Gunhawks

(Marvel, 1972-1973)
™ and ©1973 Marvel Entertainment Group

Because they tend to be morality plays, westerns can be filled with clichés. Marvel was particularly guilty of this, having produced numerous titles (Rawhide Kid, Two-Gun Kid…) whose star was a good-hearted fugitive who had either been framed or shot a man in self-defense. Other clichés fell along racial lines, with the evil white man/brave Indian being among the most common.

1972’s Gunhawks series was a valiant attempt by Marvel to tell fast-paced Western tales and make some worthy moral points, and avoid the curse of the cliché. Its stars are two ex-Georgians, the white Kid Cassidy and the black Reno Jones. These two are loyal friends and have saved each other’s lives countless times. In their adventures, they have been joined by and fought against men of many different skin colors: white, black, and red. In all cases, the point is clear that it’s the content of a man’s heart—not his skin color—that decides his worth.

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