REVIEW: Weird Western Tales starring Scalphunter #46

Wordsmith: Gerry Conway

Illustrators: Dick Ayers & Geo Evans

Letterer: Shelly Leferman

Colorist: Allen Milgrom

Review: Madman

I’m not going to lie, I totally bought this book solely because of the cover. I mean, who could refuse, what the with the very white man-looking Indian about to skewer a dandy cowboy, with a flower in his hat, and some dude in a white suit and top hat hiding in the bushes with a Gatling gun taking aim at a formation of US soldiers, Scalphunter…sold.

I had no clue what I was getting into with this book. I expected I would be let down but I also knew I was going to buy it. There are so many things wrong with just the title alone, and I’m sure there will be riots…. urm…protests about it. I don’t imagine either of the Big 2 would be putting out a title such as this in the present day with all the political correctness going around…except maybe if Ennis were writing it, but maybe not even then. I mean, isn’t ‘Merica past such stereotypes?

Personally, I don’t care, I just wish my Redman was a little more red. Granted, this comic was printed in 1978, one year and four months before I was born, and I don’t exactly remember the status quo in the late 70s, but it’s hard to believe DC was that insensitive towards conquered peoples…

’Merica.        

All in all I got what I paid for. I was entertained for sure...

It was more from laughing at some of the cheesiest writing I have ever had the pleasure of reading in a comic book, and that’s saying a lot. As far as the actual plot line goes, Scalphunter and his partner, Bat Lash, steal a Gatling gun from a train, and shortly after, Bat Lash knocks out the savage and high tales it with the gun.

Oh, boy, is Scalphunter pissed when he wakes up and sets off in search of Bat to kill him dead for his betrayal. As it would turn out, Bat is just trying to set up some crazy-ass Confederate general. Scalphunter eventually learns that fact and makes up with his bestest bud, Bat.

I left out the gun-toting whores, the mysterious appearance of a man, which could not have been meant to be anyone other then Abraham Lincoln himself, and the Wonder Woman Twinkie add, but it’s all in there. Oh yeah, it turns out Scalphunter was a Pocahontas-type whitey that was adopted and raised by Indians, so my early comment about me wanting a redder red man was unwarranted. Even though the plug for the next issue of the series was “Scalphunter faces the magic of the shaman in the City of Shame in Weird Western”

I don’t believe I ever need to read another issue of Weird Western…ever…unless it is in fact written by Mr. Ennis…then maybe.