Weird Western Tales #46 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Bat Lash. Gambler. Ladies man. Smuggler and swindler. He's a gentleman with a roguish streak. He claims that he abhors violence. However, he's not afraid to use a firearm or stick of dynamite when the chips are down. You could almost say that Bat Lash is an old West inspiration for Han Solo.

The character was created in 1968. He was one of the first figures developed by Carmine Infantino after he was named editorial director for DC Comics. Fellow editor Joe Orlando assisted in Bay Lash's development before Sheldon Mayer and Sergio Aragones were tasked with bringing the antihero to life 

Bat Lash first debuted in issue #76 of Showcase. He soon started in his own self-titled solo series with Aragones now joined by Denny O'Neil as scribe. Despite winning a pair of Alley Awards for Best Western series and being significantly popular in Europe, Bat Lash was cancelled after only 7 issues.

In 1972, capitalizing off of the easing of restrictions on horror comics by the Comics Code as well as the new found popularity of titles like The House of Secrets, DC commissioned a western anthology series that specialized in the strange and macabre. Weird Western Tales debuted in the summer of '72. The breakout star of the title was the Confederate bounty hunter Jonah Hex. His popularity spun off into his own solo series in 1977. 

After Hex departed Weird Western Tales, the character of Scalphunter was made the feature. Created by Aragones and Orlando, Scalphunter was a young white child named Brian Savage. After his parents are slaughtered, Brian is raised by his family's killers, the people of the Kiowa tribe. Though despised by the Kiowa, Brian is trained to become a fierce warrior. Eventually Savage leaves the tribe in hopes of finding his baby sister who may have survived the massacre of his family.

Assuming the name of Scalphunter, Savage is a man of two cultures; both of which refuse to claim him. In his search for his sister, Scalphunter encounters a number of characters from DC's Old West lineup, including Bat Lash. No stranger to Weird Western Tales, Lash teamed with Scalphunter in the previous issues, agreeing to steal an experimental piece of artillery that very well could change the course of the Civil War.

Bat Lash and Scalphunter were supposed to sell the gun to the highest bidder. However, Lash betrayed his partner leaving him for dead. Enraged, Scalphunter has tracked Bat Lash to Saint Louis where the scoundrel is to meet with representatives from both the North and the South in a high stakes auction. While Lash plans for the Union to win the weapon, the Southern conspirators recruit Scalphunter into an ambush. Seeing a chance for revenge, Scalphunter agrees. Now with the South in possession of the automatic weapon, Bat Lash must convince his new foe that his intentions were pure and work together to save an entire Union regiment from being slaughtered.

Definitely a Western tale. But light on the weird. 

Written by Gerry Conway. Art by Dick Ayers and George Evans.

Completing this review completes Task #25 (A Western) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

Weird Western Tales #50 (2023 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Weird Western Tales actually started out as the second volume of the fan favorite anthology series All-Star Western. The first issues featured some basic historical characters like Billy the Kid, Buffalo Bill, and Davy Crockett. DC creations such as Pow Wow Smith and Bat Lash made appearances as well as the demon possessed gunslinger known as El Diablo. In issue #10, readers were introduced to the mysterious bounty hunter, Jonah Hex.                                             

A former Confederate soldier turned bounty hunter, Hex's visage was disfigured by a Native American shaman for allegedly violating rules of combat. This brand was called the 'mark of the demon'. While Hex didn't have any supernatural powers, his stories tended to have an element of the strange and macabre due the nature of his facial injury. 

During this time period, the Comics Code was lessening its rules on horror tales. As a result, DC Comics created the wildly popular Weird War Tales in 1971. Seeing dollar signs, the editors at DC and publisher Carmine Infantino made the call to switch All-Star Western's format and title. The book was renamed Weird Western Tales with issue #12 (June, 1972). 

For the first half dozen issues El Diablo and Jonah Hex rotated as the star of Weird Western Tales. Assorted Western themed horror tales rounded out the issue. Issue #17 saw Jonah Hex becoming the main feature of the series and within another dozen issues, Weird Western Tales dropped the back-up features. Hex's last appearance in the series was in issue #38. Readers fell in love with the character and by April of 1977, Jonah Hex was starring in his own self-titled issue. 

Issue #39 saw the character of Scalphunter becoming the star of Weird Western Tales. In his debut we learn that the Scalphunter was a white man named Brian Savage. Abducted by the Kiowa Indians as a child, the Native Americans raised Brian under the name Ke-Wok-No-Tay, meaning 'He Who Is Less Than Human'. Skilled at combat, Brian left the tribe going by the name of Scalphunter. 

Scalphunter eventually learned that he had a little sister and that's where this issue picks up. Heading over to Atlanta, Scalphunter follows up on a tip that takes him to a Confederate Army occupied mansion. Inside, he finds numerous members of a prominent family placed under house arrest under suspicion of being a spy for the North; including a pair of criminal who tried to kill Scalphunter previous in New Orleans and his baby sister, Samantha Savage!

Featuring artwork by Dick Ayers (Rawhide Kid), the script was written by Gerry Conway (Superman). Cover artwork by Ross Andru and Marvel Fanfare's  Al Milgrom.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #47 (A Western) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.