686 WESTERNS (COMICS)
merciless sun. Th e latter is often used as an instrument for torture, examples of which
can be seen in Blueberry. Comics of the American West portray the development of
the land in every form of human settlement; from primitive huts to already fl ourishing
towns with their obligatory main streets, saloons, and railroad stations. Military forts
and Indian villages are hot spots for confl icts.
Period
Th e genre is structured by archetypes of American mythology developed through
history. Indeed, while typically pretending to historical accuracy, the Western (in com-
ics and otherwise) has often contributed to the growth of legend and myth. Western
comic book authors frequently base their plots on historical events, especially those of
the 19th century, when the American West still presented the challenge of a frontier
to be tamed. Western comics have drawn extensively upon events associated with the
conquest of the West, including the American Indian Wars, the American Civil War
(1861–65), the construction of the railroads or the settlement of the western frontier
with its most visible symbol, the wagon train. Key events include the activity of Pony
Express (which in fact only lasted for 18 months), the running of stagecoach lines, or
the Gold Rush of 1849. Th e search for gold is a leitmotif of Western comic book series.
Many writers use avarice as one of the primal human motivations for violent confl icts.
Th e fi gure of the gold seeker joins the Native American and the adventurous Westerner
as key images in these comics.
Th e legendary bloody encounter at the O.K. Corral (October 26, 1881) in Tomb-
stone Territory between Wyatt Earp with his marshals and a group of cowboys
established the gunfi ght and the showdown as a favorite focal point for Western comics
such as Hopalong Cassidy , To m M i x , or Tex Willer. Meanwhile, such events helped to
make the gunfi ghter a central fi gure in the Western genre in any medium, including
comics.
One of the few long-lasting Western comics set in the atypical period of the 18th
century was To m a h a w k (published 1950–73), created by Joe Samachson and Edmund
Good, with Frank Frazetta as one of the artists. Here, Tomahawk and his group of
rangers fi ght behind the British lines for General George Washington in the American
Revolutionary War (1775–1783).
Characters
Both historical fi gures and fi ctional characters have contributed to the image of the
Western hero. Western legends are based on true accounts of historical fi gures such
as Kit Carson, Billy the Kid, the Apache Geronimo or—the most often mythologized
Western fi gure—Buff alo Bill Cody. Like most of the comic book heroes from other
genres, the Western hero, apart from a few exceptions such as Blueberry, does not age,
making him available for continuing adventures over long periods of time. Generally
speaking, there are fi ve types of Western heroes: the cowboy, the lone rider/reformed
outlaw, the lawman, the (ex-)military man and the Indian.
