Rawhide Kid #1
Rawhide Kid #1 (March 1955) is the foundational issue of one of Atlas Comics' most durable Western franchises, introducing both the Rawhide Kid and his young sidekick Randy Clayton in a bi-monthly series that would eventually run for 151 numbered issues across two decades. Although the original 1955 incarnation of the Kid — a capable, unnamed gunfighter — was later replaced by a fully origin-storied character in the relaunched issue #17 (1960), this debut established the title that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby would directly build upon when they helped pioneer the Marvel Age of storytelling. The series stands as a notable example of Atlas-era western comics at the peak of the genre's mid-1950s popularity, and the title's survival through hiatus and revival speaks to the character's lasting hold on readers.
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The issue was published in March 1955 by Cornell Publishing Corp. under the Atlas Comics imprint, with Stan Lee serving as editor-in-chief. Interior art for the debut was produced by Bob Brown, who handled pencils and inks for the first five issues of the series, while the celebrated Joe Maneely provided the cover and the lead splash page. Writer attribution for this issue remains contested among researchers: historian Jerry Bails identified Don Rico as the early Rawhide Kid scripter, while earlier indexers had credited Stan Lee — the Grand Comics Database now reflects the Rico attribution based on the most current scholarly consensus. The series ran bi-monthly and concluded its original Atlas run with issue #16 (September 1957) before Lee and Kirby revived and substantially reimagined the concept with issue #17 in 1960.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of the Rawhide Kid (the original, unnamed Atlas-era version), published March 1955 by Atlas Comics (Cornell Publishing Corp. in the indicia) under editor Stan Lee.
- First appearance of Randy Clayton, who becomes the Rawhide Kid's regular boy sidekick across the original 16-issue run.
- Interior art by Bob Brown (pencils and inks); cover and lead splash page by Joe Maneely — the cover artist for the majority of the original series.
- Writer credit is disputed: historian Jerry Bails attributed early Rawhide Kid scripts to Don Rico, while prior indexing credited Stan Lee; the Grand Comics Database currently reflects the Don Rico attribution.
- The issue contains multiple stories, including the untitled Rawhide Kid debut, 'The Menace of White Face!', a text story titled 'Wrong Man,' 'The Death of Wyatt Earp!', and 'The Sioux Attack!'
- The lead story was reprinted internationally: in the Australian Horwitz Rawhide Kid series (#2, 1956), the UK's Kid Colt Outlaw (Thorpe & Porter, #48, c. 1959), and the German Sheriff Klassiker (#988, 1964 series).
- The original Atlas-era Rawhide Kid (issues #1–16) is a distinct character from the Johnny Bart / Johnny Clay version introduced in the 1960 relaunch (#17); later Marvel retcons attempted to merge elements of both characters' histories.
- The series was published bi-monthly and ran for 16 issues (March 1955–September 1957), before being revived with continuous numbering at #17 (August 1960) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, eventually reaching issue #151 (May 1979).
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