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| The Apache Kid | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Apache Kid #2 (Feb. 1951), art byWerner Roth | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Two Gun Western #5 (Nov. 1950) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | John Buscema (art) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| In-story information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alter ego | Alan Krandal | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notable aliases | Aloysius Kare | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Apache Kid (Alan Krandal) is a fictionalOld West character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character has been mostly seen in stories from Marvel's 1950s precursor,Atlas Comics. This character was named after, but is unrelated to, the real-lifeNative American man known as theApache Kid.
The Apache Kid (Alan Krandal) debuted as the cover feature, drawn by a youngJohn Buscema, ofTwo-Gun Western #5 (cover-dated Nov. 1950).[1] The writer co-creator is unknown. He received his own title the following month, premiering asThe Apache Kid #53 (Dec. 1950, picking up the numbering fromReno Browne, Hollywood's Greatest Cowgirl)[2] and then running asApache Kid #2-19 (Feb. 1951 - Jan. 1952; Dec. 1954 - April 1956).
Stories also ran in the omnibus titlesTwo-Gun Western #5-9 (Nov. 1950 - Aug. 1951) andWild Western #15-22 (April 1951 - June 1952). After that initial Buscema story and at least two byJoe Maneely (who would also do many of the later covers), the bulk of the book's run would bepenciled andinked by futureSilver AgeX-Men artistWerner Roth.[3]
AfterThe Apache Kid ended with #19 (April 1956), its numbering continued as theanthology seriesWestern Gunfighters, where the character did not appear.[2]
Apache Kid reprints, however, did appear in Marvel's 1970s omnibus series also titledWestern Gunfighters. The Kid shared its pages with newGhost Rider (also known asPhantom Rider) stories, as well as anthological and Western-hero reprints of a changing lineup that included Atlas'Black Rider (here renamed Black Mask), theWestern Kid,Wyatt Earp, and laterKid Colt. Apache Kid reprints ran from #2-33, the final issue (Oct. 1970 - Nov. 1975).
The character returned inApache Skies (2002), a four-issueminiseries starring theRawhide Kid and two persons called the Apache Kid:Dazii Aloysius Kare, and his wife,Rosa. This was a sequel to the miniseriesBlaze of Glory (2000), which specificallyretconned that the past Marvel Western stories of the 50s weredime novel fictions of the characters' actual lives.
Unrelated characters called the Apache Kid appeared inFox Comics'Western Outlaws #21 (May 1949), and Youthful Comics'Indian Fighter #5 (Jan. 1952).
Caucasian child Alan Krandal was raised byApache chief Red Hawk and his wife after beingorphaned. When grown, he took on a "civilian" identity as cowboy Aloysius Kare, changing to his warpaint outfit to fight outlaws both white andNative American, and generally protect both groups of people. Captain Bill Gregory of the nearby fort was his "white brother" who also respected the elder Red Hawk's counsel. Krandal had an on-off relationshipwith the Apache maiden White Swan, who loved the Apache Kid and despised Krandal. Unlike many otherWestern comics of the 1950s,Apache Kid generally presented the indigenous Americans in the same light as Caucasians, and made distinctions among the various tribes.[4]
In Apache Skies, it was retconned that Dazii Aloysius Kare was a mixed ancestry man, part caucasian and part Apache. He also married another mixed-blood woman called Rosa, who continued his legacy when he was killed by a corrupt businessman.