricature or a serious work of art. And that is why we have a miserable 9 year old young boy about one and half inches high and the rest of the characters are in proportion. One wouldn't like to see this deformed body like a shut in telescope after every 2 panels with his spread skull.
As for the characters how do you know that the woman is the heroine. She is the one with the Botox lips and the pout. And how do you recognise a Lone Ranger. He the one with the fat lips and the Donald Duck pout. And his lipstick changes in every panel. Along with his skin tone.
And how to recognise Tonto. He is the one with the disproportionate body and of course the pout.
Gitme outta here.
I am writing this critical review as a reminder to myself never to pick up this series again after 10 years and half way begin to think that there was something wrong and what it was. And this sort of stuff gets awards. Will Eisner I sympathise with you.
When I had finished the seventh book in the series, – I did not waste a single red cent in buying this stuff, I borrowed it – I noticed that the quality had deteriorated so badly, that the text was not written in English or in American. It was written by a Spanish native speaker, who had mentally translated what he wanted to say in his language to his version of American and filled the bubbles with that creative brainstorm, without punctuation, without vocabulary without grammar and without sense.
Not readable. Thumbs down.
September 26, 2022
I've seen some odd criticisms of the artwork used in this series, and I have to say that the artist doesn't seem to know how tall children are, but otherwise it seemed very good. I enjoyed some of the visuals used, including the differences in the mask as it, and the main character, evolve into the Lone Ranger character we know from the radio, TV, comics, movies and novels...and here I have to wonder why Geoff Johns didn't seem to know about some of these things, and why he didn't know the answers to at least some of the questions, but that's okay. Too bad he didn't get to write the Lone Ranger comic, but I think Brett Matthews did a very good job.
In this and the following volume, he was establishing both the Lone Ranger and his ongoing arch enemy, Butch Cavendish. In addition, though, he established a really vicious killer with a complex back-story and an unusual gun.
In this volume, while establishing the Ranger, Tonto, the horse Silver, and the reasons for many things, but to newcomers to the series, he introduced the ancestor of another character, as the boy Dan is the ancestor of Britt Reid, who becomes The Green Hornet.
My only quibble with the writing is one that comes up in a lot of westerns, which is that the story tends to ignore distance and geography. It is not easy to ride the distances in this story by horse in a short period of time, and there were, in fact, no trains covering those same distances in 1869, when the story takes place.
Still, as a Lone Ranger fan since childhood, this was a fun read.
In this and the following volume, he was establishing both the Lone Ranger and his ongoing arch enemy, Butch Cavendish. In addition, though, he established a really vicious killer with a complex back-story and an unusual gun.
In this volume, while establishing the Ranger, Tonto, the horse Silver, and the reasons for many things, but to newcomers to the series, he introduced the ancestor of another character, as the boy Dan is the ancestor of Britt Reid, who becomes The Green Hornet.
My only quibble with the writing is one that comes up in a lot of westerns, which is that the story tends to ignore distance and geography. It is not easy to ride the distances in this story by horse in a short period of time, and there were, in fact, no trains covering those same distances in 1869, when the story takes place.
Still, as a Lone Ranger fan since childhood, this was a fun read.
August 1, 2025
"El llanero solitario", qué ocurrentes eran entonces, cuando no sabíamos inglés, y lo de Ranger sonaba a estropajo. Tampoco es que ahora estemos mucho mejor, porque es verdad que el nivel de inglés mejoró algo, pero el del español cayó en picado. Así no veo mucho avance,
A mí lo que me gusta del tipo este es que era woke. Ahora que todo es woke para la ultraderecha, me imagino que Jesucristo también lo era. Lo que les molesta no es una tendencia, es que no es la suya. Cuando se comían un millón de películas fascistoides en los ochenta no protestaban.
Al llanero le gustan los indios, la naturaleza, los animales, los pobres...va a parecer marxista, y eso que nació en 1933 en la radio.
El cómic mola mucho, pero la primera parte, luego se va desinflando. A medida que avanzan las páginas la historia flojea de guion, e incluso el dibujo de Sergio Cariello, que es lo mejor, empieza a decaer.
Aún así, lo recomiendo, te lo lees escuchando la obertura de Guillermo Tell de Rossini y te dan ganas de reparar injusticias por ahí, eso sí, es fundamental tener un amigo como Tonto -no me he equivocado, ese es el nombre real en la versión original del indio, y no Toro-. Al paso, al trote, al galope.
A mí lo que me gusta del tipo este es que era woke. Ahora que todo es woke para la ultraderecha, me imagino que Jesucristo también lo era. Lo que les molesta no es una tendencia, es que no es la suya. Cuando se comían un millón de películas fascistoides en los ochenta no protestaban.
Al llanero le gustan los indios, la naturaleza, los animales, los pobres...va a parecer marxista, y eso que nació en 1933 en la radio.
El cómic mola mucho, pero la primera parte, luego se va desinflando. A medida que avanzan las páginas la historia flojea de guion, e incluso el dibujo de Sergio Cariello, que es lo mejor, empieza a decaer.
