Annie Oakley #5
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeAnnie Oakley #5 (June 1955, Atlas/Marvel) is the de facto launch issue of the title's second, tonally distinct run: where the earlier 1948 Timely series presented a contemporary-styled cowgirl in lighter romantic-comedy adventures, this issue pivots Annie to a clearly Old West setting and provides her full origin story for the first time in comics, making it the foundational text for the Marvel-universe version of the character. The issue introduces the supporting cast — father Ben Oakley, love interest and sheriff Idaho Smith, horse Nugget, and antagonist Marty Sharp — who would define the series through its 1956 conclusion. As one of the few Atlas titles headlined by a female action protagonist in the Western genre, it sits at a meaningful intersection of the mid-1950s television Western boom and Marvel's own history of heroine-led comics.
In "Introducing... the Champion Cowgirl of the West Annie Oakley," Annie Oakley—sharp-shooting, horseback-riding, and utterly unimpressed by cowboy stereotypes—rides into Buena Vista with her loyal horse Nugget, capturing an outlaw gang and earning her place in the town. With a new sheriff, Idaho Smith, and his sidekick Yucca on the scene, Annie’s confidence is tested when she challenges Idaho to a rodeo showdown, only to leave him stunned and retreating in silence. Written by Hank Chapman and illustrated by Ross Andru with inks by Mike Esposito and letters by Joe Rosen, this 1955 adventure features a striking cover by Joe Maneely, capturing Annie’s bold spirit in a 10-cent comic from the golden age of Westerns.
In "Introducing... the Champion Cowgirl of the West Annie Oakley," the fearless Annie Oakley—riding her trusty horse Nugget—brings a captured outlaw gang into the frontier town of Buena Vista, where she lives with her father, Ben. When the new sheriff, Idaho Smith, and his sidekick Yucca arrive, sparks fly—not just from the tension of a new lawman’s arrival, but from a surprising clash of ideals, as Annie’s bold skills at the rodeo challenge Idaho’s sense of what a woman should be.
In "The Mystery of the Vanishing Herd!" from *Annie Oakley* #5 (1955), the town’s trust in Sheriff Idaho crumbles after he’s bested by Annie in the rodeo and fails to stop a string of cattle rustlings. When Annie stumbles upon her father and Yucca secretly herding the stolen bulls, she’s faced with a choice that could clear Idaho’s name—or protect her family at his expense.
In the dusty frontier town of Eldoro, a wounded sheriff calls on Joe Gray—a man known for his quick draw—to help keep the peace when troublemakers flood in. When Joe pulls his Winchester and confronts a towering brute, the outlaws flee, but the truth soon reveals: Joe never fired a shot. The real draw was in his art, not his gun.
ComicBooks.com Value
This exact issue on ebay
Raw / ungraded ▾ $14.98–$125 3 listings
More listings for this title
Read it digitally
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Atlas editor-in-chief Stan Lee relaunched the Annie Oakley title in June 1955, picking up the numbering at #5 from where the original Timely run had left off, a common Atlas house practice. Lee himself wrote the backup story 'The Deputy' and edited the issue; primary art duties on the Annie Oakley features were handled by penciler Ross Andru and inker Mike Esposito, with Paul Reinman contributing additional art. The cover was painted by Joe Maneely, then arguably Atlas's most prolific and admired artist, who joined the company's staff in approximately that same year — 1955 — and was simultaneously turning out covers and stories across virtually every genre Atlas published. The relaunch squarely reflected publisher Martin Goodman's well-documented strategy of chasing prevailing trends: the Annie Oakley television series had debuted on ABC in 1954, and Atlas moved quickly to put a Western-adventure version of the character back on newsstands.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance (comics origin) of the Atlas/Marvel version of Annie Oakley in her Old West setting, including the first telling of her backstory as the daughter of rancher Ben Oakley.
- First appearance of supporting characters Ben Oakley (Annie's father), Idaho Smith (the sheriff and romantic lead), Nugget (Annie's horse), Marty Sharp, and Yucca Bates in the Atlas continuity.
- Published June 1955 by Atlas Comics (the 1950s imprint that directly evolved into Marvel Comics); edited by Stan Lee.
- Cover art by Joe Maneely; interior story art by Ross Andru, Mike Esposito, and Paul Reinman; writing credits include Hank Chapman and Stan Lee.
- Issue #5 effectively launched the second Atlas series of the title, continuing the numbering from the original 1948 Timely run, which had ended with issue #4 in November 1948.
- Contains three Annie Oakley Western adventure stories — 'The Mystery of the Vanishing Herd,' 'The Secret of Lost Canyon,' and an untitled story — plus the Stan Lee-scripted backup 'The Deputy' and a two-page text story, 'Gold Strike.'
- The Marvel Database notes that this iteration of Annie Oakley depicted her 'more closely accurate to the historical Oakley' in an Old West context, in contrast to the earlier Timely series, which set her in contemporary romantic-comedy stories.
- The relaunched series ran from this issue (June 1955) through issue #11 (June 1956), making it a short-lived but complete second volume within the Atlas Western line.
Cast · 6 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Wyatt Earp #7 (1956), Two Gun Kid #39 (1957), Annie Oakley #1, Annie Oakley Western Tales #4
Key issues in Annie Oakley
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.