Western Hero #100

Prairie Ranger Tex Ritter discovers a murdered prospector in Nugget Creek and takes on the identity of the dead man's son to smoke out the killer—a dangerous game that puts him squarely in the sights of a saloon operator with secrets to protect. With suspicion mounting in town and only one true ally to help him set a trap, Tex must stay sharp if he's going to survive long enough to uncover the truth.

Bole and Weavel are a couple of frontier characters who spend their time trading insults—until Weavel reads something interesting from the World Almanac and the needling gets personal enough that Bole threatens to leave. When Weavel claims he was actually defending Bole's honor (sort of), it backfires spectacularly, leading to a slapstick showdown that proves sometimes a good comeuppance beats a good comeback.

Gabby Hayes, the fearless bronco buster of the Bar Nothing Ranch, takes a tumble from a wild horse and fears he's lost his hearing—but when he stumbles into Doc Jones's office seeking help, a case of mistaken identity lands him face-to-face with a desperate outlaw who thinks he's the real doctor. Deaf to what's happening around him, Gabby must use his wits to survive a tense standoff at an outlaw hideout, where the gang needs medical help for their ailing boss.

A portly stranger rolls into town with a problem: he's gained so much weight that he had to leave Rhode Island behind, literally. When a local offers to work for him so he can "live off the fat of the land," the setup for this two-page humor story is perfectly in place—a western tall tale built entirely on one gloriously bad pun.

Lil' Buck comes home hungry and eager for lunch, but Maw spots something that stops her cold—his hands are absolutely filthy. When she calls him out on it, the boy's response proves he's got his own peculiar logic about cleanliness that'll get a laugh out of any frontier household.

When jailbreakers Milo Vimmer and Tiny Trent stumble into a remote Indian village, they discover a legendary prophecy: whoever pulls a sacred arrow from stone will become the tribe's destined leader. The ruthless pair seize on the superstition to trick the tribe into attacking a nearby town—but Monte Hale, hot on their trail, arrives just in time to expose their treachery and fight to prevent bloodshed. A cowboy's wits prove sharper than an outlaw's schemes in this frontier showdown.

When Cactus Brain spots a peculiar creature in the newspaper, he's stumped—mistaking an elephant for a horse and then scrambling to cover his embarrassment with a tall tale. This 1951 Western Hero romp proves that even in the frontier, there's always room for good-natured confusion and quick thinking gone hilariously wrong.

Pop Potter's daughter Anne has her eye on everything in his wallet, but when a young suitor works up the courage to ask for her hand, the old rancher delivers a punchline that cuts straight to the heart of his financial troubles. This half-page western humorizer plays the classic setup of lovesick youth meeting shrewd parent—with a twist that'll get a knowing chuckle from anyone who's watched their savings vanish into thin air.

Big Bow and Little Arrow reunite after time apart, and their razor-sharp banter—equal parts insult and affection—kicks into high gear immediately. When Little Arrow suggests treating his old pal to a meal at a new restaurant on the reservation, what should be a simple dinner invitation spirals into comic chaos courtesy of a temperamental cook and some very unfortunate timing. This 1951 humor tale proves that some friendships thrive on the kind of good-natured ribbing that would offend anyone else.

Tom Mix investigates the murder of Rancher Dobson, discovering only a hat with the killer's name inside—but the real mystery deepens when the suspect claims an airtight alibi backed up by the town clock. As Tom digs deeper into the timing of events, he begins to suspect the perfect alibi may be built on a very imperfect deception, setting him on a collision course with a killer desperate to keep his secret.