Dell Four Color #631- Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

From December, 1954 to February, 1955, ABC aired 3 one-hour mini movies starring Fess Parker as legendary frontiersman, Davy Crockett. The programming was part of a deal with the television network to produce weekly family entertainment in return for funding for Walt Disney to build his dream theme park: Disneyland. This deal also acted as a weekly advertisement in which Disney would provide updates on the park's construction.

The trio of Davy Crockett episodes were produced to highlight Disneyland's Frontierland, the park's tribute to explorers and cowboys. The three parts were titled 'Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter', 'Davy Crockett Goes to Congress' and 'Davy Crockett at the Alamo'. These films ended up becoming a nationwide success and sparked a fad in children wearing coon skin caps as well as boosting interest in Westerns as a growing genre in post-war television and movies. 

Seeing dollar signs, Disney repackaged the 3 episodes into a feature length movie. In May, 1955 Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier hit theaters and was an immediate hit. Grossing over $2 million dollars, that's about $30 million dollars in 2026 dollars. 

Historians know that Davy Crockett met his demise at the infamous battle of the Alamo. (Whether he died heroically in battle or was taken as a prisoner and executed at a later date is a subject for debate that will not be examined here.) After losing his Tennessee  congressional seat, Crockett sought to make a new start in politics further South. Texas was in the middle of a battle for Independence from Mexico and Crockett saw a chance to reap massive political and personal benefits should Texas win the war. He joined the garrison in San Antonio in the winter of 1836 and died a few months later at the regiment's last stand at the Alamo. 

As Fess Parker's character dies at the conclusion of the 3-episode miniseries, you would think that would be the end of Disney and the exploits of Davy Crockett. Never one to let a money making opportunity slip away, Walt Disney decided to produce another set of films based on the historical figure. Only they would be more fiction than fact and they would be set in between Crockett's time as a scout for the United States Army during the Creek Indian Wars and his brief stint in Washington DC. 'Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race' and 'Davy Crockett and the River Pirates' were brilliantly released in the fall of 1955, just in time to make Davy Crockett hats, bubble gum cards and pop-style muskets the most requested toys from American boys AND girls! An estimated $300 million in Christmas sales revolved around Davy Crockett themed merchandise.

The prequel episodes were edited and repackaged as another feature in the summer of 1956. Walt Disney's Davy Crockett and the River Pirates was released in July. It took earned over $2 million in ticket sales. However, by the time the film exited theaters, the fervor over Davy Crockett had become passé and American children moved on to the next fad.

This edition of Dell Four Color was published during the height of Crockett Mania. It adapts the first chapter of the Davy Crockett miniseries seeing Davy and his singing pal George Russel volunteering to join the U.S. Army under the command of General Andrew Jackson. They act as scouts and use their knowledge of animal tracking to procure food for the troops before returning home for the winter to hunt for their families.

Upon their return to the Army, Davy and George learn that Jackson has been transferred to New Orleans to help fortify the important port city against the British. The incompetent Major Norton is now in charge of the Army. His mission is to hunt down the remaining Creek warrior Chief Red Stick in hopes of ending the war. George is taken captive by Red Stick's men prompting Crockett to a tomahawk duel to the death! 

With the exception of 'Davy Crockett Goes to Congress', the other 3 segments of Disney's miniseries were given solo treatment in the Four Color series. Crockett's time in DC was included in the reprint heavy Dell Giant Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. Dell also produced a holiday special to cash in on the hoopla with Sears promo comic, the Davy Crockett Christmas Book that along with a dozen pages of comics including puzzles and games. 

The comic adventures of Davy Crockett would live on in reprint form through the 1980s in issues of Gold Key's Walt Disney Showcase and Walt Disney Comics Digest.

According to leagueofcomicgeeks.com Chase Craig scripted this issue. John Ushler is attributed by several sources for providing the pencils and inks. The front cover is a photograph image of Fess Parker as Crockett. Additional artwork for the background and the map of the Creek Indian Wars were provided by the staff of the Western Publishing Production Shop.

Completing this review completes Task #1 (Comic from the Golden Age (1938-1955)) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Spread the Joy: Advent 2025: Day 21

It's the Winter solstice! The longest night of the year has had an impact in the cultural formation of countless civilizations as well as their holiday/wintertime traditions. Many of the Native American tribes would use the Winter solstice as a time of reflection, fasting and prayer. They saw this time of year as just a curve for the yearly cycle of the seasons. Things would start to look more prosperous from this moment on!

