Kid Colt Outlaw #79
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeKid Colt Outlaw #79 holds a meaningful place in the history of Marvel's Western line because it contains Stan Lee and Jack Keller's deliberate retelling of Kid Colt's origin — only the second time the character's backstory had been formally re-examined since issue #11 (October 1950). The revision shifted the setting from the town of 'Purgatory' to Abilene, Wyoming, softened the villain from a corrupt lawman to a lone racketeer named Lash Larribee, and established the Flying-C Ranch as the Colt family home — details that the later Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe would treat as canonical. This revised origin became the version reprinted most widely and most directly shaped how readers understood Kid Colt's mythos through the Silver Age and beyond.
In "How the Kid Became an Outlaw!", Blaine Colt grapples with the weight of his own skill when tragedy strikes—after his father is murdered, he takes justice into his own hands in a duel, forever changing his path. Written by Stan Lee and brought to life with sharp, expressive art by Jack Keller and inks by Christopher Rule, this 1958 classic captures a pivotal moment in the outlaw’s past. The cover, a dynamic piece by Joe Maneely, perfectly frames the turning point in Blaine’s journey.
Blaine Colt, a man who refuses to carry a gun out of fear he’ll kill in anger, is forced to draw when his father is murdered. In a single, fateful duel, he takes a life—and becomes an outlaw on the run.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was written by Stan Lee and drawn by series stalwart Jack Keller, with inking by Christopher Rule — a creative pairing that defined the look of the title throughout the late Atlas/early Marvel era. The cover, in the tradition of issues #75 through #79, was contributed by Joe Maneely, who had become Lee's preferred cover artist for the Atlas Western books before his sudden death in 1958 made this one of the final Maneely covers in the run. The issue went on sale February 25, 1958, carrying a July 1958 cover date, and was published under the Atlas Comics imprint at the cusp of the company's transition into what would become Marvel Comics.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: July 1958; on-sale date: February 25, 1958; published by Atlas/Marvel.
- Lead story title: 'How the Kid Became An Outlaw!' — written by Stan Lee, art by Jack Keller.
- The issue presents the second major retelling of Kid Colt's origin, updating details first established in Kid Colt Outlaw #11 (October 1950).
- Key origin changes from the #11 version: setting moved from 'Purgatory' to Abilene, Wyoming; the Colt family ranch renamed the Flying-C; villain Lash Larribee reimagined as a standalone racketeer rather than a corrupt deputy partnered with Sheriff Yates.
- The Blaine Colt origin recap in this issue — including supporting character 'Gabby' — became the template reprinted in Gunsmoke Western #72 (September 1962) and again in Kid Colt Outlaw #130 (September 1966).
- Cover art by Joe Maneely, who contributed covers to the series from issue #75 through #79 and #80–81, making this one of his last covers on the title before his death in mid-1958.
- Additional interior story content includes a backup featuring art by Alfonso Greene ('This Man Is Wanted!') and another by Jack Keller.
- Issue #79 sits immediately after Kid Colt Outlaw #78, which introduced recurring antagonist Marshal Sam Hawk — a no-nonsense lawman who appears across multiple subsequent issues (#80, #84, #98, #101, #121) and functions as a persistent foil throughout the Silver Age run.
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Two Gun Western #13 (1952)
Reprinted in Kid Colt Outlaw #43 (1960), Sheriff Classics #965 (1966), Kid Colt Outlaw #130 (1966), Kid Colt Outlaw #170 (1973), Ranchserien #10 [1974] (1974), Sheriff Klassiker #964, Sheriff Klassiker #965
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