Random Happenstance

Between his self-titled series and All-Star Western, writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti got over a hundred issues with Jonah Hex. Over at Marvel they were lucky to get one with Kid Colt. From 2006, Marvel Westerns: Kid Colt and the Arizona Girl #1, "Last Stage to Oblivion" "Story ropers" Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, "pencil wrangler" Federica Manfredi, "ink brander" Jimmy Palmiotti. Oddly, we saw another Kid Colt #1 from 2009, which seems too soon for copyright renewal purposes?

Kid Colt is paired up the Arizona Girl this issue, and I was surprised to find she had appeared before: not often, but yeah! And not as many times as relatively recent addition Tallulah Black in Jonah Hex. (She's from 2007, and her and Hex are head-and-shoulder better characters.) Still, it's nice to see a girl in Marvel's western stable, which was traditionally a sausage-fest; and it adds some mildly suggestive dialog, since the western titles were usually G-rated. The Kid and the Girl were hired to defend a stage into Wilcox, but someone may have neglected to mention the angry Apache. They're able to fight their way through all right; but find Wilcox...creepy. And surprisingly full of outlaws, but a dearth of horses. Kid Colt admits he's technically an outlaw himself, but Arizona Girl is less accepting.

After a couple gunmen try to cash in on Kid Colt and get themselves shot up, the horse problem is solved; but then they run into an old friend in the bar: the Rawhide Kid! Who is surly as hell, and claims not to know Kid Colt, then draws on him. Arizona Girl plugs him, and then something weird happens:

"Rawhide Kid" was really a Skrull! As was the rest of Wilcox. Luckily for our heroes, the Skrulls apparently only had period weaponry handy, although one does turn into a bear. Kid Colt and Arizona Girl gun down and/or dynamite the lot of them, while arguing over who's fault this was. Afterward, they're in no condition to deal with the Apache, who are merely glad the town has been cleaned out, and offer them safe passage away. Kind of pissing off the Arizona Girl in the process, but still.

I was trying to look up if there were any other "Mighty Marvel Westerns" that came out with this one, and duhr, "the Marvel Western Bulletgram" mentions the Two-Gun Kid, Western Legends with Hurricane and Red Wolf, Strange Westerns starring the Black Rider, and an Outlaw Files guide. And hey, Kid Colt and Arizona Girl (or Arizona Annie) made an appearance in the 2017 Lego Marvel Super-Heroes 2 game! Surprising.