That is why I have chosen to focus on a cause that needs to become a reversal trend for the indigenous people of North America. For women and children, especially girls, of the Native American tribes, they have become targets for sex trafficking, kidnapping and forced labor. In 2023, 293 indigenous children were reported missing or kidnapped. That number is actually thought to be much higher due to under-reporting because of fear and intimidation. A recent student concluded that roughly 8 in 10 Native American women had been sexually assaulted or raped. This is considered 9 times higher than the national average! Again, it's also believed to be higher due to a lack of reporting from the victims. In Albuquerque, it is believed that 85% of all women murdered in that metropolitan area are Native and indigenous people. That number could be even higher as well.

So why such large numbers and why are so many crimes against indigenous women and children being under reported? Aside from the intimation and fear??

For one thing, the issue of jurisdiction is muddied. Tribes and reservations have separate law enforcement agencies apart from state and federal agencies. There is a lot of confusion. There are some things that the FBI could assist with but law enforcement might not know that they can. Or a victim or their family might go to a local police department and be told that it's out of their jurisdiction. After being turned away too many times, hope is lost and the offense goes unreported. Plus tribal law enforcement is so understaffed, as earnest as they are, there just isn't enough manpower to devote to each crime.

Criminals and predators know that the odds are in their favor in not being caught. They understand all about the boundaries of jurisdiction and the lack of manpower. So they continue to target native and indigenous women and children. That's where today's featured charity comes in...

The National Indigenous Women's Resource Center seeks to advocate and educate about the epidemic of missing, endangered and murdered Native American women and children. They provide resources for families that are in need of help finding missing family members, as well as provide legal assistance. A grassroots advocacy program, the NIWRC is operated by various tribal members. They are a part of the Domestic Violence Resource Network and have successfully lobbied for female tribal members to be covered under extensive domestic violence protection bills passed by the United States Congress in the past few years. A brilliant effort to eliminate those jurisdiction overlaps! Another important effort of the NIWRC is the operation of a safe house for battered indigenous women and their children. 

If supporting the safety and protection of Native women and girls is a cause that speaks to you, I encourage you to donate to the NIWRC here. And if you are a person experiencing any sort of abuse from a partner or spouse, please seek help. 

Resources for the National Sexual Assault Hotline are: 

Phone: 1-800-656-4673

Or you can email or chat through the website RAINN.org.

Classics Illustrated #92: The Courtship of Miles Standish

To find this comic book in the wild on the eve of Thanksgiving seemed like destiny to me. While the cover story doesn't occur during the first Thanksgiving, many of the important figures that sat in on that important event in colonial American history appear and play active roles. Also, the Mayflower as it rests in Provincetown Harbor, bound to return to England, is in this adaptation of the epic Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem. Though I really take umbrage with it's title.

It's called The Courtship of Miles Standish; the military governor of the Plymouth Colony. Yet, in reality, it should be called 'The Courtship of John Alden' because he's the one that gets the girl. 

When Miles Standish arrived in the new world, he had a wife. Unfortunately, she was one of the many who did not survive that first wicked winter in New England. Now feeling it is time again for a bride, Standish has his eyes on the maiden Priscilla. He sends John Alden to propose marriage in his stead. But it's a rather dick move if you ask me because Alden is in Standish's house, writing a love letter to Priscilla.

Alden, being a loyal friend, does as he asks. But Priscilla is only interested in Alden. She eventually coaxes him to confess his love to the maiden and they become betrothed. 

Some think that Standish knew that his friend loved Priscilla. But that John Alden was too much of a wuss to ever do anything about it. So Standish shows interest in Priscilla in order to prompt Alden to act. I'd be totally okay with this story if that was the case. However, when news comes out that Alden and Priscilla are to be married, instead of acting like some impish matchmaker like those found in many a work of Shakespeare, Standish accused his friend of treachery. Thus instead of bringing Alden and Priscilla closer together, the guilt of the broken friendship almost prompts John to leave the new world altogether on the Mayflower. 

Spoiler; if it wasn't for the reported death of Miles Standish by Indians John Alden would never jumped the broom with fair Priscilla. Then Standish returns after the wedding and all is okay between the two. So are you telling me that Miles Standish goes to war with the Native Americans and fakes his own death in order to get Alden hitched? This really all seems far fetched! An enjoyable read. But really, really far fetched!

