Marvel Westerns: Strange Westerns Starring The Black Rider

    (Marvel, 2006)
™ and ©2006 Marvel Characters, Inc.

The western genre has declined in popularity from its once impressive position. Not only in comics but in television and films as well. However when executed by talented creators, a market does exist as borne out by Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven. This title from Marvel has such a pedigree. Steve Englehart and Marshall Rodgers, whose run in Detective Comics in the 1970s is still a high water mark, collaborate on the primary story in this book, The Black Rider. In this tale Morris Masters, a doctor and secretly The Black Rider, returns to his estranged family in New York City from his sphere of influence in Texas after he discovers a dying Chinese girl at his office. The girl escaped from a forced prostitution ring that leads Masters back to his family’s estate. In the course of his investigation The Black Rider comes to the aid of a young Chinese man who will be a great influence to a certain mystical character in about ninety years. The Black Rider’s background has familiar elements of other popular characters. He has the vengeance-driven motivation for a murdered father like Batman and the timid alter-ego of Superman or Zorro. And he rides a magnificent white horse who understands the secret identity game by “pretending” to be a tired old nag when the Morris Masters are riding him. Three other stories fill out this book: two Rawhide Kid reprints with art by Jack Kirby and a supernatural western tale featuring Gunhawk by Joe Lansdale.

— George Haberberger
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#1

October, 2006
Cover Price: $3.99
1 copy available for $5.00 		Steve Englehart, Joe R. Lansdale, Stan LeeMarshall Rogers, Rafa Garrés, Jack Kirby