Billy the Kid Western Annual [1961]

[1960] Annual. Original price 7/6.
96 pages. Tone art contents.
World Distributors (Manchester) Ltd.

Painted cover by Walt Howarth (signed)

Contents:

 2 UNTITLED endpaper; illustrated by Walt Howarth (signed).

 4 Indicia

 5 Billy the Kid Western Annual title page; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 6 Contents illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 7 The Drummer Boy and the Blackfeet text story by Hart Cooper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

17 Dynamite Pass w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

27 The Adventure of Running Deer text story by Richard Armstrong; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

35 The Mystery of Mandrake's Mine text story by Geoff Williamson; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

45 The Wreckers w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

55 Outlaw Canyon text story by T.A. Cooper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

65 The Last Great Scout text feature by A.W. Dalby-Phillips; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

73 Ransom on the River! w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

83 Renegades of Fort Laramie text story by Hart Cooper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

94 UNTITLED endpaper; illustrated by Walt Howarth (signed).

Going out on a high, Walt Howarth's cover for the final edition of Billy the Kid Western Annual is a masterful, luxurious, and perfectly executed example of cover art. Capturing the essential elements of the character, and imbuing Billy with a handsome charm, it ranks as one of the finest covers to appear on a World annual - which points to the problems the title had experienced having been noted and acted on.

Jim Osborne shivered. And if there had been anyone about to confide in he would have been the first to admit that the spasm was as much fear as from the biting cold. If this was the New World, more and more he bitterly regretted having left the old.

Having left England with the 4th Regiment of Foot to drive the French from Canada, his troop was making its way slowly over a mountain when attacked, and as one of the few survivors he is desperately cold, lonely, and hungry, though thankful for being alive - as he attempts to keep warm, pondering the circumstances of his survival, he encounters a man named Mitch. Offered somewhere to keep warm, and a meal, he quickly succumbs to sleep. On waking he is surprised to witness two Indians walk up to the cave and enter, relaxing by the fire with cups of coffee. Walt returns, and informs Jim that they must travel to the Indian chiefs over the mountain to pass on news about Canada having yielded to the British crown, to cease lingering hostilities.

Far superior to most of the stories which have featured in the title, The Drummer Boy and the Blackfeet shows that courage, a cool head, and ingenuity can often be better than combat to rectify a problem, and gets things off to a fine start. With events of the story taking place farther in the past than the Billy the Kid strips, it is difficult to justify its inclusion, though it is a welcome addition nevertheless.

Wyoming - a young hard-working and fertile territory whose lush valleys attracted the returning gold-miners and captured them so much that they never returned to the thickly populated east from which they had come with such high hopes. And it was here that Billy the Kid came - to find himself caught up in the fierce wrangle between cattlemen and farmers that the new settlements had brought about.

When Billy happens upon a new town being constructed, and is surprised to see Lem Dacy - inveterate gambler, with a reputation as a gunman - has settled down to a life of farming. All seems peaceful in the town until cattle drivers arrive, informing the inhabitants that a herd of cattle are going to move through the valley, destroying everything in their way.

There were likely a list of laws which would have prevented such an action, and the means by which Billy saves the day seems to be far too extreme to hold credibility. The sound of the explosion would, surely, have a serious effect on the cattle - if the goal was to prevent a stampede, making such a racket would likely have precisely the opposite conclusion to the one desired.

The other strip, The Wreckers finds Billy two miles outside of Newtown, where the train tracks have been deliberately sabotaged - he manages to save the train, and its cargo, though is shot at for his trouble by those responsible. A rather pedestrian tale, told with slightly unattractive artwork, fails to live up to the earlier annuals' tales. Once again the strip introduces an old friend, never before seen, who has gotten into trouble. It is an annoying trend, and one which adds to the background of the character without clearing up his history.

The Last Great Scout, a text feature on William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, written with authority by A.W. Dalby-Phillips, might be a last throw of the dice, but it hits its mark with perfection. With a mere eight pages in which to cram as much information as possible, the economy of detail isn't particularly noticeable, minor incident given as much consideration as monumental event, and the sum total of the feature amounts to a fantastic insight into an amazing life.

Which begs the question - why couldn't this have been attempted throughout the title from the start?

The final strip, Ransom on the River opens with a dramatic image which is far more accomplished than most of the strip art in the issue.

When Micky O'Hearn struggles against odds too much for him, Billy the Kid happens to see the fight. Curiosity lead the Kid to follow a most unusual trail ... at one point every step along it could mean sudden death or slow drowning... but Billy corners desperate men and forces them to call off a diabolical plan to each make hundreds of dollars for themselves, at the expense of one young Irishman...

Jimmy Stewart wanted to start a new life in the West, and he got his chance when the wagon train he was travelling in was besieged by Indians...

Hart Cooper's Renegades of Fort Laramie uses a famous name for one of its characters with no perceivable reason, and distracts from the narrative. It is a story which, rather cheekily, features Kit Carson in a supporting role - in a manner which can be seen as emphasising the title's success over Kit Carson's Cowboy Annual, which ceased publication the previous year.

