WESTERNS (COMICS) 689
explained by the open-ended structure of the comics. Lawmen in long-lasting series like
Tex often bend their offi cial duties into wild adventures without strong rules.
Dell’s Maverick (1959–62) shows another lawman-type who fi ghts more with his
cleverness than with his gun. Dan Spiegle’s camera-like compositions present Bret and
Bart Maverick, two brothers of the post-Civil War days. Th e tendency toward detec-
tive fi ction and soft-hearted heroes who impress more with their brains than with their
physical strength was continued in 1968 with Bat Lash by Sergio Aragones and Nick
Cardy.
Westerns with the Civil War as historical background either portray the military
man as a patriotic fi gure or criticize him. Th e heroic portrayal of the soldiers of the U.S.
Cavalry was one of the favorite motifs for American Western comics. With army de-
serter Sgt. Kirk (1953–59), Italian creator Hugo Pratt (1927–95) gave a very European
and critical view on the theme. Th e American perspective changed with Michael Fleis-
cher’s Jonah Hex, which fi rst appeared in 1972 and has appeared sporadically ever since.
An ex-offi cer of the Confederacy, his face partly blown away by gunfi re, Hex stands
out in the crowd of good-looking John Wayne copies. His ambiguous stance between
good and evil is symbolized in a Jekyll-and-Hyde-theme; but unlike the Batman char-
acter Two-Face, Hex never loses his heroic power. Th e artists of Jonah Hex all came
from abroad: the Filipinos Tony de Zuñiga and Noly Panaligan, and the Latin Ameri-
cans George Moliterni, and José Luis García-López. In January 2006, writer Jimmy
Palmiotti, together with new artists, revived Hex for DC by making the character more
mystical and adding elements of horror to the series.
In Western comics, Native Americans have mostly been treated as the antagonists of
the Cavalry or to symbolize the wildness of the frontier. However, individual Indians,
acting as sidekicks of the white heroes, quickly became a basic feature of the genre.
Tonto (with the Lone Ranger) and Little Beaver (with Red Ryder) show bravery and
pure heroism, joining a legacy of Indian companions that dates back to the novels of
James Fenimore Cooper.
As a reaction to the trauma of the Vietnam War and the oppositional political
movements of the 1960s, one can observe a change in Westerns from pure action and
violence to a new examination of the problems of the displacement of Native Ameri-
cans, which began to refl ect also present situation of ethnic minority groups. Th e Swiss
francophone cartoonist Derib (Claude de Ribeaupierre, 1944– ) marked with his Buddy
Longway (1974–87; 2002–6) a movement toward “political correctness,” telling a sen-
timental family saga of the interracial relationship between the white trapper and his
Sioux Indian wife, Chinook. Buddy ́s vulnerable character and the deep psychological
confl icts between diff erent cultures are set in an allegorical rough wilderness, which
Derib created with the highest feeling for atmosphere.
Together with Swiss francophone scriptwriter Job (André Jobin, 1927–) Derib
created another “ethnophile” Western series, aimed with its cartoonish style at a younger
audience: Ya k a r i (1973–2008 and still running). Here, the small Sioux Indian protago-
nist and his predominately animal friends (he is able to speak animal languages), live
