Kid Colt #1
Kid Colt #1 (cover-dated August 1948, on sale June 25, 1948) launched the character who would become the longest-running cowboy star in American comic-book publishing — a title that ultimately stretched 229 issues across 31 years, from Timely Comics through Atlas to Marvel. The issue introduced the core archetype of the wrongly accused outlaw-hero: a young man forced into a life as a fugitive after killing his father's murderer, who then wanders the West righting wrongs while unable to clear his own name — a template that would directly echo in Marvel's later Rawhide Kid and shape the publisher's entire Western line. Arriving precisely as superhero comics were losing their postwar dominance, Kid Colt #1 helped establish Western comics as the genre that would sustain Timely/Atlas through the late 1940s and 1950s, cementing the publisher's status as the most prolific producer of Western titles of the era. The series that sprang from this debut also served as the professional proving ground for future Marvel stalwarts, with Herb Trimpe making his penciling debut on the title in 1967.
In "Hot Lead for Crooked Lawmen," Kid Colt takes on the role of Mojave City's marshal, only to uncover that the man who appointed him is the very mastermind behind the town's criminal empire. Written by Ernie Hart and illustrated by Chu F. Hing, the story unfolds with tense moral stakes as Colt must confront the truth behind his new position. The cover by Syd Shores captures the gritty, high-stakes atmosphere of this 1948 Western thriller.
In "Marshal of Colt-Crazy Mojave," Jo takes on the role of sheriff in a town teetering on the edge of lawlessness, only to discover that the man who appointed him is the true mastermind behind the chaos. As the weight of deception settles, Jo must decide how far he’ll go to restore justice—before the past he’s running from catches up with him.
In the isolated frontier town of God's Acres, wounded gunslinger Kid Colt is taken in by settler John Cabot and offered sanctuary—until Pecos Pete, a wanted outlaw, seeks refuge there and murders Jim. Forced to reclaim his past, Colt draws his weapons to settle the blood debt, and after the reckoning, the magistrate grants him quiet passage.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 16 grades ▾
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
Kid Colt #1 was published by Timely Comics — the Marvel predecessor operating under the indicia publisher name Leading Comic Corp. — under the editorial oversight of publisher Martin Goodman, with Stan Lee credited as editor on the issue in some sources. The debut was scripted by Ernie Hart, penciled by Bill Walsh (a veteran of the Iger–Eisner shop), inked by Chu Hing, and cover-drawn by Syd Shores; the 52-page giant-format issue went on sale June 25, 1948. The precise originator of the Blaine Colt concept is unconfirmed — the character's backstory bears such close structural similarity to the contemporaneous Two-Gun Kid that at least one longtime Marvel scholar has speculated Stan Lee may have had a significant hand in both concepts, though this cannot be verified. The cover logo read 'Kid Colt: Hero of the West,' but by issue three the subtitle had been changed to 'Outlaw,' better capturing the character's fugitive status; the series was formally retitled Kid Colt Outlaw beginning with issue five.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Kid Colt (real name Blaine Colt) and his horse the Steeldust Stallion (later known as Steel), both debuting in this issue.
- Published by Timely Comics (Marvel predecessor), cover-dated August 1948, on sale June 25, 1948; a 52-page anthology format issue.
- Credited creative team: writer Ernie Hart, penciler Bill Walsh, inker Chu Hing, cover art by Syd Shores, editor Martin Goodman.
- The issue's lead story establishes Kid Colt's origin: Blaine avenges his father's murder at the hands of the corrupt Sheriff Yates, but killing a lawman brands him an outlaw — a fugitive status he cannot escape.
- The cover logo read 'Kid Colt: Hero of the West'; by issue #3 the subtitle had changed to 'Outlaw,' and the series was formally retitled Kid Colt Outlaw from issue #5 onward.
- The series that began with this issue ran for 229 issues through April 1979 — the longest-running Western comic book title on record.
- Kid Colt, Outlaw won the Alley Award for Best Western Title in 1966, and the series served as Herb Trimpe's professional penciling debut (issues #134–135, 1967), before he went on to become Marvel's signature Hulk artist.
- The character crossed into Marvel's superhero continuity via Avengers #142–143 (1975) and later appeared in Fantastic Four vol. 3 #33–34 (2000) and Black Panther vol. 3 #46–47 (2002), as well as a brief nod in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Agent Carter TV series.
Full credits
Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.