Frank James

Frank James was the real-life outlaw brother of Jesse James, depicted in Avon's Western comics as a frontier desperado riding alongside notorious figures like Cole and Bob Younger in the lawless post-Civil War American West.

Few figures from America's outlaw mythology rode into comics with more authentic grit than Frank James, who made his debut in Avon's Jesse James #1 back in 1950 — right in the heart of the Golden Age, when Western heroes and desperadoes ruled the spinner racks. Over a remarkable span of nearly four decades, Frank kept rough-and-tumble company with some of the most legendary names of the frontier era, sharing pages with the likes of Jesse James, Cole Younger, and Bob Younger across titles like Badmen of the West. With 11 catalog appearances stretching from 1950 all the way to 1990, this is a character with genuine staying power — a testament to how deeply the James gang mythology captured the American comics imagination. If you're building out a serious Golden Age Western collection, Frank James is a name worth tracking down.