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| The Western Kid | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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 The Western Kid #1 (Nov. 1954). Cover art byJohn Romita Sr. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | The Western Kid #1 (Nov. 1954) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | John Romita Sr. (art) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| In-story information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alter ego | Tex Dawson | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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TheWestern Kid is a fictionalOld West character appearing inAmerican comic books published byMarvel Comics. The character was the star ofWestern feature published by Marvel's 1950s precursor,Atlas Comics.
Tex Dawson, the Western Kid, debuted inWestern Kid #1 (cover-dated Nov. 1954), from publisherAtlas Comics, a predecessor ofMarvel Comics.[1] The character was created by an unknown writer andpenciler-inkerJohn Romita Sr., who the following decade would become one ofSpider-Man's signature artists. The feature, drawn exclusively by Romita, ran through issue #17 (Aug. 1957), with cover art by Romita,Joe Maneely,John Severin, and, for one cover each,Carl Burgos,Russ Heath, andSyd Shores.[2]
Western Kid reprints appeared in Marvel's 1970s omnibus seriesWestern Gunfighters #3–6 and 17–33 (Dec.1970 – Sept. 1971, Sept. 1973 – Nov. 1975). In-between, the character starred in the reprint seriesThe Western Kid vol. 2, #1–5 (Dec. 1971 – Aug. 1972) — the first issue of which sported a new cover by original artist Romita — and inRawhide Kid #105 (Nov. 1972) andGun-Slinger #1–3 (Jan.-June 1973), a series reflecting the character's temporary new name. The first issue, with a cover drawn byJim Steranko, was titledTex Dawson, Gun-Slinger.[2]The character was mentioned for the last time in the volumeMarvel Westerns Outlaw Files(2006), as an aging old legend, with movies with his name.
Tex Dawson, a.k.a. the Western Kid, was a clean-cutOld Westgunfighter with astallion named Whirlwind and a whiteGerman Shepherd dog named Lightning. Unlike such fellow Atlas Western stars asKid Colt and theRawhide Kid, he was not hunted by the law for a perceived crime, and unlike theTwo-Gun Kid or theOutlaw Kid, he wore no mask. Wandering the range as a do-gooder adventurer, the Western Kid was respected bysheriffs andmarshals, whom he often helped, and idolized by children.
A modern-day version of the character stars in the five-issue ensembleminiseriesSix Guns (#1–4cover-dated Jan.-March 2012), by writerAndy Diggle and artist Davide Gianfelice, and also starring the extant female mercenaryTarantula and new contemporary versions of the MarvelOld West heroes theBlack Rider;Matt Slade; and theTwo-Gun Kid.[3][4][5]