Tex Ritter Western #32

Old Slick gets a letter from his brother with some surprising news about a new job, while Chief Gray Matter finds himself in an awkward situation involving his grandfather's clock. These two quick jokes riff on the kind of wordplay and misunderstandings that made Western humor strips a reliable laugh in 1956.

Tex Ritter receives word of a deadly threat—the renegade Stormcloud and his band are attacking a pioneer wagon train entering his territory—and rides to intercept them before tragedy strikes. When his quick thinking on the battlefield forces the raiders to retreat, Tex discovers a far darker scheme at work: someone has been smuggling modern guns to Stormcloud, and the renegade now plans to assault Fort Cahill itself. Working with the peaceful Kiota tribe, Tex must stop Stormcloud's assault and expose the traitor who's been fueling the violence.

When a dispute over grazing rights flares into violence between cattleman Dirk Haley and the Cullum brothers, Tex Ritter suspects the conflict isn't what it seems. As staged attacks and planted evidence mount, Tex works to prove the Cullums are being framed—and uncover who's really behind the scheme to drive them off their land.

When Old Smokey keeps stealing corn from the mule's feed bag, the ranch boss calls in a ventriloquist friend to teach the thieving hand a lesson—by making it sound like the mule can talk back. Old Smokey's resolve to dismiss the talking mule as his imagination crumbles with each confrontation, leaving him with a choice that will change his future at the ranch.

A compelling historical portrait of the Texas Rangers, the legendary law enforcement force that emerged around 1830 to defend settlers pouring into the frontier against Indian raids and later Mexican incursions following Texas independence in 1835. These skilled horsemen and sharpshooters—recognizable by their white Stetsons and quick-draw six-shooters—became the foundation of frontier justice, eventually supplying recruits for Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War.

When Loco Lew's remarkable marksmanship catches everyone's attention, a curious onlooker demands to know his secret—only to discover the outlaw has a refreshingly unconventional approach to target practice. This 1956 humor tale from Tex Ritter Western plays with the tall-tale tradition that's always been at home in the Old West.

Tex Ritter rides into Pecos Fork to investigate reports of lawlessness, only to discover that the town's banker, G. Williams, has been working with the outlaw leader known as the Chico Kid—a cunning criminal whose short stature makes him a tricky opponent. With the Chico Kid's gang holding the town hostage and raiding the bank, Tex must outwit both the Kid and his brutal partner Big Pete to restore order. Using quick thinking, his trusty dog Fury, and his horse White Flash, Tex sets a trap to bring the gang to justice and win back the gratitude of Pecos Fork.

A fisherman named Wagon Wheels gets caught red-handed by the game warden during trout season with seven fresh catches in his possession—but he's got a quick explanation ready. This one-page Western humorously plays out the cat-and-mouse game between an angler and the law in 1956, proving that some folks will go to creative lengths to stay on the right side of the law.

Halfwit Hack dreams of becoming a fast-draw artist like his uncle, practicing his technique with determination—but there's a darkly comic reason his relative earned the nickname "Toeless Joe." This quick Western humor tale delivers a punchline that lands with the snap of a six-shooter.