COVER STORY: Outlaws of the West Volume 5 #87

What makes the best comic book covers? It is a great topic for debate. For us, as individuals, there is no wrong answer, of course; it is purely subjective. But, with a little thought it’s possible to explain what it is about a particular image that grabs you. The best images are the ones that make you stop and check out something you weren’t previously planning to purchase – and in some cases, you even end up picking up a title you’ve never even heard of before.

It may be hard for today’s comic book readers to fathom, but the Western genre dominated pop culture once upon a time. From movies to television to comics, six-gun adventures were the thrill of the day – as seen by Charlton Comics’ own heroes found in Outlaws of the West Vol. 5 #87.

From the Rawhide Kid to the original Ghost Rider, comics have had great success with Western heroes for as long as they have published books for kids of all ages. The storied Charlton riders also join other Western heroes like DC’s Jonah Hex, Bat Lash, and Scalphunter, as well as Marvel’s Kid Colt, Rawhide Kid, and the Two-Gun Kid. They made every one of their comic book releases a blaze of glory!

The Charlton Western line-up included fictional adventures of real life Annie Oakley, Wild Bill Hickok, and Wyatt Earp. There were also fictional gunfighters Luke Spade, The Cheyenne Kid, and the Sheriff of Tombstone. The bullseye, though, for the company and this comic’s cover was Charlton’s mysterious Masked Rider – the publisher’s own iteration of the legendary Lone Ranger.  

Published in February 1980, the cover of Outlaws of the West Vol. 5 #87 might have been a throwaway assignment in lesser hands. But the publisher had one of its skilled artists create an iconic cover that delivered dynamism where there may have not been any prior. Comic book collectors during the height of Western comics love covers like this.

Serious comic book collectors still do.

-Scott Braden