The Western genre has been core to American entertainment since the dawn of Hollywood and the comic book industry, with legends like Zorro, the Lone Ranger and The Man With No Name being created from it. In the comic book industry, the genre led to a series of brilliant titles, ranging from ongoing books from Marvel and DC to prestige miniseries and graphic novels.
Western comics aren’t as popular as they once were, but they continue to deliver readers a stream of entertaining stories — that is, when there’s a good series for them to buy. While Marvel and DC rarely revisit the genre today, they, along with other publishers, have given readers decades of stories and series to choose from. Ranging from the adventures of gunslinging outlaws to masked vigilantes bringing justice to the frontier, these stories are the very best of what a Western comic should be.
10Marvel 1872
Gerry Dugan and Nicole Virella
1872 explores the Avengers in a Western boom town named Timely, where Sheriff Steve Rogers keeps a watchful eye on the streets to maintain safety and justice. Fiercely at odds with the town’s corrupt mayor, Wilson Fisk, Rogers enlists the aid of drunken inventor Tony Stark, expert shooter Natasha Romanoff and Native American warrior Red Wolf. Together, they stand up to Fisk and his hired guns to liberate the town and deliver justice.
1872 is a great translation of the Marvel Universe to the Old West, blending steampunk with frontier justice as the heroes protect the vulnerable. As part of the company’s Battleworlds universe, the story exists as a fun, self-contained Western reimagining of the Avengers, translating their history and characteristics to the frontier.
9The Rawhide Kid
Joe Maneely, Bob Brown, Dick Ayers, Ernie Bache, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Larry Lieber, Sol Brodsky and more
Marvel’s Rawhide Kid takes place in the Wild West, documenting the adventures of Johnny Clay, an expert gunfighter who fights oppression and violence on the frontier. Originally depicted as a standard gunslinger, the character was revitalized by Stan Lee, who wrote his stories in line with his signature superhero formula. Not only did the character gain relatability and depth, but his villains became more creative, forcing him to use his wits to win the day.
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The Rawhide Kid stands out as one of Marvel’s forgotten titles of the ’60s, despite it having notably included one of the first collaborations between Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. For people who enjoy old school Westerns like Gunsmoke and Rawhide, this series delivers everything they could ask for and more.
8Weird Western Tales
Cary Banes, John Albanon, Gerry Conway, Michael Fleisher, Neal Adams, Bernie Wrightson, Tony DeZuniga, Doug Wildey and more
Weird Western Tales was DC’s take on the Old West, and explored the adventures of a series of characters, notably focusing on Jonah Hex. From bounty hunters to masked raiders and Native American warriors, the series brought readers non-stop action, morality plays and even horror stories. Unfortunately, due to both declining interest in Westerns and the DC Implosion, the title was soon canceled, though it remains one of the company’s most entertaining Bronze Age books.
Weird Western Tales gains an edge over other Western comics for its done-in-one style and revolving door of characters. While the series was at one time the mainstay title for Jonah Hex until he received a solo book, it explored other antiheroes and villains of the Old West, such as El Diablo and Scalphunter.
7Kill Whitey Donovan
Duncan Sydney, Natalie Barahona and Jason Pearson
Kill Whitey Donovan tells the story of two women; a white Southern woman, Anna Hoyt, and a black enslaved woman, Hattie Virgil. In a period of Civil War, with racial strife at its highest, the women are united in their hatred for one man: the ruthless plantation owner, Jim “Whitey” Donovan. After overcoming their differences, the pair work together to kill their target, each motivated by wrongs committed against them and their families.
Kill Whitey Donovan stands out as a brilliant revenge story, one that touches on race and class differences, and how they can be set aside for a common cause. For people who enjoy stories like Kill Bill or True Grit, this Dark Horse miniseries has everything they could want in aa good Western revenge tale.
6That Texas Blood
Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips
That Texas Blood focuses on Sheriff Joe Bob and his jurisdiction in Ambrose County, Texas, where he and his department are charged with solving a slew of crimes. Beginning with a murder tied back to a family with a dark secret and leading into stories of serial killers, cults and more, the series stands out as one of the best mystery comics in print.
