Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns
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Comic book publishers responded with the formation of the Comics Magazine Association of America. The self regulatory Comics Code Authority followed. The “Code for Editorial Matter (October 1954) General Standards Part B” clearly stated the new rules and regulations regarding horror titles.
(1) No comic magazine shall use the word “horror” or “terror” in its title.
(2) All scenes of horror, excessive bloodshed, gory or gruesome crimes, depravity, lust, sadism, masochism shall not be permitted.
(3) All lurid, unsavory, gruesome illustrations shall be eliminated.
(4) Inclusion of stories dealing with evil shall be used or shall be published only where the intent is to illustrate a moral issue and in no case shall evil be presented alluringly nor so as to injure the sensibilities of the reader.
(5) Scenes dealing with, or instruments associated with walking dead, torture, vampires and vampirism, ghouls, cannibalism, and werewolfism are prohibited.
Contrary to popular belief, the rules of the CCA didn’t destroy the horror comics book industry overnight. It did destroy the gross excesses of irresponsible publishers who went out of business but titles such as Adventures into the Unknown and Forbidden Worlds from American Comics Group survived and prospered.
The rise in popularity of science fiction and the dawning “space age” also saw the slow emergence of the Weird Western in comic books. The Space or Science Fiction Western dominated in part because of the Comics Code restrictions which banned the use of the words weird, terror and horror and any mention of vampires, werewolves and zombies.
The combination of the Western and science fiction appeared to be a more natural mix of genres as science fiction’s exploration of new frontiers and encounters with often hostile native alien civilizations could equally apply to exploration of the West and conflict with Native Americans. A comic book titled Space Western Comics was a failure but stands today as an interesting attempt at kick-starting a new genre. DC Comics published some interesting Space Western strips in their anthology titles but little else.
A relatively modest comic publisher had the greatest impact on the evolution of the Weird (supernatural-horror) Western in the early 1950s. Magazine Enterprises, founded by former National-DC Comics editor Vincent Sullivan, published Ghost Rider, a Weird Menace Western that took a true Weird Western twist when a new origin story by Gardner Fox involved genuine ghostly specters. The Weird Western extended into many of their other Western titles until a combination of the newly formed Comics Code Authority and declining interest in Westerns resulted in the cancellation of M.E.’s entire Western line-up. Atlas Comics also dipped into the Weird Western in the 1950s with the occasional weird Black Rider and Red Larabee, the Gunhawk story.
The pulps were slowly going down the path to extinction in the 1950s, but one Western pulp magazine was publishing stories of a sheriff named Lee Winters who contended with ghosts and all manner of strange people and happenings in his job in Forlorn Gap. Author Lon Williams had introduced a genuine Weird Western theme to his bi-monthly stories in Real Western Magazine. The series produced no imitators and stands alone as a unique Weird Western series in a era when standard cowboy adventures ruled the pulps.
The genesis of the Weird Western film can be seen in the Weird Menace Western. The success of the filmed version of Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera in 1925 invited imitation. Early attempts at mixing the traditional Western with the horror or mystery genre resulted in a plethora of tales involving threatening figures often adopting supernatural monikers such as “Phantom,” “Ghost,” “Skull” or “Wolf Man.” The figure usually took the form of a cloaked, masked outlaw terrorizing a community or individuals, and his true identity was revealed in the final reel. Film serials were an ideal format for the Weird Menace Western. The villain could continue to pose as a supernatural threat until the final chapter when he revealed himself to be a mere mortal.
Sound serials were produced by four studios, Columbia, Universal, Republic and Mascot, between 1929 and 1956. The remainder were independent productions. Although the larger studios could afford larger budgets, all serials had mediocre production values and juvenile storylines. They were made for the Saturday matinee crowd and never had any pretensions toward high art. Staple story and character elements were repeated endlessly. Goodies versus baddies with goodies whiter than white heroes and baddies “boo, hiss” villains. Action was emphasized over dialogue. The more daring and exciting the better. The cliffhanger conclusion to each chapter was nothing more than a teaser to ensure the young audience returned the following Saturday and resolutions consisted of the hero jumping from the automobile or airplane before it crashed in flames. Serials were escapist entertainment for the masses and money-making ventures for the studios.
Feature-length Weird Westerns of the 1920s–1940s mainly incorporated off beat plots and locations involving haunted ranches, haunted mines, masters of disguise and phantom outlaws. Like the film serials, they were mainly Weird Menace Westerns. The majority of these Westerns were low-budget “B” features filmed to a tight schedule usually ranging from two to ten days, featuring popular Western actors such as Ken Maynard and Tim McCoy. Despite the trend toward repetition and formula, a few productions did venture into new territory, including the serial The Phantom Empire (1935), one of the first science fiction Westerns, and Ghost Patrol (1936), which mixed Western, gangster and science fiction genres and (like The Phantom Empire) placed the story in a contemporary setting.
The year 1959 saw the release of a film that combined the vampire and Western genres. Curse of the Undead was an unusual film for its time and demonstrated that filmmakers were thinking of new directions to take the Western.