Longfellow claimed that this poem was based on family tradition. Apparently, an ancestor of Alden and Priscilla, Longfellow reported that the poem was based on the legend his parents and grandparents would tell of how those two early colonists wed. There's sure to be a lot of conjecture and twisting of narrative in order to make Alden look good, passed down over the years. As for Standish getting all bent out of shape over Alden 'stealing his girl ', that would seem to be more like real life as opposed to the plot of a Hallmark movie. Although the whole back from the dead twist at the end seems like something that would happen in a movie. Only it would convince Priscilla to marry Miles instead of John. So who knows how real and how made up this story really is...

The second story is another retelling of a historical epic by Longfellow. Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie tells the 'you just missed him by 5 minutes' tragic romance of the title heroine and her beloved Gabriel. Set against the backdrop of the British expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia in mid-1800s, Evangeline and Gabriel are to be married. However, the lovers are separated by the British, with Gabriel's family sent ahead to his exile on a ship days before Evangeline is evacuated. 

For the next several decades, Evangeline follows after Gabriel down the Mississippi, through the swamps of Louisiana and the untamed prairies of the West, always missing her beloved by only a few days. Spoiler; old and gray, Evangeline gives up; eventually becoming a nun in the Boston area. There she cares for the sick and infirmed where fate finally allows Evangeline and Gabriel to reunite right before he dies of plague, foretold in passing towards the beginning of this tale 

The second story was in my opinion, a much better read. I did cheat and had to look ahead because I felt like surely, these two lovers aren't going to met at the end just to die?! Alas, that was the case! Still, it was a better read despite the tragically sad ending. 

My like and dislike should not be held against the writers and artists of this adaptation. Alex Blum illustrated Evangeline. Extensive search couldn't pop up any hits for it's writer and I got absolutely bupkis for the Courtship of Miles Standish credits. Extra articles, which have always been a bonus delight to read include a biography of Longfellow, plus the history of Cyrus McCormick's grain reaper, the lesser known New Jersey Tea Party and the history of the Apache. Not sure why those articles were never topical in relation to the main stories. This would have been an appropriate place for the life of Miles Standish, the historical plight of the Acadians and a look at the Wampanoag people from the first Thanksgiving. Regardless of this, Classics Illustrated #92 was an enjoyable read and set the tone for my very small but much looked forward to Thanksgiving reading list for 2025.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars

The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving (Family Comic Friday)

2007's The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving from Graphic Library is an educational comic book that does a fairly decent job explaining a controversial moment of American history. While it doesn't mention that the Pilgrims choose Cape Cod to settle because they ran out of beer and ale, we do get perspective on an often forgotten part of the First Thanksgiving story: the Native Americans!

It was always a mystery to me how Squanto knew English. Turns out that the Pilgrims weren't the first Europeans in the area. Fishermen and slavers had been coming to the cape for years prior. Also, Squanto is an Anglicized pronunciation of the name.

There was also a certain amount of caution on the side of the Indians. The white man was known to bring disease with them and Chief Massasoit didn't want his people getting sick from them. (Smart man!)

A lot of detail is out into the massive amount of food that went into the Autumn feast of Pilgrims and natives. We often get that lesson in grade school. But did you know that the event lasted 3 whole days? And there were shooting contests and axe throwing competitions in between meals? 

There's an educational section in the back of this graphic novel. In it, you get a glossary of terms, an list of further reads and an interesting 2-page article about the aftermath of the First Thanksgiving. I'd always thought that the Pilgrims were the same as the Puritans. Turns out that they weren't and man, were those Puritans mean and evil! The Pilgrims kept a 50 year peace with the Native Americans. The Puritans show up, start stealing land and within a year, the whole tribe is wiped out in a massive conflict.

Direct quotes from historical figures are supposed to be on a yellow background. But the hue is so light, I could barely figure out those segments. I also felt like the artwork was a little more simple than a typical graphic novel. However, it could be because artist Peter McDonnell is more of a children's book illustrator than a comic book artist. I think that's more of a matter of taste than actual quality.

The Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving was an informative read. It was a timely read for the holiday. I got this recently on Amazon for a very good price. Kids will enjoy reading about the history of the fourth Thursday in November while parents and guardians will delight that the young readers in their life are learning! It's too late for this year. But if you know of a child aged 7-11 who loves reading comics, this is a read that they can enjoy next year while they wait for the turkey and trimmings to finish cooking!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Comics Presents #107

A new multi-parter begins in this issue. Jack Russell, the Werewolf by Night teams with Ghost Rider, Danny Ketch, in a tale that has a lot of promise. The Braineaters, a biker gang of carnivorous werewolves return. We last saw the Braineaters in issues #55-59 of MCP. In that story, Jack Russell was by himself against this gang of maniacs as well as having to also take on a demented Catholic priest who thought it was his God ordained duty to kill all creatures of the night. Here, the Werewolf by Night has the Spirit of Vengeance on his side and it looks like only the Braineaters are involved in this story. 