An improvement, with very impressive steps towards the sort of material it ought to have been containing, though constrained by having to maintain the stories which had been appearing in the title. More non-fiction features, and far better strips, could have improved the appearance of the annual to a greater degree.

[1960]

Billy the Kid
Western Annual

[1960]

Billy the Kid Western Annual [1959]

[1958] Annual. Original price 6/.
96 pages. Tone art contents.
World Distributors (Manchester) Ltd.

Painted cover by Walt Howarth (signed)

Contents:

 2 UNTITLED endpaper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 4 Indicia

 5 Billy the Kid Western Annual title page; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 6 Contents illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 7 The Black Rider of Sunset Pass text story by Tex Bland; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

21 "The Brand of Justice" w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); UNKNOWN (uncredited).

r: UNKNOWN.

29 The End of Red Mask text story by Hart Cooper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

39 Red Mask "Death at Split Mesa!" w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Frank Bolle (signed).

r: Red Mask (Magazine Enterprises) #44 (Oct 1954 - Nov 1954).

45 The Sun Swallower text story by Jay Laurence; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

57 "Double Crossing Bandit!" w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); UNKNOWN (uncredited).

r: UNKNOWN.

65 The Ransom of Little Bear text story by Dirk Saxon; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

75 Red Mask "The Man Who Rescued Redmask" w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Frank Bolle (signed).

r: Red Mask (Magazine Enterprises) #48 (Mar 1955 - Apr 1955).

81 A Bandit for Breakfast text story by Tex Bland; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

93 Guns of the West illustrated feature by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

94 UNTITLED endpaper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

An action-packed - although extremely bright - image of Billy the Kid fending off Indians attempting a stagecoach robbery adorns the cover, against an appropriately immense landscape of jutting mountains. While there are more than enough details present to provide the image with the correct level of authenticity, there is something a little off regarding the scene - perhaps the luminous quality of the image, although the simplicity of the landscape might play a part in undermining the solidity of the scene's credibility.

Billy the Kid Western Annual now looks like a second-string title when compared to other annuals from the company, and the feeling of fading interest in its fortunes continues to play out within its pages. Its endpaper features a cowboy encountering a bear which owes more to Rainbow than any living creature, and its stories display a dramatic decline in any sense of historical authenticity.

Was the stranger Billy the Kid, or wasn't he? If he was, how could he be in two places at once? It was a casual ride out into the hills that eventually led the boys to the answers to these questions.

Although The Black Rider of Sunset Pass has ample opportunity to square the fictional account seen throughout the series with the real Billy the Kid, the risk of muddying the waters with any explanation is abandoned before it even has a chance to answer lingering questions surrounding the identity of the gunslinger we have been following. Could it, perhaps, be a well-intentioned wannabe? An amnesiac who believes himself to be Bonney? Or merely someone using the name for their own ends?

Do not, for one minute, think that this annual will answer such questions.

Young brothers Hank and Steve Mullins are out riding while everyone is busy chasing down Billy the Kid, though as they are without provisions it isn't long before their hunger becomes apparent. Running into the man they believe to be the bandit the whole territory is seeking, they are offered a meal and a place to rest at his camp. During the night they plan to overpower him, though the stranger doesn't seem inclined to sleeping. When Hank and Steve wake in the morning, their new acquaintance has already departed. After checking in at home, the boys go to town, where news of another hold-up is circulating.

Naturally, being Billy the Kid's annual, the raider isn't who you likely suppose it to be.

Brett Sawyer of the "Lazy S" ranch is the most hated foreman in northern Texas. His slave-driving methods are encouraged by his brutal employer, Ed Clarke, now sole owner of the "Lazy S" since his brother Tom had mysteriously disappeared while on a visit to Dodge City with Sawyer twenty years ago. Ed Clarke is also the most powerful figure in the neighbouring town of Yellow Gulch...

After twenty years in jail, after being framed for a murder by his brother, Tom is returning to the ranch for the first time - and looking for old hands who can prove his identity. Billy the Kid, naturally, crosses his path as he makes his way homeward, and it isn't long before he has to step in to save the former ranch owner's life.

Red Mask, replacing The Durango Kid, is a rather uninspiring character, sharing many of his traits with numerous likewise masked cowboy figures, yet without a defining trait to set him apart. Although there has obviously been some energy expended in bringing him to the page, there isn't enough laid out to render events interesting. Who is he? Why is he wearing a red mask? What is the point of his existence?

It is getting difficult to care about the contents when so little groundwork has been done.

[1958]

Billy the Kid
Western Annual

[1960]

Billy the Kid Western Annual [1958]

[1957] Annual. Original price 6/.
96 pages. Tone art contents.
World Distributors (Manchester) Ltd.

Painted cover by Walt Howarth (signed)

Contents:

 2 UNTITLED endpaper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 4 Indicia

 5 Billy the Kid Western Annual title page; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 6 Contents illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

 7 A Man Called Wyatt Earp text story by Hart Cooper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

19 "The Mystery of Black Canyon" w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

r: UNKNOWN.

