| Comments |
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| Robinson did such a fine job on these books. Great figure work, great backgrounds. |
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| Ah, a Dell comic based on a ZIV Television Production (like the old Highway Patrol and Sea Hunt television series) with a photograph of Gene Barry as Bat Masterson on the cover. Does that bring back memories for a kid from the ‘50s? I used to watch the show on television whenever I could. So, I was delighted to find this collection.
Lead Souvenir: This story proved to be better than its initial set-up. I thought it was going to be a “no good deed goes unpunished” story. I thought that was strange as it didn’t fit the Bat Masterson tone. The resolution of the tension between my presupposition and the actual story was quite satisfactory. In fact, there was an additional element to it that I liked. Regarding the art, I really liked the use of duotone red/black on PDF page 4 to highlight the leaders of the fast-riding gang and duotone blue/black for the trailing members of the posse. I’m not sure why only one of the leaders was shot while the trailing members was spared, but I still liked the effect. It seems like the technique is used whenever certain characters are in the shadows. I really like it.
Animal Friend: Aesop would have proud of this variation of the Androcles and the Lion story.
The Red Hot Ringer: I won’t know till I read more of these whether “Softspoken Smith” is a regular back-up character in this title, but this one works nicely. It seems to work because the protagonist doesn’t give away what he’s thinking. It will be interesting (if this is a regular back-up) to see how this “close to the chest” strategy works in other stories. In terms of art, the facial expressions in this story are far superior to those in the cover story.
The Vanishing Gandy Dancers: There is a nice middle frame on page 25 of the PDF that looks like a wide-angle television camera shot. The building detail is lovely, particularly the center building. The story treats the Cheyenne with dignity and certainly fits the idealistic justice one expects in every Masterson story.
When I was a kid, I would read the one-page historical notes like the inside back cover on Bisbee, AZ and the back cover on “The Saline Pueblos.” Of course, the whitewashing of the Native American labor to build those towers was typical of the era when this title was published. |
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| Additional Information |
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| Publication | February-April 1960 | Price: 0.10 USD | Pages: 1 | Frequency: quarterly |
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| Credits | Pencils:? (photo) | Inks:? (photo) | Colors:? (photo) | Letters: typeset |
| Content | Genre: Western-frontier | Characters: Bat Masterson (photo of Gene Barry) |
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| Foreword/Afterword | The Lead Souvenir / The Vanishing Gandy Dancers (1 page) |
| Credits | Pencils:? (photo) | Inks:? (photo) | Letters: typeset |
| Content | Genre: Western-frontier | Characters: Bat Masterson [William Barclay Masterson] |
| Notes | Brief introduction to the two main stories. On inside front cover in black and white. New pencils identification by Alberto Becattini (December 2010). |
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| Comic Story | The Lead Souvenir (13 pages) |
| Synopsis | Bat finds a wounded bank robber in the mesquite, addresses him as "boy," digs the bullet from the fellow's spine, gives it to him, the fellow says, "It will make a souvenir!" A week later, Bat spots the fellow, thinks to himself, "the boy in the brush." The fellow gets a message to Bat enabling him to foil the bank robbers. |
| Credits | Job #: BAT M. #2-602 |
| Content | Genre: Western-frontier | Characters: Bat Masterson [William Barclay Masterson]; Spike (villain) |
| Notes | Art identification by Steinar Ådland (December 2010). Script and new pencils identification by Alberto Becattini (December 2010). Gaylord Du Bois's Account Books Sorted by Title compiled from the original account books by Randall W. Scott states: "The Boy in the Brush. 13p. For Bat Masterson, stock. Sent July 18, 1959." Synopsis' story quotes explain both the working title and the title change. ~Dave Porta |
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| Text Story | Animal Friend (1 page) |
| Synopsis | A wounded marshal and a wounded cougar go after the same man. |
| Credits | Letters: typeset |
| Content | Genre: Western-frontier | Characters: U.S. Marshal Jeff Radin; Scag Waller (villain, death) |
| Notes | Copyright, 1959, by Western Printing & Litho Co. |
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| Comic Story | The Red Hot Ringer (4 pages) |
| Synopsis | A blacksmith figures a man on a horse that lost a shoe is a bank robber. |
| Featuring | "Softspoken" Smith |
| Content | Genre: Western-frontier | Characters: "Softspoken" Smith [Sam Smith]; Jerry; Ben; Catamount (horse) |
| Notes | Copyright, 1959, by Western Printing & Litho Co. New pencils identification by Alberto Becattini (December 2010).
Gaylord Du Bois's Account Books Sorted by Title compiled from the original account books by Randall W. Scott states: "Soft Spoken Smith. 4p. For Bat Masterson, stock. Sent August 7, 1959." ~Dave Porta |
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| Comic Story | The Vanishing Gandy Dancers (14 pages) |
| Synopsis | Bat is hired to locate some missing railroad workers. |
| Content | Genre: Western-frontier | Characters: Bat Masterson [William Barclay Masterson]; General Walsh; Red Wolf; Larry; Jennings; Hokey (villain); Flash Carruthers (villain) |
| Notes | Bat Masterson's full name is used in this story. Art identification by Steinar Ådland (December 2010). Script and new pencils identification by Alberto Becattini (December 2010). Gaylord Du Bois's Account Books Sorted by Title compiled from the original account books by Randall W. Scott states: "The Vanishing Gandy Dancers. 14p. For Bat Masterson, stock. Sent July 31, 1959." ~Dave Porta |
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| Text Article | Bisbee, Arizona (1 page) |
| Synopsis | The 'Black Ghosts' reign of terror robbing the citizens of Bisbee, Arizona. |
| Featuring | Roaring Towns of the Old West |
| Credits | Letters: typeset |
| Content | Genre: Western-frontier | Characters: Mr. Goldwater; Mr. Castaneda; Mrs. Anna Roberts |
| Notes | On inside back cover in black and white. Art identification by Steinar Ådland (December 2010).New pencils identification by Alberto Becattini (December 2010). Gaylord Du Bois's Account Books Sorted by Title compiled from the original account books by Randall W. Scott states: "Roaring Towns of the Old West. cover #4 for Bat Masterson, stock. Sent August 10, 1959." ~Dave Porta |
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| Text Article | The Saline Pueblos (1 page) |
| Synopsis | The history of the Saline Pueblos in New Mexico. |
| Featuring | Landmarks of the Old West |
| Credits | Letters: typeset |
| Content | Genre: Western-frontier |
| Notes | Back cover; alternate back cover with ad (see sequence 8). New pencils identification by Alberto Becattini (December 2010). Gaylord Du Bois's Account Books Sorted by Title compiled from the original account books by Randall W. Scott states: "Landmarks of the Old West. cover #3 for Bat Masterson, stock. Sent August 10, 1959." ~Dave Porta |
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| Advertisement | This Is a Beaverbear (1 page) |
| Featuring | Kraft Caramels |
| Credits | Letters: typeset |
| Notes | Back cover; alternate back cover with text article (see sequence 7). |
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| The data in the additional content section is courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under a
Creative Commons Attribution License.
More details about this comic may be available in their page here |
