| Gunsmoke Western | |
|---|---|
 Gunsmoke Western #57 (March 1960), depicting its three primary feature characters. Cover art byJack Kirby andDick Ayers | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Format | Anthology |
| Publication date | 1955 - 1963 |
| No. of issues | 46 |
| Main character(s) | Kid Colt Wyatt Earp Two-Gun Kid |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Stan Lee |
| Artist(s) | Jack Keller Jack Kirby Joe Maneely John Severin |
Gunsmoke Western is an Americancomic book series that was published initially byAtlas Comics, the 1950s forerunner ofMarvel Comics, and then into the 1960s by Marvel. AWestern anthology that ran 46 issues, it featured early stories of the MarvelOld West heroesKid Colt and theTwo-Gun Kid, and work by such artists asJack Kirby,John Severin,Joe Maneely,Doug Wildey, and many others.
Gunsmoke Western was published byAtlas Comics, the 1950s forerunner ofMarvel Comics. It ran 46 issues, taking over the numbering of a previous series,Western Tales of Black Rider, beginning with #32 (cover-dated Dec. 1955).[1] The series, which fell under the Marvel Comics banner with issue #65 (July 1961),[2] ended with #77 (July 1963).
The publication had premiered in 1948 as thesuperhero comicAll Winners, a.k.a.All-Winners Comics, vol. 2, then after one issue immediately becameAll Western Winners, a.k.a.All-Western Winners, for three issues;Western Winners for three issues;Black Rider for issues #8-27; andWestern Tales of Black Rider for #28-31. The series was one of several Atlas Westerns that includedFrontier Western;Western Gunfighters; andWestern Thrillers and two successor series that took over its numbering,Cowboy Action andQuick-Trigger Western.
With the change toGunsmoke Western, the series began starringKid Colt, drawn by its longtime artistJack Keller. The lesser-known Atlasfrontiersman character Billy Bucksin served as a backup feature for three issues, with anthologicalWestern stories in-between. Issue #35 (June 1956) introduced the backup feature "Wyatt Earp", starring a version of thereal-life lawman, for two issues before back-up features were dropped in favor of Kid Colt plus standalone stories. The Earp feature returned in issue #43 (Nov. 1957), running as backup (and in one instance as the lead feature) through #58 (May 1960).[1]
Clay Harder, introduced in 1948 as the first of Marvel's two Western heroes called theTwo-Gun Kid, was re-imainged and reintroduced inGunsmoke Western #57 (March 1960), in a feature by writer-editorStan Lee and artistJohn Severin. The feature ran through #63 (March 1961).[1] The second Two-Gun Kid, Matt Hawk, would be introduced inTwo-Gun Kid #60 (Nov. 1962), whichretconned that Clay Harder was merely adime novel fictional character who inspired Hawk to become a masked Western crimefighter.
Occasional stories starred theRingo Kid, the Gunsmoke Kid, and others.[1]
All cover art through issue #50 (Jan. 1959) was by either Severin orJoe Maneely, except for one each byRuss Heath,Sol Brodsky, andJack Davis. Afterward, all covers werepenciled byJack Kirby save for one each by Davis and Maneely. A wide range of artists drew the interior stories, with multiples drawn by artists including Keller, Kirby, Severin,Dick Ayers,Gene Colan,Don Heck, andAl Williamson, and at least two each byMatt Baker,Mort Drucker,Angelo Torres,George Tuska, andDoug Wildey, among others.Spider-Man co-creatorSteve Ditko, outside his normal realm ofsuperhero andfantasy tales, drew oneGunsmoke Western story, "The Escape of Yancy Younger", written by Lee, in issue #66 (Sept. 1961).[1]