27 Texas Vengeance text story by J.L. Morrissey; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

41 "Trouble at Hatteras Ferry" w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

r: UNKNOWN.

49 The Saving of Little Wolf text story by Hart Cooper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

61 "The Devil Buys Cattle" w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: UNKNOWN (uncredited).

r: UNKNOWN.

69 Bill Cody's Baptism text story by Hart Cooper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

80 The Durango Kid Biggest Badhat of Them All! w: UNKNOWN (uncredited); a: Fred Guardineer (signed).

r: Charles Starrett as the Durango Kid (Magazine Enterprises) #37 (Apr 1955).

86 The Hermit of Saddle Creek text story by John Barton; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

94 UNTITLED endpaper; illustrated by UNKNOWN (uncredited).

Once again the cover boasts a sumptuous depiction of the west, with a confrontation between Billy the Kid and a group of natives. The matter of this engagement is unmentioned, though one can assume, given that Billy is reaching for his weapon, that things won't end well. Its interior illustration, with a Chief on horseback overseeing a passing train, isn't quite to the same standard, though gives an indication that this is attempting to show more of the west than the usual conflicts.

While nowhere near as historically accurate or precise in its approach, A Man Called Wyatt Earp shows attempts by World to bridge the gulf between Billy the Kid Western Annual, a series which has been as counter-historical as imaginable, and Boardman's Buffalo Bill Annual. It isn't, unfortunately, anywhere near classy enough to compete.

Brad Benton and Jim Scot paused, looked at one another, then stepped forward with long strides. Neither would admit it, but they were scared; scared stiff.
   They had done it now ... something they'd been warned against so often at home. They had crossed the Dead Line, the street that cut their home town of Dodge City in two - on one side the respectable part, on the other the wild, rip-roaring half where rarely a day passed without gunplay and shooting. But it was becoming tamed, and they wanted to see the man who was taming it - Wyatt Earp, the South-west's greatest gunfighter.

One can only gripe about the liberties taken with historical incident so many times before common sense must demand that all such concerns are dispatched. Yes, this is a hokey, and somewhat unsubtle, tall tale, though maintains its internal consistency throughout. Not that it makes up for so much fluff being allowed to lead into the title.

Something is terribly wrong with the Black Canyon... A mystery evil, and terrifying, surrounds the great silent cliffs... Men never return once they enter, but Billy the Kid goes in to wage a battle with unseen enemies... Because he is certain that some human forces are at work and not ghosts, Billy uses his brains and triggers to wrest the secret of... "The Mystery of the Black Canyon"

One would hope that such a resonant opening text would lead to an appropriately thrilling narrative. Sheriff Denton tells Billy the Kid that the government has been forced to re-route the mail coaches from Black Canyon, and when a rider announces that another man - Jock McDurnee - has gone missing there, Billy offers to investigate. Explosions rock the area, and the sheriff's posse - set to ride in when given a signal by Billy - charge in. To be met by a hail of arrows...

A tree set to pivot, like a prop in some ridiculous Saturday morning cartoon, is the key to the mystery, and there is little to appeal beyond Billy's sureness in his capabilities - it is the sole point which rings true, yet things are piled up in a mountain of unlikely events, so removed from intelligent and thoughtful writing, that the story simply doesn't work. A beautiful, wonderful introduction cannot match what follows.

Texas Vengeance sees a young boy heartbroken with the sale of his prized Palomino horse, and his attempt to find the money to buy it back, in a plot so overused that it can offer nothing of value to an annual already suffering from clichés and easy explanations. The cumulative effect is to make the annual feel as if it is aiming at a much younger age range than before.

While the whole township of Hatteras wait for the ferry to bring over the stage coach with a shipment of gold for the bank, a band of Seminole Indians come paddling out of the swamp in war canoes which starts... "Trouble at Hatteras Ferry"

"Pesky redskins?" The script couldn't be more lackadaisical about dropping such epithets, and treats the Seminole as idiots prepared to listen to a voice transmission device of some sort without question. Yes, the use of such equipment is anachronistic - the telephone being patented in 1876, and Billy the Kid having died in 1881, with hardly enough time having passed for such an ingenious use of the technology to be discovered. The worrisome attitudes in the telling deserve nothing but contempt.

This attitude is mirrored in The Saving of Little Wolf, which features a character by the name of Dull Knife. There is, thankfully, some redress in the attitudes of the native populace, with Major Stilwell explaining the change in behaviour witnessed in the Indians, though it is far from a comprehensive account of the injustices they suffered.

The Durango Kid fares a little better in this annual than in previous years, with a lively script and some attractive art. It isn't enough to stave off the title's slow decline, but any small improvement must be noted. It really is a shame that so little concern seems to have been given to the title, especially as impressive releases were sharing shelf space with this.

A shadow of its former self.

[1957]

Billy the Kid
Western Annual

[1959]