Daily Archives: April 5, 2005

Rawhide Kid #136 [1976]

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Two reprints from RAWHIDE KID #20 (1961) in this issue, both Kirby/Ayers artwork.

“Shoot-Out With Blackjack Borden” is an amusing 13-page story where Borden tricks the Kid by getting a phony marshal to offer him a fake pardon on the condition he give up his guns. The Kid briefly enjoys his freedom before Borden decides to make his reputation as the man who cowed the Rawhide Kid.

Rawhide Kid #136 [1976]

Of course it’s not long before the Kid figures out the hoax, storms back into town and takes care of Borden.

“The Defeat of the Rawhide Kid” is another one of the Shane variations, where the Kid, exhausted from a long chase, comes across a father and son. The son is full of hero worship and wants to ride off and live the outlaw life with the Kid, so the Kid pretends to go along with that, saying they’ll have to kill the father as a witness before they leave. The Kid throws the ensuing fight, teaching the Kid that it’s braver to live an honest life.

Two fun stories, with the usual great art from Kirby and Ayers, especially on the first story with its mix of shoot-outs and fist-fights.

Published 1976

Super Powers #3 [1984] – Amazons at War

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More Kirby plots for others to finish, topped off by a Kirby/Thibodeaux cover. Not one of my favourites, honestly, as the faces seem a bit off.

Super Powers #3 [1984]

For the story, the last of the villains given a power boost, Brainiac, attacks the Amazons on Paradise Island, making them regress to a more primitive warlike state (oddly, one scene showing their more peaceful pursuits shows an Amazon caring for a baby, which makes me think someone was unclear on the concept). Brainiac then blows up a nuclear plant close to where Paradise Island would be in the real world to prompt them to attack, under the leadership of Wonder Woman who returned to the island and regressed with everyone else. A meeting of the Justice League (or those members who were part of the toyline) convenes and decides to put a stop to this, while Superman goes to contain the nuclear plant. Brainiac then decides to shift his powers from the Amazons to Superman, regressing him to a barbaric state and sending him to attack the others.

I don’t know about you, but at this point I’m getting impatient for Darkseid to show up.

Published 1984