Aún así, lo recomiendo, te lo lees escuchando la obertura de Guillermo Tell de Rossini y te dan ganas de reparar injusticias por ahí, eso sí, es fundamental tener un amigo como Tonto -no me he equivocado, ese es el nombre real en la versión original del indio, y no Toro-. Al paso, al trote, al galope.
June 12, 2023
John Reid's childhood was harsh, but his father taught him how to survive and to have a creed. He needs both to survive the assault that leaves his father and brother dead simply for being rangers. John is left for dead as well, but survives and is brought back to health by Tonto. What follows is a winding path with plenty of easy and bloody way outs. John will have to learn what kind of man he is.
June 8, 2020
I am forcing myself to read graphic literature beyond my usual genres. So I picked a western graphic series that I thought might be tolerable. The only other experience I've had with western graphic lit is a couple volumes of Jonah Hex and a Lucky Luke - neither of which was thrilling.
But, I was quite surprised that I really enjoyed this!
The artwork was excellent (particularly the landscapes) and the story was interesting. Yes, there could be more fleshing out of the villains and more backstory and motivation is needed for Tonto (which will likely occur in subsequent issues).
Now, I'm not sure if this means I like westerns or if this is just an exception?
But, I was quite surprised that I really enjoyed this!
The artwork was excellent (particularly the landscapes) and the story was interesting. Yes, there could be more fleshing out of the villains and more backstory and motivation is needed for Tonto (which will likely occur in subsequent issues).
Now, I'm not sure if this means I like westerns or if this is just an exception?
Read
April 9, 2021It's weird to read a serious version of a comic based on a TV show you have not seen. It elaborates on parts about the Show, but otherwise it's an odd feeling comic. I really like the art, but something about the writing seemed odd. Not sure why.
There's a neat antagonist character who's black, and he gets a... Diatribe? Of how he's treated different because he's colored kinda flatly brown, I suppose. That guy. Died? I think? It was an interesting scene.
I'll not rate this, because it's not bad per say. It engrossed me to finish it. I just wondered if Brett Michaels was well known, because I liked this story well enough.
There's a neat antagonist character who's black, and he gets a... Diatribe? Of how he's treated different because he's colored kinda flatly brown, I suppose. That guy. Died? I think? It was an interesting scene.
I'll not rate this, because it's not bad per say. It engrossed me to finish it. I just wondered if Brett Michaels was well known, because I liked this story well enough.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2017
Western che cerca di raggiungere l'Azzarello di Loveless. Lo si vede nei dialoghi che sfumano in didascalie introduttive per cambi scena, o nella caratterizzazione dei personaggi. Il problema è che il racconto rimane superficiale, gli scambi di battute sono insulsi, la trasformazione del protagonista è troppo immediata, arrivi in fondo cercando di capire perchè il compagno indiano del protagonista abbia deciso di seguirlo nelle sue "fantastiche avventure", e perchè dal secondo giorno che lo conosce lo chiami "amico fidato". Gli autori non si preoccupano di dare risposta a questa domanda.
September 14, 2018
Even though this whole volume was just an origin story, it still felt rushed and incomplete. It was an ok story, but not overly memorable. The art was mostly good, and (in this case, unfortunately) told more of the story than the dialogue. When I finished reading I did not care enough about where the story was going to wish that I had the 2nd volume, so I am not sure if I will ever bother to get it.
April 22, 2023
I'm a big western fan, and this is a good western. The story is an updated origin of the Lone Ranger, and we also see his first meeting with Tonto. Jonah Hex is my favorite western character of all time (along with Clint Eastwood's The Man with No Name), and while this isn't quite Jonah Hex level, I did really enjoy it. The art was beautiful, managing to look pretty and gritty at the same time.
December 27, 2023
I've never cared about the Lone Ranger before (only picked this up to gift it to my girlfriend's son, and decided to read it before then), so why did I end up pumping my fist at every big moment from the lore that I'm familiar with solely due to pop culture osmosis!? It earned those moments well. This book is damn good.
May 14, 2019
Started well.. but little confusing.. maybe because the character has been here for a long time and the author didn't want to go through each aspect of his formation... And cut it down to important elements...
Nice artwork though...
Nice artwork though...
April 7, 2023
Fantastic
I've always loved The Lone Ranger, ever since I was a kid, and used to watch Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels reruns.
The artwork and story were awesome. I liked the gritty version of the character. It felt a bit more authentic.
I can't wait to read the next book.
I've always loved The Lone Ranger, ever since I was a kid, and used to watch Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels reruns.
The artwork and story were awesome. I liked the gritty version of the character. It felt a bit more authentic.
I can't wait to read the next book.
September 28, 2018
Good book to introduce a character and the plot that continue in the next volume.
March 1, 2019
Checked this out from Hoopla; I will read it again.
May 11, 2021
A modern reinterpretation that doesn’t shy away from the violence or darkness of modern westerns, but maintains the spirit of what The Lone Ranger is all about. A good start
June 16, 2022
A darker reimagining with a gritty tooth, still managed to keep its sources heart.
