I'll make sure no one ever forgets Ben Bart, or what happened here! I'll call myself the Rawhide Kid... and every time men hear of me, they'll remember how it all started! 
- —Rawhide Kid
Appearing in "Beware! The Rawhide Kid!"
Featured Characters:
- Rawhide Kid (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Ben Bart (Death)
Adversaries:
- Spade and Hawk Brown [gunmen]
Other Characters:
- Nightwind (First appearance)
Locations:
- Rawhide (First appearance)
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Beware! The Rawhide Kid!"
Rancher Ben Bart raises his adopted son, Johnny, to become the best possible gunfighter he can be. Johnny quickly adapts to wielding the twin "magic" colts and learns a variety of gunfighting techniques including the "Road Agent's Spin" and the "Border Shift". Shortly after his eighteenth birthday, Ben sends Johnny into town to pick up the monthly provisions. While he is gone, two gunfighters named Hawk Brown and Spade encroach upon the Bart ranch. Hawk challenges Ben to a draw, but Spade distracts Ben Bart, allowing Hawk to get the drop on him. The gunslingers leave, cowardly leaving Ben's body dead on the ground.
Johnny returns home only to discover that his beloved father had been killed. Tracking the murderers, he arrives in a nearby saloon where he finds Hawk and Spade. Johnny shoots the revolver out of Hawk's hand, and fires two shots behind his head to disarm Spade (whose reflection he had seen in a mirror).
Determined to rid the world of people like Hawk Brown, Johnny leaves Rawhide atop his trusted steed Nightwind. He soon adopts the identity of the Rawhide Kid.
Appearing in "Stagecoach to Shotgun Gap!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Tommy (a lame boy) (Single appearance)[1]
Adversaries:
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Shotgun Gap
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Stagecoach to Shotgun Gap!"
Several men on the Overland Stage notice the Rawhide Kid and Nightwind racing up alongside them. Fearing that he may be a robber, they open fire on him. The Kid shoots their guns out of their hands without causing any harm. Bringing the coach to heel, he explains that he merely needs a ride. Once inside, he meets a scared old woman and a man who is taking his son to a specialist in St. Louis. As luck would have it, a real posse of outlaws hold the stage up. The Rawhide Kid leaps from the cabin and disarms the thugs with several quick shots from his Colts. He then puts his guns away and finishes them off with some good old fashioned fisticuffs.
Appearing in "With Gun in Hand"
Featured Characters:
- Calhoun (Single appearance)[1]
- Joe Cooper (Single appearance)[1]
- Les Cooper (Single appearance)[1]
- Natchez (Single appearance)[1]
Supporting Characters:
Adversaries:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "With Gun in Hand"
Cousins Joe and Les Cooper come into the employ of a rancher named Calhoun. Les claims to be the fastest draw in the west, but Joe refuses to carry a sidearm. Some time later, a gunsel named Natchez challenges Les Cooper to a draw. Both men fire simultaneously, and both men fall to the ground - seemingly dead. Les Cooper faked being shot however, and meets up with his cousin later down the road.
Appearing in "When the Rawhide Kid Turned... Outlaw"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Adversaries:
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Arrowhead Pass
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "When the Rawhide Kid Turned... Outlaw"
Clay Rockwell is the owner of the Big-R ranch spread. After mysteriously losing 200 head of cattle, he hires the Rawhide Kid to resolve the mystery. Aiding the Kid's efforts is Sam Barker, Clay's neighbor and owner of the Big-B ranch. The Rawhide kid attempts to track the missing herd, but finds no tracks or any other evidence indicating where they may have gone. He finally discovers that Sam Barker has been stealing the herd and modifying Clay's "Big-R" brand so that it looks like "Big-B" instead. By doing so, he was able to easily steal the cattle without anyone catching on. Exposed, Sam opens fire on the Rawhide Kid, but the Kid's aim is sharper, and he quickly disarms the disgruntled rancher. The local sheriff arrives to arrest both men, but the kid refuses to submit to an inquiry and takes off. Now he is forced to live the life of an outlaw.
Notes
- This issue is reprinted in Marvel Milestones: Rawhide Kid and Two-Gun Kid.
- The origin of the Rawhide Kid is revealed in this issue.
- Beware! The Rawhide Kid! is reprinted in Rawhide Kid #86.
- Stagecoach to Shotgun Gap! is reprinted in Marvel Westerns: Kid Colt and the Arizona Girl #1.
- With Gun in Hand is reprinted in Rawhide Kid #55.
- When the Rawhide Kid Turned... Outlaw is reprinted in Rawhide Kid #86.
See Also
Recommended Reading
Links and References
- Rawhide Kid article at Wikipedia
- Rawhide Kid article at the Marvel Directory
- Rawhide Kid CNN article