Marketed to readers as a mash-up of True Detective and No Country For Old Men, That Texas Blood delivers readers a fantastic blend of murder mystery and neo-Western. Through Joe Bob, the series has one of comics’ most compelling protagonists, and reminds readers that some of the best comics on the market have nothing to do with superheroes.
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5Pulp
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Pulp tells the story of Max Winters, a former outlaw of the Old West who, drawing on his history, writes pulp fiction in late 1930s New York. Now an elderly man in ailing health, he is targeted by American Nazis for his writings against fascism. Deciding to pursue one last big score, he teams up with Mason, an old Pinkerton detective, forming a plan to rob a group of Nazis.
Pulp stands as a combination of genre deconstruction and love letter to dime Westerns and the genre as a whole. While the story isn’t strictly confined to the Western genre, the flashbacks to Winters’ past combined with how the story laments the dying love for the frontier mythology makes for a touching tale for readers to enjoy.
4Old Man Logan
Mark Millar and Steve McNiven
“Old Man Logan” takes place in a far future where a pacifist, regretful Logan lives with his new wife and son. Full of self-loathing for having been tricked by Mysterio into murdering the X-Men, the hero reluctantly takes a job from an elderly, blind Hawkeye to escort him across the US to deliver a package. In a nation carved up by super villains, the two heroes face treachery along their route, with the wrath of the Hulk Gang challenging his commitment to non-violence.
“Old Man Logan” is the best example of the “Weird Western” genre in comics, blending elements of the West with dystopia and action. Borrowing from iconic movies like Unforgiven, the story instantly achieved the status of being one of Wolverine’s all-time best stories — a well-earned reputation. To make things even better, this version of the hero received a fifty-issue ongoing series in 2016.
3Django/Zorro
Quentin Tarantino and Matt Wagner
Django/Zorro acts as a movie sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, picking up the story of Django Freeman a few years after the events of the 2012 movie. While on the road, he meets Don Diego de la Vega, now of an advanced age and seeking a bodyguard. He trains the young bounty hunter in the art of swordplay, shaping him up to be the hero the West deserves. When they learn that the Yacqui people are being forced into slavery, Django dons the Zorro mask and springs into action.
Django/Zorro borrows elements of the 1998 Mask of Zorro movie and delivers a brilliant crossover adventure, one that honors Zorro’s past while exploring Django’s future. Made all the better by Wagner’s art, the miniseries serves as a brilliant sequel to the highest-grossing Western of all time.
2The Lone Ranger
Mark Russell, Brett Matthews, John Cassaday, Ande Parks, Sergio Cariello, Dean White, Esteve Polls, Bob Q, Mike Allred and more
The Lone Ranger was originally created as a serialized radio hero of the Old West. A masked avenger aided by his Native American friend, Tonto, John Reid would ride through the West bringing justice to those that needed it. During the 2000s, Dynamite Entertainment acquired the license to publish the hero’s adventures, and has steadily produced some of his greatest adventures to date.
The Lone Ranger’s Dynamite stories have included everything from a “Year One” origin in 2006 to an Open Range-inspired tale in his 2018 miniseries. Brought to readers by a series of talented creative teams, including people like John Cassaday, Mark Russell and Ande Parks, the company’s handling of these heroes shows there’s no shortage of brilliant Western comics of the 21st century.
1Jonah Hex
Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, Luke Ross, Phil Noto and Dylan Teague
Making his debut in the pages of All-Star Western #10, Jonah Hex has slowly become the face of mainstream Wild West comics, even eclipsing the Lone Ranger himself. His various adventures have cast him as a morally ambiguous, but fundamentally good bounty hunter, one charged with bringing down the biggest killers and outlaws in the West. Naturally, his activities have put a target on his back on several occasions, landing him at the center of feuds with gangs and corrupt barons.
Few comics embody the Western genre as well as the adventures of Jonah Hex. While his original Bronze Age series was excellent, Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray’s tenure on the antihero is what made him a legend for modern readers. Alongside his appearances in All-Star Western, another excellent series, everything from his origin as a former Confederate to his team-ups with heroes from the future have made him the king of Western comics. In essence, the series is one big love letter to Spaghetti Westerns.