The 1960s saw the beginnings of the traditional Western’s decline in popularity. The idea of good versus evil and moral absolutes looked increasingly simplistic and the moral certitude of a John Wayne figure increasingly dated. This era of civil unrest and the Vietnam War gave rise to the Western anti-hero as typified in the Italian spaghetti Westerns. “The Man with No Name” was no longer a friendly loner willing to help a community or individuals in trouble but a selfish, amoral character who had no problems killing whoever got in his way. This approach opened up the possibility of new areas of expression and blurred the lines between good and evil. The idea of the individual acting outside of society or destroying those he feels threatened by played into a horror genre crossover. The beginnings of a Weird Western landscape filled with amoral outsiders was being set in motion. The hippie culture of the 1960s also played a part in the change in consciousness toward long-held beliefs. The Native American Indian was no longer viewed as a savage but was seen as being in touch with nature and elemental spirits. The “wise Shaman” was as much a stereotype as the “noble savage” but it fed into a new awareness that trampled the whooping, aggressive Indians of the movies into dust.
In a post–Vietnam world of increasing awareness of racial inequality, the classic Western had a dwindling audience. Revisionist Westerns began to surface. But many were inauthentic and apologetic and spoke of contemporary America’s concerns rather than the genuine Old West. The Western genre was slowly dying. It was no longer relevant.
The TV Western of the 1950s and early 1960s filled a gap left by the demise of the “B” Westerns and film serials. The Weird Western did exist in a disguised format. Rod Serling’s science fiction anthology show The Twilight Zone included some interesting Weird Western tales within its format.
It was the emergence of Ian Fleming’s James Bond and the “swinging sixties” that influenced the TV Western The Wild Wild West in the mid–1960s. Outrageous plots involved spies, villainous mad scientists, deadly poisons and warped plans of world domination. The basic fabric of the TV Western had been replaced with a surreal Weird Western pop culture mix.
In the comic book field, Marvel Comics under Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko heralded the era of the superhero with problems. Their Wester
n titles were either cancelled or revamped and former standard cowboy adventures of Kid-Colt, Rawhide Kid and Two-Gun Kid were mixed with super-villains and even aliens from outer space.
Meanwhile, publisher James Warren had skillfully sidetracked the restrictive Comics Code stamp of approval in the 1960s with his black-and-white magazine format comic books Creepy, Eerie and Vampirella. They were the first successful attempts at reviving the horror genre; Weird Western tales were featured in Creepy and Eerie.
But it wasn’t until the early 1970s and the relaxation of the Comics Code that supernatural titles resurfaced among color comic book publishers. They were once again allowed to use previously banned word in their titles. Horror, Terror, Werewolves, Dracula and Vampires all made a return and allowed for more diverse material. In 1972, DC Comics launched Weird Western Tales. Marvel responded with a revamped Ghost Rider and Warren Publishing decided to launch a Weird Western character of sorts with the time-traveling Rook. DC had set the ball rolling, but it would take time to gather momentum.
Although the mid–1980s saw the emergence of the independent comic book publisher, they tended to steer clear of “dated” Western titles, preferring to produce variations of the mainstream publisher’s superhero output in the hope of turning a quick profit. The strategy ultimately failed with the vast majority of the independent publishers going out of business within a few years. The one exception was AC Comics, who had acquired the rights to Magazine Enterprises’ Western characters and began reprinting their stories in various titles starting in 1987. The Western reprint titles also included new material by former Magazine Enterprise artists Dick Ayers, Frank Bolle and John Belfi.
The Weird Western was reborn in the 1990s. Some would say it was re-invented with a plethora of new titles mixing spaghetti Western sensibilities with the supernatural. The result was often a combination of sadistic violence and zombies, vampires, werewolves, ghosts or robots. The pulp mentality of the 1930s was back in style. Certain independent titles bordered on self-indulgent amateurism, with poor artwork and writing that in a previous era would never have seen publication. But the raw quality of these titles fed into a jaded genre that required rejuvenation from any source. And the good just about outweighed the mediocre with excellent titles such as Desperadoes and Saints of Killers.
Despite declining sales, the 1990s saw an explosion of Weird Western comic book titles and the revival of the smaller publisher as a creative force. As the Internet and digital technology became more dominant in society, the comics industry was forced to adapt. Independent webcomics appeared more frequently and DC Comics launched a web comics imprint, Zuda Comics, where new creators were offered one-year paid contracts.
The retreat of the traditional Western gave the Weird Western space to breathe. The rise of computer generated imagery opened new possibilities in films and games and the public became less rigid in keeping to strict genre boundaries. Anything was possible. The role-playing game Deadlands: The Weird West proved to be a hit in the late 1990s, resulting in spin-off games. The video game was yet another new area for the Weird Western to gain ground. There was an increased interest in fantasy, and many genres that were once viewed as burnt-out and redundant gained a fresh life with the crossing of genres.
Weird Western stories grew out of the pulps and ventured into mainstream literature where authors such as Stephen King, and Joe R. Lansdale explored various Western themes. C.L. Moore and Leigh Brackett’s Space Western pulp stories were followed by Robert A. Heinlein’s juvenile books in the 1950s and novels from Mike Resnick, Kurt R. A. Giambastiani and David Gemmell (among many others) in the latter half of the 20th century.
