Western Hero #112

In "Fury's Revenge!", a schemer named Geefer hatches a plan to steal a valuable diamond-studded dog collar from his employer's pet shop by deliberately breaking Tex Ritter's dog's regular collar—then switching it for the real jeweled one when Tex brings it in for repair. When the theft is discovered the next day, Fury the dog becomes the unlikely detective, picking up a scent from a torn patch of fabric and leading Tex straight to the culprit. It's a clever heist undone by the very animal the crook tried to outsmart.

Lil Buck faces an angry accusation from his mother about dirty fingerprints on the door—but the boy has an unexpected (and hilariously stubborn) defense that proves he's innocent of the crime she suspects. A quick, clever punchline wraps up this frontier humor tale from 1952.

When Gabby Hayes rescues a motherless calf after a brutal cattle stampede, he can't resist making a pet of the scrappy dogie—training tricks, offering milk, and showering affection on what he calls Sweetie Pie. But as the calf grows into a massive, temperamental bull that only Gabby can control, the ranch owner Ellie and her aunt Hester demand he get rid of the beast before someone gets hurt. What happens when Sweetie Pie falls into the wrong hands across the Mexican border will test whether Gabby's bond with his beloved bull is strong enough to save the day.

Tom Mix agrees to guide a wagon train led by Bob Hepper through dangerous Indian territory to newly opened settlement lands, but a trigger-happy settler's shot at a curious brave sets off a chain of misunderstandings that traps the entire group in a valley under siege. With the Indian chief summoned and reinforcements on the way, Tom and a handful of volunteers make a desperate breakout to reach the nearest town for cavalry support before the final assault.

A cowpoke finds himself in quite the pickle when everything he eats starts tasting like beans in this lighthearted romp from Western Hero. With his appetite thoroughly confused, our hapless hero has to figure out just what's going on—and why beans seem to be the only flavor his taste buds will recognize. It's a silly setup that packs a laugh into a single page of pure Western comedy.

A fellow named Abner nurses a stubbed foot after a mishap in the dark, and when a sympathetic bystander suggests he should see as well in darkness as his brother does, the punchline lands with a groan-worthy joke about jawlines. This 1952 humor strip from Western Hero delivers the kind of corny, good-natured gag that made readers both laugh and wince.

Monte Hale takes on a mysterious outlaw called the Owl, a cunning criminal with an uncanny ability to see in the darkness and strike with deadly precision. When the Owl targets gold shipments from a struggling mine in Lost Gap, Monte must use his wits to counter an opponent he can't see—armed only with ingenuity and grit. With pencils and inks by Ed Good, this seven-page western tale pits brains against an enemy shrouded in shadow.