Bobby Benson's B-Bar-B Riders #5 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

12 year old Bobby Benson debuted on the radio airwaves in 1932. After the death of his parents, Bobby inherited the B-Bar-B Ranch, becoming the boss to a rag tag bunch of cow hands. In between dramatic stories of cattle rustlers, thieving bandits and angry Native American Indians, the tension was eased with campfire sing-alongs and tall tales told by the ranch's handyman, Windy. 

Though the stories were set in Texas and the fact that Bobby and his crew faced more than their fair share of desperadoes, there was a modern element to the adventures. In this issue, ranchers chase after a band of aspiring train robbers by commandeering a tour bus to catch the criminals. Then foreman Tex Mason in disguise as the vigilante, the Lemonade Kid, goes after a gang of bank robbers that use a helicopter to make their getaways.  Both stories are rather creative mixing Old Western action with mid-twentieth century technology. Though can anyone explain how those helicoptering baddies managed to get a hideout atop an inaccessible mesa?

Later, Windy regales some of the B-Bar-B's juvenile visitors to a story of the time the ranch was invaded by giant ants. Then there's a prose tale about a Texas Ranger outfoxing a wanted killer before Bobby Benson is kidnapped by horse rustlers in the closing story.

The 20 issue series produced by Magazine Enterprises under its Parkway Publishing Company banner. was the first all-new comic appearance by Bobby Benson. In the 1930s, ME released a pair of comics that collected stories from the short-lived newspaper strips based on the adventures at the B-Bar-B Ranch. Both books were radio giveaways issued by cereal producer, the Hecker-H-O Company, who sponsored the radio show for a time.

The first Bobby Benson program ran from 1932-1936 on CBS. A revival on the Mutual Broadcasting System debuted in 1949. A year later, Bobby made the jump to television in a  live action series. In response to the show, ME published a comic book series. Bobby Benson actually makes a reference to filming the TV show in the last story of this issue. The comic outlived the television show by about a year before being cancelled in 1953. Bobby Benson and His B-Bar-B Riders aired its last radio program in 1955. A number of child actors played the role of Bobby over the show's cumulative 10 year run including future Dead End Kid, Billy Halop. Other stars of note to work regularly on the radio series included Don Knotts, Tex Ritter and Billy's sister Florence Halop who was most well known for her brief role as Flo the Baliff on NBC's Night Court.

Bob Powell is credited with having penciled the cover and at least one of the 4 stories in this issue. Raymond C. Krank edited and is believed to have written the prose 2-pager, 'Job For A Ranger.'

Completing this review completes Task #1 (Comic from the Golden Age (1938-1955)) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.