More than two dozen of Troy Smith's short stories and magazine articles have been published since 1995. His work has appeared in magazines such as LOUIS L'AMOUR WESTERN MAGAZINE, WILD WEST, MUZZLELOADER, and WESTERN DIGEST, among others.
Troy was also a Spur finalist in 1998, in the short nonfiction category.
His first novel, Bound for the Promise-Land won a Spur Award in 2000 as Best Paperback
The comic book is one of the few authentic, original American art forms. Little wonder, then, that it has mingled from the beginning with the Wild West, the fountain of Americas mythic lore.
Comic books were at first just reprints of newspaper comic strips. By 1937, however, original Western stories were appearing. Among the first was Jack Kirbys LIGHTNIN JACK AND THE LONE RIDER. There was also THE WHIP and GOLDEN ARROW, and a host of Lone Ranger imitators. The Lone Ranger himself would not get his own regular, original series until the late 1940s. It would last until 1977.
The first real success in Western comics was Fred Harmans RED RYDER, which lasted seventeen years. Its success was followed by other celluloid heroes: Tom Mix, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, and Roy Rogers. None of these titles lasted more than a few years.
Red Ryders sidekick Little Beaver eventually had his own comic book, as did Reds Auntie Duchess, a tough old lady who did not hesitate to take on Indians and outlaws. Unfortunately, the writing on the RED RYDER book became inferior as it coasted on its protagonists' movies and radio programs. Some very educational backup features appeared in its pages, though, including Cowboy and Wigwam Ways. The book folded in 1957.
Westerns had long been eclipsed by superheroes, but this changed after World War II. The pendulum of public opinion swung away from the colorful adventurerseven Superman and Batmanand Westerns began to flourish.Their golden age was from 1948 to 1954, and it was dominated by Stan Lee. Charlton Comics and National Publications (later DC) also made many contributions.
In 1949 Magazine Enterprises debuted THE DURANGO KID, based on the popular film hero. Its high point was not the main feature, but a backup series White Indian, by legendary fantasy artist Frank Frazetta. His detailed artwork and bold composition gave the series a poetic quality.
National introduced POW-WOW SMITH, INDIAN LAWMAN; RODEO RICK; JOHNNY THUNDER; and NIGHTHAWK, who wore an embroidered hawk on his chest and resembled Nationals Batman. They also produced a long-running Revolutionary War series, TOMAHAWK.
It is ironic that the anti-violence crusade which crippled the comic industry in the 1950s actually helped the Western by eliminating much of its competition. Western violence had become an accepted part of the American legend, after all.
The genre received a shot in the arm from the Davy Crockett craze, and later from the popularity of TV Westerns. GUNSMOKE, BONANZA, MAVERICK, RAWHIDE, and many more joined the Lone Ranger and Roy Rogers at Dell Comics.
The 1960s were a lean time, though due in part to Stan Lees popular superheroes. The most interesting new character of the decade was DCs BAT LASH. It was a light-hearted, offbeat title featuring a neurotic anti-hero reminiscent of Bret Maverick. Created by Sergio Aragones and Nick Cardy, BAT LASH relied more on mood than on action.
DC tried the genre again in 1970, with ALL-STAR WESTERN. The breakaway star of this anthology appeared in issue ten: Jonah Hex. A bitter Confederate veteran-turned-bounty hunter, Hex wandered through the West acting like the classic anti-hero brought into vogue by Clint Eastwood films. One side of Hexs face was terribly scarred and it made his countenance a physical manifestation of his inner turmoils. Torn between good and evil, Hex usually managed only indifference.
Jonah Hex received his own title in 1977 and continued his odd ride until the mid 1980s, when he was the only Western hero left in comics. He also received a quality backup feature: Scalphunter. His name among the Kiowas who raised him was Ke-who-no-tay, He Who Is Less Than Human, while whites knew him as Scalphunter. At home with neither race, the renegade became an Indian version of the anti-hero Hex.
Marvel released a one-shot in 1980 of a character called Caleb Hammer, in the pages of MARVEL PREMIERE. The story, The Devils Starry Anvil (by Peter Gillis and Gene Day) was among the finest to appear in a Western comic in years, but it was too late. The genre went into hibernation for most of the 1980s.
The Lone Ranger and Zorro had brief resurgences in the 1990s, with short runs at Topps Comics. Beyond that, there have been several Western min-series in the past decade. DC has produced SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE and three Jonah Hex stories by Joe R. Lansdale: TWO-GUN MOJO, RIDERS OF THE WORM AND SUCH, and SHADOWS WEST. Several volumes of the classic French comic LIEUTENANT BLUEBERRY were translated and made available, though most are now out of print. It is still possible, though, to find new copies of THE BLUEBERRY SAGA: CONFEDERATE GOLD.
n the mid-1990s, Marvel released a high-quality two-part Two-Gun Kid story called SUNSET RIDERS. John Ostrander has written some very good Westerns for both the main publishers in recent years: THE KENTS at DC (a 12-part story of Clark Kents adopted familys Kansas ancestors in the Old West) and BLAZE OF GLORY at Marvel. The latter is a Wild Bunch-like adventure starring almost all of Marvels main Western characters, most of whom dont survive the end. In recent months Marvel has published Ostranders APACHE SKIES, a Rawhide Kid adventure. Another noteworthy event took place in Marvel and DCs much-touted crossover miniseries in 1996, wherein (among many other things) Jonah Hex met the Two-Gun Kid.
The glory days of the comic book Western may be past, but the genre is far from dead.
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