Kid Colt Outlaw #88
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeKid Colt Outlaw #88 represents a precise snapshot of pre-superhero Marvel at a creative high-water mark: it is one of the earliest issues to unite the title's three signature contributors — writer Stan Lee (on the title since #77), interior penciler Jack Keller, and cover artist Jack Kirby — within a single issue, while also featuring a backup story by the then-rising EC alumnus Al Williamson, making it an unusually talent-dense single issue of a genre Western. As part of what collectors call 'pre-hero Marvel,' it documents the house's creative infrastructure — Lee scripting across all genres, Kirby blanketing the covers, and Keller anchoring the interiors — that would underpin the superhero explosion just two years later with Fantastic Four #1. The issue belongs to what is now recognized as the longest-running Western comic book in American publishing history, a 229-issue run that outlasted every competitor.
In "The Man-Hunter!", Kid Colt finds himself caught between duty and desire when he rescues a girl from the Apaches, only to push her away to protect her—hiding both his heroism and his heart. Written by Stan Lee and brought to life with bold art by Jack Keller, inks by George Klein, and vibrant colors by Stan Goldberg, this 1960 western thriller blends rugged frontier action with quiet emotional tension. The cover, a striking piece by Jack Kirby with inks by George Klein and Christopher Rule, captures the moment’s intensity without giving away the outcome.
In "The Outlaw and the Lady!" from Kid Colt Outlaw #88, Jo finds herself in danger when Apaches attack, and Kid Colt comes to her rescue—though he hides his true feelings. As they ride together through the rugged frontier, he pushes her away, pretending indifference to keep her safe and from knowing the truth of his heart.
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By September 1959, when this issue shipped, Stan Lee had been the sole regular writer on Kid Colt Outlaw for roughly two years, taking over the scripting from Joe Gill following the so-called Atlas Implosion of 1957, when Marvel's parent company was forced to slash its publishing line from roughly 70 titles down to 16 and Lee had to cover virtually the entire output himself. Jack Keller, who had been the title's primary interior artist since issue #25 in 1953, continued his long-running association here, while Jack Kirby — who had returned to the Goodman company and was producing covers for nearly every Marvel title in the 1959–1961 period — provided the immediately recognizable cover art. The combination placed this unremarkable-seeming monthly installment at the confluence of the old Atlas Western infrastructure and the nascent Marvel creative machine that would shortly pivot to superheroes.
Trivia · 7 facts
- Lead story is 'The Man-Hunter!' — scripted by Stan Lee, penciled by Jack Keller — in which Kid Colt evades a bounty hunter with the help of a sympathetic sheriff.
- Cover art penciled by Jack Kirby; this issue is one of approximately 40 Kid Colt Outlaw covers Kirby produced during his 1959–1965 run on the title.
- Backup story 'Escape!' (4 pages) is scripted by Stan Lee with full art by Al Williamson — one of only about eight Kid Colt Outlaw issues featuring Williamson's interior work.
- Additional interior stories also written by Stan Lee with pencils by Jack Keller, plus a text story illustrated by Joe Maneely ('Windy's Day') and a fourth story ('Duel in the Desert!') also by Lee and Keller.
- Stan Lee had been the regular scripter on Kid Colt Outlaw from issue #77 (cover date March 1958) onward, following the 1957 Atlas line reduction that left him as the primary — often sole — writer across Marvel's surviving titles.
- The Williamson backup story 'Escape!' was reprinted in Kid Colt Outlaw #170 (1973), and the lead 'Man-Hunter!' story was reprinted again in Kid Colt Outlaw #209 (1976), demonstrating that Marvel considered this issue's content reprint-worthy material across more than a decade.
- Kid Colt Outlaw ultimately ran 229 issues (1948–1979), making it the longest-running Western comic book in American publishing history, with #88 falling squarely in the title's Silver Age peak.
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Western Kid #7 (1955)
Reprinted in Kid Colt Outlaw #106 (1960), Kid Colt Outlaw #138 (1963), Kid Colt Outlaw #163 (1972), The Mighty Marvel Western #20 (1972), The Mighty Marvel Western #21 (1972), Kid Colt Outlaw #170 (1973), Ranchserien #6 [1974] (1974), Kid Colt Outlaw #209 (1976), Atlas Artist Edition #2 (2024), Flecha Veloz #59, Kid Colt Outlaw #58
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