The one-shot story stars the Native American superhero Red Wolf. This story involves the corrupt oil and tech company Roxxon and the drilling on indigenous lands. At first you think this story is going to be nothing but a social relevance story about the evils of big oil and the rights of Native people. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this. I was just surprised how by page 2 or 3 of this 8-pager, the story turned into a whodunit? Okay, more like a Who's-gonna-do-it? 

Threats have been made to both members of the Roxxon board of directors and some of the Native American activists. It's up to Red Wolf, who is working security at an Roxxon gala, to figure out who the gunman or gunmen are! This was a great mystery story in which superpowers were an afterthought. I loved this Batman level detective story!

Crap, Crap, Crap. Both the Wolverine/Nightcrawler and Young Gods story keep on chugging along. When will either mercifully end? 

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

The Big Book of the Weird Wild West

How much would you be willing to pay for a Western anthology series featuring the artwork of legends such as Dick Giordano, Joe Orlando, Marie Severin, Paul Kuppenberg, Joe Staton, and many, many more? 

 

$50? $75? $100? What if I told you that all of these comic legends could be bought for $14.95 or less? 

   Featuring the writing talents of John Whalen (Un-Men), Rick Klaw (Wild West Show), and others, the Big Book of the Weird Wild West contains dozens of short stories about the oddest lawmen, dumbest outlaws, and strangest habits of the old west that Hollywood and the history books just don't you about. 

   This book was published by Paradox Press, a short-lived imprint of DC Comics from the 1990s. Paradox published a number of anthologies like this one in which each volume was devoted to the odd, the strange, the macabre, and the just plain weird. I love the Factoid Books series. For a history buff than loves his world the weirder the better, these books are the perfect fun reads in sequential art form.

   But as these are books about true events, the Factoid Books or 'Big Books' do not sugarcoat their reports. A little titillating, sometimes gory, and filled with adult themes and language, these books from Paradox are suited for the Vertigo Comics crowd. In other words: for teens and older. 

   I found this copy when I was working at the book sale at my local library. But volumes of this series can be found on Amazon for good prices. You might also come across these books at your favorite used book shop. These are treasured gems in my graphic novel collection and for some reason you can almost always find a copy or two at your local comics shop usual for half off cover or better.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Donner Dinner Party

In this edition of Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, the patriot cum martyr regales his captors with the gruesome story of the Donner Party. From the beginning of their wagon train in Illinois to meeting up with a trail master in Independence Missouri through the barren salt flats of Utah till their ultimate perilous stop in the wilds of California, every tragic episode is told in horrible detail. There’s murder, death, cannibalism, betrayal, and stupidity- AND it’s all true!

The book is geared for ages 8-12 but the subject matter may actually up the reading level to 11 and up. Once again, many of the references in this book’s bibliography are from adult text books. What gears this book for kids is the silly jokes and goofy nature of some of the characters. For example, the patriarch of the Reed family is shown as a buffoon who likes to name places after himself and sing songs of how he slew a buffalo. The author, whose name actually is Nathan Hale, admits in the afterword to using some poetic license to lighten the tone of this history lesson.

    I love these stories- juvenile or not. There’s looks of facts mixed in with the fictional goofiness and the author is very careful to let readers know at books end what stuff was real and what was fictionalized. There’s another volume due out soon- if not already and I can’t wait for it to come out.

Once again, thank you Orange County (NC) Public Library for carrying another great series of graphic novels that I otherwise would’ve overlooked if you didn’t obtain them for readers like me.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

 

Scalped Vol. 1: Indian Country

NOT WORTH CONSUMING

I’ve never read or seen a work about modern Native American life that didn’t have at least a smattering of hope for the future or the Pride of being of noble heritage. Scalped is gritty, raw, dangerous and above all, dark with despair. I know that Native Americans have been given a raw deal and live in the worst of poverties, but when I want to read a comic book, I want the fantasy and allure. Not the local news.

I didn’t enjoy it and I really hated the ending. I couldn’t figure out where it was going. I now know based on research that there is a volume 2. I have no intentions of pursuing it.

Not worth consuming.

(Parental note: with its graphic sex, language, and raw violence- this book is not recommended for those under 18.)