March 20, 2025
Outstanding
Absolutely loved Brett Matthew’s’ Lone Ranger! The artwork is stupendous. I enjoyed the sketches at the end of the trade paper back.
Absolutely loved Brett Matthew’s’ Lone Ranger! The artwork is stupendous. I enjoyed the sketches at the end of the trade paper back.
May 14, 2020
Very good book.
March 31, 2013
This comics, little known in France, however, is an icon of American pop culture. Based in the Wild West, John Reid is close to "Luky Luke" with its air of lonely wolf and his white horse but without the humor of this Europeen comics.
Much darker, the hero could also be compared to a Western Zorro, with his thirst for justice, with the added presence of the Indian Tonto.
In this version of Dynamite, there is pretty heavy staff at the helm of this new version, much more modern in design. Writing the script was left to Brett Matthews, known for his work on comics, but also by participating in scripts for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or more recently "The Vampire Diaries". The drawings themselves are signed Sergio Cariello. A Brazilian who plunged into comics from a young age and has worked on numerous projects for Marvel and DC.
The covers are signed by John Cassaday, an American cartoonist well known.
This first volume gives a very sleek read. The texts are discreet and leave room for graphics. The drawings pictured all the characters' emotions and manage to recreate the harshness of life in the Wild West. As for warm and bright colors, they allow to bring modernity and also enhance landscapes gigantic.
This is a beautiful volume that makes you want to continue the adventures of John Reid.
Of course the fact that a movie with Armie Hammer, in the role of hero, and Johnny Depp, in the role of the Indian, is coming this summer will help reading or rereading the comics.
Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr...
Much darker, the hero could also be compared to a Western Zorro, with his thirst for justice, with the added presence of the Indian Tonto.
In this version of Dynamite, there is pretty heavy staff at the helm of this new version, much more modern in design. Writing the script was left to Brett Matthews, known for his work on comics, but also by participating in scripts for "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" or more recently "The Vampire Diaries". The drawings themselves are signed Sergio Cariello. A Brazilian who plunged into comics from a young age and has worked on numerous projects for Marvel and DC.
The covers are signed by John Cassaday, an American cartoonist well known.
This first volume gives a very sleek read. The texts are discreet and leave room for graphics. The drawings pictured all the characters' emotions and manage to recreate the harshness of life in the Wild West. As for warm and bright colors, they allow to bring modernity and also enhance landscapes gigantic.
This is a beautiful volume that makes you want to continue the adventures of John Reid.
Of course the fact that a movie with Armie Hammer, in the role of hero, and Johnny Depp, in the role of the Indian, is coming this summer will help reading or rereading the comics.
Lucie
http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.fr...
April 15, 2008
This new comic series from Dynamite Entertainment is...well, DYNAMITE!! Completely paying homage to the old versions of the Ranger, yet managing to make him cool and relevant again, this collection tells how John Reid becomes the Lone Ranger. This is worth the read just to be introduced to Tonto. You remember the old Tonto, who was always in trouble? Yeah...no. Tonto, in these comics, will kick your butt up, down, left, and right, and then, for good measure, kill you if you really annoy him. He and the Ranger team up, although it's clear that they really don't like each other at first. The Ranger, naturally, does not kill, but Tonto doesn't have a problem with it. They even have some awesome fights amongst themselves.
All told, this was a great start to a series, and Volume 2 got even better.
All told, this was a great start to a series, and Volume 2 got even better.
September 19, 2015
The Lone Ranger is one of those characters that is more like a subconscious notion, a construct of the mind, something that has lurked underneath the surface of awareness since childhood. He's an imprint on my psyche, sort of like Conan or Tarzan or Robert E. Lee. Pure mythology. However, when one looks a little closer, there's actually something there that's real, and has the potential to be very entertaining. These guys did a "Dynamite" job. Interesting origin, good friendship built between our Lone Ranger and Tonto and some creepy and multifaceted baddies. Great art, too. I'll keep coming back.
December 9, 2014
I loved seeing the new origin of The Lone Ranger while it still has that feeling of nostalgia . Any fans both old and new will enjoy this awesome gritty spaghetti western version of the Lone Ranger. I wish The Lone Ranger, Zorro, Tonto, and Django would team up with the Man with No Name. That would be awesome. Folks give this comic a chance. It's too awesome!
January 4, 2009
I've been a Lone Ranger fan since I was a little girl, and that was a long time ago. I wasn't disappointed with this comic interpretation of it. A bit darker and deeper than the TV show, but still a well drawn and well written tale. Looking forward to more.
December 29, 2009
Excellent origin story for a familiar character. I'm definitely buying the next volumes in this series. I'm a fan of the classic "good-guy characters-that-refuse-to-kill" and I'm glad that they're keeping the Lone Ranger that way.
July 13, 2013
Not a bad 'take' on a familiar story. The version I read stops before the narrative line has finished. Some striking full page illustrations. The characters are still in development. But on the whole, I found this a pleasing way to spend some brief time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews