I have been in a "Lone Ranger" mood for a while now and have been meaning to read the Dynamite series for some time. John Cassaday provided the cover art, and with his recent passing, this seems like the perfect opportunity to pay him tribute by spotlighting it. The series is written by Brett Matthews, with art by Sergio Carriello. Carriello's style has a very "Kubert" look to it, not necessarily Joe, but certainly Andy or Adam. The story is set 1869, with flashbacks to 1856, 1860 and 1868. In the first issue, six Texas Rangers trail a small-time crook named Collins into an ambush. That's a change; in the original legend, the Rangers were trailing the Butch Cavendish gang and Collins was acting as their guide. Beyond that, the story plays out pretty much as one would expect.
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ISSUE #2:
An Indian named Tonto saves the lone Texas Ranger who survived the ambush and nurses him back to health. Writer Brett Matthews has dropped the pidgin from his dialect, but throws in a few anachronisms I remember from the first time around. In addition to the Ranger's brother, his father was also killed in the attack; that's a change from the original. In another change, a new character, a Black gunslinger named Julius "Bart" Bartholomew has been added to the cast. He works for Butch Cavendish and kills Collins. Tonto takes the Ranger to the graves of his comrades, digs a sixth one, and gives him the personal belongings he managed to salvage.
ISSUE #3:
Bartholomew digs up one of the six graves of the Texas Rangers, finds it empty. He digs up the other five and identifies all of the dead, then leaves their bodies for the carrion birds. Back at the lone survivor's homestead, the last surviving Ranger visits his mother's grave and apologizes for what he intends to do. He is wearing his dead brother's vest on his face; the eye holes seem to be made by bullets. Tonto knows what he has in mind and objects. The Ranger knocks Tonto out, then sets fire to the cabin, steals Tonto's horse, and sets out to kill Collins. The Ranger finds Collins' dead body, made to look like a suicide by Bartholomew. Tonto arrives and they fight. the Ranger gives up, saying, "I had one killing in me. It's done." Tonto gathers Collins' blood money, and they set out to buy the Ranger a horse.
Elsewhere, Butch Cavendish is running for office. He receives word from Bartholomew: "Five Rangers dead. All Contractors dead. Lone Ranger remains." Cavendish orders his assistant, Winthrop, to get him "three," then he changes it to "four." I'm not sure what he's referring to, but he warns wnthrop to comply or he will be one of them. Meanwhile, Bartholomew knocks on a cabin door. A woman answers, He kills her. As he walks away, from inside a baby cries. He walks back. the baby stops crying.
At a horse ranch, the Ranger buys a white horse the owner saved after it had been gored in a fight with a buffalo. (The buffalo fight is canon, but it was the Ranger who saved it and nursed it back to health in Wild Horse Valley.) This issue was pretty quick read, but there was enough story to avoid the charge of "decompression."
ISSUE #4:
No sooner does the Ranger buy the white horse than it breaks and runs away. It comes back of its own volition, but wont take a saddle. The Ranger carries his own saddle and leads the white horse while Tonto rides. Meanwhile, Bartholomew continues to kill women, apparently at random. The Ranger and Tonto return to the Reids' burt out homestead. Beneath the floorboards of what would have been his father's bedroom, they find a strongbox. The Ranger realizes that the shape of the unusual cross he wears around his neck is the same shape as the strongbox's unique lock. Inside they find two gold wedding bands and a deed to some land. The Ranger explains, "The rings belonged to my father and brother. They took them off when they put on the badge. They didn't want anyone to know they had loved ones." Suddenly it becomes clear who the women are that Bartholomew is killing.
Elsewhere, Butch Cavendish meets with an unidentified powerful man. Cavendish is advocating undermining faith in the Texas Rangers as a lead-up to federalizing the state of Texas. Winthrop interrupts the meeting to report that Bartholomew has reported that he will be out of touch for several days. Cavendish beats Winthrop for interrupting.
Meanwhile, the Ranger and Tonto investigate the deeded land. It is a mine. They buy tools and begin to work it. Soon they discover silver. In town, Tonto buys a newspaper which carries the story of the deaths of the Rangers' family members. Later, he asks the Ranger the whereabouts of his brother's wife and son. They are in Wyoming. Dan Reid was going to bring them to Texas after he made a home for them, and it was safe. Tonto tosses a bullet made of silver to the Ranger, saying, "There is much darkness, Kemosabe. Light it up."
I'm going to try to finish up the origin story today.
ISSUE #5:
Tonto is helping the Ranger through his trauma, but it is clear he is dealing with some as-yet-undisclosed trauma of his own. Tonto has crushed some berries and used the dye to turn a shirt blue. He has also used his sewing skills to smooth over the rough edges of his friend's mask. He is now truly The Lone Ranger. Then the two go out put an end to evil as they encounter it. "You need not seek this evil, Kemosabe... let it find you." In one scene, the Lone Ranger stops Tonto from killing a man by shooting the knife out of the Indian's hand. I'm not sure of the exact timing here, but we'll say "meanwhile" Bartholomew pays a visit to Dan Reid's wife and son. Instead of killing them outright, he accepts her invitation for a cup of tea.
Butch Cavendish talks to himself in front of a mirror. (He obviously has "daddy issues.") A knock comes on his door. Three man are there. One of them says, "The man says prove it." They leave. Elsewhere, the Lone Ranger and Tonto go about the business of dispensing justice. The Lone Ranger comes across a newspaper about the "Ranger Kin Killings" and somehow (correctly) gets the idea that Tonto knew about it. Tonto maintains that the Ranger had not been ready to know about it before (and truly is not ready now), but the Lone Ranger heads off to save his sister-in-law and nephew. (This why I'm not sure how much time has passed, whether his brother's family is still in Wyoming or what.) The Lone Ranger comes upon a rise a sees a plume of smoke off in the horizon.
I've never read this issue before. What probably happened was I read then first four issues as they came out, deemed the series "worthy" to continue reading, then set the others aside to be read at a later time. That time is now. (Hey, only 17 years years later.)
ISSUE #6:
The fire ends up being some brush or something the Lone Ranger's sister-in-law is burning in the yard. She recognizes him right off, even with the mask. Dan is a little boy of about seven, BTW. She hands him an envelope adfressed to "Masked Man." Presumably it was given to her by Bartholomew, but she didn't know what to make of it until he rode up. The Lone Ranger gives Dan a silver bullet and shouts "Hi-Yo, Silver!" for the first time. (Apparently, "Hi-Yo!" is something his brother used to shout whenever he got exited.) Some miles away, Bartholomew ambushes Tonto and stakes him to the ground. The Lone Ranger arrives in time to save Tonto's life, but discovers Tonto had already freed himself anyway. Bartholomew rides off and the Lone Ranger sets off in pursuit. They end up fighting atop a passing train. I'll spare you the play-by-play, but it was an exciting fight.
Afterwards, the Lone Ranger finds the injured Bartholomew recuperating in a cave. Bart reveals that Cavendish is his boss, expecting to be killed. The Ranger refuses, and also refuses to show Bart his face when asked. ("The mask is my face.") Tonto shows up after the Ranger leaves. Now Bart really expects to be killed. Tonto likewise refuses, but does leave Bart a knife, presumably with which to kill himself. Butch Cavendish is at the site of the "Last Spike" in the first transcontinental railroad at Pronontory Summit, Utah. Her is interrupted, again, by Winthrop, who delivers one final message from Batholomew: "Keep your money. He's coming for you." Before Cavendish can fire him, Winthrop quits. Cavendish and Winthrop are standing just out of frame on the left of this famous photograph. (The scene is drawn from a POV behind the photographer.)
The Lone Ranger and Tonto decide to ride together from here on out, but the Ranger stipulates, no killing.
"And what of this rule when we find this man?" asks Tonto. "This Cavendish."
"I guess that's the day we find out whether or not I'm a hypocrite."
"Then let's find out together, Kemosabe."
And that's the end of the origin story.
In recent years this photo has become infamous for making sure that everyone in the photo was white, purposely cropping or excluding the Chinese workers who did most of the life-threatening hard work.
Next up is a four-parter. I intend to get through it all today.
ISSUE #7:
The Lone Ranger and Tonto have built a little homestead near the silver mine and have moved his brother's wife and son into it. This is another change from the legend. Dan Jr. was orphaned at an early age when their wagon train was ambushed by Indians while heading west. Dan was adopted by an elderly woman named Grandma Frisby, also a member of the wagon train, and brought up without knowing who his father was. I don't think John Reid's sister-in-law has been named yet (an editorial oversight AFAIAC). Meanwhile, the Lone Ranger and Tonto have been ransacking Butch Cavendish's railroad offices searching for evidence, while Cavendish himself hobnobs with senators and other VIPs. Cavendish is hiring cheap Mexican labor, which doesn't sit well with his white employees. An obvious attraction is growing between John Reid and his sister-in-law, but he is reluctant to take off his mask, even among friends and family. As they sit down to dinner one night, a shot crashes through the window. Nearby, someone is being lynched.
ISSUE #8:
The man being lynched is a Mexican named Rafael. The Lone Ranger shoots the rope then ha and Tonto disarm the men. They say the Mexican shot a man in the back and is wanted in his own country. The sheriff was going to extradite him in the morning, but the mob decided not to wait. (Incidentally, this scene is the first time I heard Clayton Moore's voice in my heard as I read the Lone Ranger's dialogue.) the men back down but warn hin that the labd between here and the border belongs to them. The Ranger leaves Rafael with Tonto and goes into town to do a little forensic analysis of his own. The man was shot multiple, from the front, but that's not what killed him. What killed him was a shot to the neck, and that did come from behind. As the sun comes up, the Ranger rides out of town as his legend begins to grow.
Cavendish's accountant, Bertrand, tells him his company is out of cash, and cavendish beats him to death.
The ranger's SIL (whose name is Linda, BTW), brings them breakfast, but the Ranger frightens her off. (This version of the Lone Ranger has a bit of the Batman in him, the "strike fear into the hearts of criminals" bit.) Later he apologizes. Then, he, Tonto and Raphel set out for the border, but last night's lynch mob are guarding the trail.
Well this isn't taking long at all. These stories are very decompressed. At least they have nice John Cassaday covers.
ISSUE #9:
While Butch Cavendish schmoozes with high society, the Lone Ranger and Tonto, with Rafael, ride the gauntlet. Cavendish has been portrayed up until this point as a wild man, just barely able to function withing polite society. In this issue, that changes and he lets his true colors show. The Lone Ranger finally confronts that last man standing between them and Mexico. His gun is a .36 Remington, the same as killed the man in town. The man confesses, and Rafael pulls a small Derringer which he had been hiding all along from his boot and shoots the man dead. He has one shot left. Will it be for the Lone Ranger or Tonto? He chooses Tonto, but the Lone Ranger jumps in front of the gun and takes the bullet meant for his friend.
ISSUE #10:
The Lone Ranger is wounded but insists that Tonto go after Rafael. Rafael is on foot, so Tonto is able to overtake him very quickly on horseback, but Rafael has reloaded by that time and Tonto takes a bullet in the hand before subduing him. When the Lone Ranger awakens he is in the silver mine being tended to by Linda. Rafael is tied up. the ranger interrogates him and learns that Rafael really is wanted for several murders in Mexico. Rafael questions the hypocracy of turning him in when the Lone Ranger knows he will be killed. The Lone Ranger discusses the matter privately with Tonto and Linda. She tells him he should do what he thinks is right. Then he stays up all night thinking about it.
In Washington, Butch Cavendish learns that Winthrop drained all of the money from his personal account. The banker asks him if he wants to arrange for a loan.
Early the next morning, before sunrise, the Long Ranger turns Rafael over to the sheriff. Another philosophical discussion follows.
In Washington, Butch Cavendish buys a ticket to Texas.
And that's the last issue of The Lone Ranger I bought.
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