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Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world

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topic icon Author Topic: Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world  (Read 76 times)

The Australian Panther

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Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world
« on: June 09, 2025, 01:30:13 AM »

The time frame for most Western stories is from the end of the US Civil War to the end of Horse drawn travel - so 1865 to 1900, A mere 35 years.
Western Fiction can be seen as Modern Day fairy tales or CHIVALRY fiction.
As such, examples can be found in most cultures.
Here I have selcted several, Westerns from the UK, Australia and also France. (The French one may be an UK translation.)
 
The US example highlights women.
   
Cowboy Comics 127 - Lucky Lannagan
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=95741

El Lobo the Man from Nowhere 2
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=87573

Aventures de Pecos Bill 14 - La rivière du vent
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=68403

Women Outlaws 2
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=27316

SLAP LEATHER PARTNERS!
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SuperScrounge

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Re: Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2025, 05:23:42 AM »

Aventures de Pecos Bill #14

La rivière du vent

What? It's part of a larger story? Well, now I'm lost!

Well, that and the fact I don't read French.  ;)  I'll try to figure out what's going on by the pictures.

I did recognize the names Calamity Jane & Davy Crocket, so that's probably Jane who's the bad guys' prisoner. The art was nice although Bill getting caught, escaping, and getting caught again reminded me of a complaint some of my nitpicker friends have about certain Dr. Who filler episodes.

This appears to be the GCD entry https://www.comics.org/issue/2147394/
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Quirky Quokka

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Re: Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2025, 05:58:13 AM »

Should be an interesting comparison, Panther. I've wondered before why some of the vintage Australian comics copied American-style westerns rather than using more Australian stories (e.g., the Phantom Ranger is another one that springs to mind). I guess westerns were popular on TV and at the movies, so they were trying to go with something that worked. But it makes about as much sense as it would for Americans to publish bushranger stories. Should be an interesting fortnight.

Cheers

QQ
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Morgus

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Re: Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2025, 10:51:18 PM »

Man, you would almost think that the first three all came from the same company. Nice black and white art work in all three issues. I was thinking a GOOD colouring job would just make the day, and then there was an adequate colouring job stuck into contestant number 3.  LUCKY LANNAGAN starts out a lot like TREASURE ISLAND and reminded me that BETWEEN GOD THE DEVIL AND A WINCHESTER did the same thing later in ’68 using the spaghetti western format.
It would be too much to hope the one influenced the other.

WOMEN OUTLAWS was my favourite of the lot, complete with those little black masks they always liked in the ‘adults only' magazines at the time. And, yes, it does look like a Kamen cover. Maybe THAT is what happened. Dr. Wertham was cheated at poker by a big busted lady in a black ‘party’ mask. Shirt opened to her navel. Bra that defied gravity. It all starts to make sense now.
Favourite line' “The mystery monkey man sure has the girls agog!”
I get the feeling those masks were featured in some B movie bank robberies.
« Last Edit: June 10, 2025, 01:37:50 AM by Morgus »
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Robb_K

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Re: Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world
« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2025, 11:48:14 PM »

I finally have some time clear for participating with more than a few observations.  And I'm a fan of Westerns.  Looking deeply at French, British, and Australian Westerns will be fun to see how they handle this genre that is "foreign to them, not being part of their history.  The Americans distort that history already enough (too much for my taste).  So, the "foreigners" can only do that more.  It will be interesting to see how they differ, one-from-another, and from The American stories and artwork.
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SuperScrounge

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Re: Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world
« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2025, 02:30:15 AM »

Cowboy Comics #127

Lucky Lannagan's Treasure Hunt

That treasure looks more European than Indian.

Okay story, although I wonder how different the story would have been had it been set in Australia. I don't think the Aborigines have the same reputation as American Indians, so that part of the story might have to change.

The Americans distort that history already enough (too much for my taste).

Are you saying that Cowboys vs. Aliens wasn't based on a true story?!?  :o  Shocked! I'm shocked!  ;)
« Last Edit: June 10, 2025, 02:33:39 AM by SuperScrounge »
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Morgus

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Re: Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world
« Reply #6 on: June 10, 2025, 04:48:27 PM »

Courage, ‘Super. We still have WILD WILD WEST. And THE VALLEY OF GWANGI.
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SuperScrounge

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Re: Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world
« Reply #7 on: June 10, 2025, 08:26:09 PM »

Courage, ‘Super. We still have WILD WILD WEST. And THE VALLEY OF GWANGI.

Yep!  ;D

although I wonder how different the story would have been had it been set in Australia.

Silly me, this was the English Western, not the Australian one. D'oh!

So now I have to imagine the prospector leading his burro through the streets of London, being chased by a gang of Cockneys and the treasure is in The City being guarded by a vicious gang of stock brokers. Yeah, that's better.  ;)
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Quirky Quokka

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Re: Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world
« Reply #8 on: Today at 02:54:40 AM »



The Americans distort that history already enough (too much for my taste).

Are you saying that Cowboys vs. Aliens wasn't based on a true story?!?  :o  Shocked! I'm shocked!  ;)


SuperScrounge, you've got it all wrong. Everyone knows the true story of the American west was told in the Dr Who episode 'A Town Called Mercy': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syqm8v3Xr1g

Glad to set the record straight  ;)

QQ
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Robb_K

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Re: Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world
« Reply #9 on: Today at 03:40:45 AM »




The Americans distort that history already enough (too much for my taste).

Are you saying that Cowboys vs. Aliens wasn't based on a true story?!?  :o  Shocked! I'm shocked!  ;)


SuperScrounge, you've got it all wrong. Everyone knows the true story of the American west was told in the Dr Who episode 'A Town Called Mercy': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syqm8v3Xr1g

Glad to set the record straight  ;)

QQ


What about "Westworld", by Michael Crichton?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070909/
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paw broon

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Re: Reading Group #351 Westerns around the world
« Reply #10 on: Today at 04:24:16 PM »

Pecos Bill, as the note on its page says, was an Italian original. And, again from it's page, Ron Embleton drew Lucky Lanagan.
El Lobo is a looser version of a text strip.
Australia had its very own western tv series with Whiplash which starred Peter Graves:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYhHvPIs_Qs&list=PL6fJmjt84zZhNVhRHPgOljHzU5xfBhlHB
UK tv way back showed a lot of American westerns, as well as Whiplash and UK comics had a lot of homegrown cowboy comics, often poorly illustrated.
It was the advent of Cowboy Comics that changed things, as well as Riders of The Range in Eagle, Rex Keene in Swift, Gun Law by Harry Bishop in newspapers.


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