TruXta
tired
Growing up I devoured comics (and books), amongst them comics about the Wild West - cowboys and Indians. We've always had a fairly eclectic comic book market back home, with lots of French, Benelux, Italian and Spanish comics alongside UK and US comics perhaps more familiar to UK readers.
A different thread sparked memories of such a few and I wanted to reminisce a bit as well as asking for recommendations of titles I mightn't've heard of.
One of my all time favourites when I was little was Tex Willer. First published in 1948 by an Italian writer/artist duo, it was a big hit across parts of Europe in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Apparently it's Italy's longest-running title that is still being published.
Tex is a classic man's man with a strong honour code, and a lawman to boot. Yet the world of Tex Willer wasn't a John Wayne black and white moral affair. He fights whites as well as Indians, usually along with sidekick Kit Carson. His ultimate nemesis is Mefisto, a kinda Satanic character that reoccurs as the evil mastermind seeking to kill Tex and his allies.
I've not read any Tex Willer for decades, so I can't really say how it stands up today, but I have fond memories nonetheless. It seemed quite adult to me back then, certainly more so than my next fond memory.
Sølvpilen or The Silver Arrow, was a Belgian title created by Frank Sels in 1965. Featuring the eponymous hero as the chief of the Kiowa tribe, the focus here was less on moral ambiguity and more on peace. The Silver Arrow seeks peace between warring natives and invaders. That said, all wasn't hippy dippy. One of the chief draws for a young male audience was the nubile Moonbeam, or Månestråle as I knew her. While scenes like these were usually censored from Norwegian editions, it goes to show the kinds of values that underlay some of the writing.
The above shows Moonbeam about to be tied up to a pole (which happened regularly - see below) whilst awaiting sacrificial murder. Fantastically exciting stuff for a 10 year old.
The two above were probably my first two Wild West comic loves alongside Lucky Luke, which should need no introduction, and Blueberry - ditto.
A different thread sparked memories of such a few and I wanted to reminisce a bit as well as asking for recommendations of titles I mightn't've heard of.
One of my all time favourites when I was little was Tex Willer. First published in 1948 by an Italian writer/artist duo, it was a big hit across parts of Europe in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Apparently it's Italy's longest-running title that is still being published.
Tex is a classic man's man with a strong honour code, and a lawman to boot. Yet the world of Tex Willer wasn't a John Wayne black and white moral affair. He fights whites as well as Indians, usually along with sidekick Kit Carson. His ultimate nemesis is Mefisto, a kinda Satanic character that reoccurs as the evil mastermind seeking to kill Tex and his allies.
I've not read any Tex Willer for decades, so I can't really say how it stands up today, but I have fond memories nonetheless. It seemed quite adult to me back then, certainly more so than my next fond memory.
Sølvpilen or The Silver Arrow, was a Belgian title created by Frank Sels in 1965. Featuring the eponymous hero as the chief of the Kiowa tribe, the focus here was less on moral ambiguity and more on peace. The Silver Arrow seeks peace between warring natives and invaders. That said, all wasn't hippy dippy. One of the chief draws for a young male audience was the nubile Moonbeam, or Månestråle as I knew her. While scenes like these were usually censored from Norwegian editions, it goes to show the kinds of values that underlay some of the writing.
The above shows Moonbeam about to be tied up to a pole (which happened regularly - see below) whilst awaiting sacrificial murder. Fantastically exciting stuff for a 10 year old.
The two above were probably my first two Wild West comic loves alongside Lucky Luke, which should need no introduction, and Blueberry - ditto.