The traditional Western story had relied on the power of myth from its earliest days. Expanding that myth into new areas was a necessity to keep the myth alive, albeit in a revised form, for a new generation. The basic elements of the Western remained timeless. The taming of a new frontier offered hope for the future. The coming together of like-minded people to build a new society out of the untamed wilderness evoked the pioneer spirit. The outlaw existing on the fringes of society could be intermingled with the alienated individual or outcast.
Familiar themes and plots could be transferred to other increasingly popular genres such as science fiction. The Western would survive in a transformed state. Alien planets and landscapes would be the new frontier and the traditional Western town would be populated with various life forms, all attempting to survive and thrive in a hostile environment.
*Gilgamesh: Translated from the Sin-Leqi-Unninni Version, eds. John Gardner and John Maier, trans. John Gardner (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984), 263.
†The Letters of the Younger Pliny, ed. and trans. by Betty Radice (Harmondsworth, England: Penguin, 1963; reprint 1985), 203.
^ Ovid, Metamorphoses, Book the First, Trans. John Dryden (London: Wordsworth Editions, 1998), 11–12.
THE WEIRD WESTERNS
Abraham
[Comic book character; Italy; WW]
First appearance: Bad Karma #0/1, 1999; Story: Roberto Recchioni; Art: Walter Venturi; Publisher: King Comics. The adventures of Abraham Van Helsing, vampire and demon hunter in the Old West of the 1880s. Artist Walter Venturi described the two-part, 16-page story as “a mix between Sergio Leone, John Woo and the Wild Weird West.”
Abraham artwork © Walter Venturi. Used with permission.
Absalom
[Comic book character; SFW]
First appearance: X-Force #10, May 1992; Creators: Fabian Nicieza, Rob Liefeld, Mark Pacella; Publisher: Marvel Comics.
Absalom first discovered his mutant power for regeneration in 1896 when he was being hanged for the murder of Caleb Hammer in Wyoming. Bone-like spikes erupted from his body and shred the rope around his neck but an angry crowd shot him to death as he tried to escape. Two days later he awoke inside his coffin and fled the small town in the dead of night. He later joined the mutant immortals known as the Externals but discovered that even self-regenerating immortals could die when female immortal Selene drained his life.
Aces and Eights
[RPG book; WW]
Author: Micah Jackson; First publication: 2001; GURPS Deadlands Dime Novel series #1; Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Inc.
In a story that includes Hexslingers, voodoo magic and the undead, Jim Wright is pursued from Denver to New Orleans by someone who wants him dead.
Action Comics
[Comic book]
This long-running title was the first to feature Superman. The popularity of the Western in the 1940s and 1950s ensured that comic book writers would include a few storylines where Superman would be involved with cowboys and Indians. The light-hearted approach of the Golden Age stories are in marked contrast to the 1971 two-part story which sees Superman being taken hostage as a bargaining tool for the return of Native American land.
“SUPER COWBOY” [SFW]
First publication: #134 (July 1949); Story: William Woolfolk; Art: Wayne Boring; Publisher: DC Comics.
“Yipee! New Thrills In The Old West When Superman Becomes A Super-Cowboy!”
“SUPERMAN, INDIAN CHIEF” [SFW]
First publication: #148 (September 1950); Story: Edmond Hamilton; Art: Al Plastino; Publisher: DC Comics.
“An Amazing Adventure of the Past—”
“THE COVERED WAGON OF DOOM” [SFW]
First publication: #184 (September 1953); Art: Wayne Boring, Stan Kaye; Publisher: DC Comics.
Can Superman prevent history from repeating itself in the Old West?
“THE TEST OF A WARRIOR” [WW]
First publication: #200 (January 1955); Art: Wayne Boring, Stan Kaye; Publisher: DC Comics.
This story of Superman helping an aged Indian complete the three tests of a warrior was adapted into an episode of the TV series The Adventures of Superman later in the year.
“THE DAY SUPER-HORSE BECAME HUMAN” [WW]
First publication: #311 (April 1964); Story: Leo Dorfman; Art: Jim Mooney; Publisher: DC Comics.<
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In this truly weird tale, Supergirl falls in love with her super-horse Comet after he magically transforms into dashing rodeo cowboy “Bronco” Bill Starr. The strip was reprinted in Adventure Comics #390 (March-April 1970) as “Supergirl's Cowboy Hero!”
“INVADERS GO HOME” [SFW]
First publication: #401 (June 1971); Story: Leo Dorfman; Art: Curtis Swan, Murphy Anderson.
When industrialist Frank Haldane builds a missile-manufacturing site on Navarro Indian land, the Navarros stake their claim to ownership of their land. As part of a plan to remedy the situation, Navarro leader Don Red Hawk takes Superman hostage after rendering him helpless with a red jewel that drains his powers.
“THIS HOSTAGE MUST DIE” [SFW]
First publication: #402 (July 1971); Story: Leo Dorfman; Art: Curtis Swan, Murphy Anderson.