This book examines the role of comics in the perpetuation of the myth of the American West. In particular, it looks at the ways in which lone central characters, and their acts of violence, are posited as heroic. In doing so, the book raises questions both about the role of women in a supposedly male space, in addition to the portrayal of Native Americans within the context of this violence. Various adaptations of historical figures, such as Buffalo Bill and Billy the Kid, as well as film and television stars such as The Lone Ranger and Dale Evans are examined in detail. Although concentrating on American comics, examples both from Britain and France are also analyzed.
1. Introduction
2. Inventing and Selling Buffalo Bill in Comic Books, 1949-1957
3. Billy the Kid: The Outlaw as Lone Hero, 1952-1958
4. Roping n Riding: Selling Western Stars, 1946-1962
5. Conclusion
David Huxley is a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He is the editor of the Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics. He is the author of Nasty Tales: Sex Drugs and Rock n Roll in the British Underground and co-editor of Superheroes and Identities.
One of the first books to offer extended academic analysis on Western comics, despite the vast number of Western comics
Raises issues of the nature of heroism and the role of violence in the construction of masculinity in lone hero figures
Details how myths were created virtually contemporaneously to the actual events on which they were based
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