Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men #03 (Four Color #557)

Publication May 1954 | Price: 0.10 USD | Pages: 36

Featuring Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men

Credits Pencils: Hank Hartman? (painting) | Inks: Hank Hartman? (painting) | Colors: Hank Hartman? (painting)

Content Genre: Western-frontier | Characters: Ben Bowie

Text Article How to Tan a Deerhide (1 page)

Synopsis Directions for tanning a deerhide.

Credits Pencils: Frank Thorne [as FT] (signed) | Inks: Frank Thorne [as FT] (signed) | Letters: typeset

Content Genre: Non-fiction; Western-frontier

Notes Inside front cover; black and white. Three illustrations and typeset text. Art id by Martin Olsen via the Error Tracker (January 2009).

Comic Story The Wilderness Trail (17 pages)

Synopsis Ben and his men help a wagon train of settlers fight off hostile Shawnee Indians as they make their way to the end of the Wilderness Trail at Garsen's Gap.

Featuring Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men

Credits Pencils: Frank Thorne | Inks: Frank Thorne

Content Genre: Western-frontier | Characters: Ben Bowie; Jim Prentice; Zeke Moss; Nakah

Notes Art identification by Hames Ware and Mike Barrier (March 2011).

Comic Story The Rival Company (15 pages)

Synopsis Ben and Jim bring their beaver skins to the trading post only to find that the post operator is only buying from a man named Weber, who is using 20 Indians to force a monopoly on beaver trade in the area.

Featuring Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men

Credits Pencils: Frank Thorne | Inks: Frank Thorne

Content Genre: Western-frontier | Characters: Ben Bowie; Jim Prentice; Zeke Moss; Nakah

Notes Story continues on inside cover in black and white and concludes on back cover in color. Art identification by Hames Ware and Mike Barrier (March 2011).

Coming soon: Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men #04 (Four Color #599) 

Straight Arrow #03 [M.E.] Fred Meagher & Frank Frazetta

Publication    June-July 1950 | Price: 0.10 USD | Pages: 36 | Frequency: bi-monthly

Notes    Cover art credits from Greg Theakston.

Featuring    Straight Arrow

Credits    Pencils: Frank Frazetta | Inks: Frank Frazetta

Content    Genre: Western-frontier | Characters: Straight Arrow

Notes    Cover art credits from Greg Theakston.

Illustration    Points of a Horse (1 page)

Credits    Pencils: Fred Meagher | Inks: Fred Meagher | Letters: typeset

Content    Genre: Non-fiction

Notes    On the inside front cover.

Comic Story    The Killer Bear! (8 pages)

Featuring    Straight Arrow

Credits    Script: Gardner Fox | Pencils: Fred Meagher (signed) | Inks: Fred Meagher (signed)

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Comic Story    The Doctor of Medicine Hat! (7 pages)

Featuring    Straight Arrow

Credits    Script: Gardner Fox | Pencils: Fred Meagher | Inks: Fred Meagher

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Comic Story    In the Earthshaker (7 pages)

Featuring    Red Hawk

Credits    Script: Gardner Fox | Pencils: Bob Powell | Inks: Bob Powell

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Notes    Signed Powell in first panel.

Text Story    The Fire Medicine (2 pages)

Credits    Letters: typeset

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Comic Story    The Traps of Terror! (7 pages)

Featuring    Straight Arrow

Credits    Script: Gardner Fox | Pencils: Fred Meagher | Inks: Fred Meagher

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Coming soon: Straight Arrow #04 [M.E.] Fred Meagher

More information about this collection, here

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Straight Arrow #02 [M.E.] Fred Meagher

Publication    April-May 1950 | Price: 0.10 USD | Pages: 36 | Frequency: bi-monthly

Featuring    Straight Arrow

Credits    Pencils: Fred Meagher | Inks: Fred Meagher

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Activity    Tepee (1 page)

Credits    Letters: typeset

Notes    On the inside front cover.

Comic Story    The Peril of the Pioneers! (9 pages)

Featuring    Straight Arrow

Credits    Script: Gardner Fox | Pencils: Fred Meagher | Inks: Fred Meagher

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Comic Story    Land of Our Fathers (8 pages)

Featuring    Straight Arrow

Credits    Script: Gardner Fox | Pencils: Fred Meagher | Inks: Fred Meagher

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

 Text Story    Fangs of the Wild (2 pages)

Credits    Letters: typeset

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

 Comic Story    The Men of the Green Feather! (6 pages)

Featuring    Red Hawk

Credits    Script: Gardner Fox | Pencils: Bob Powell [as Powell] (signed) | Inks: Bob Powell [as Powell] (signed)

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Notes    Signed Powell in second panel

 Comic Story    The Death Moccasin! (7 pages)

Featuring    Straight Arrow

Credits    Script: Gardner Fox | Pencils: Fred Meagher | Inks: Fred Meagher

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

 Activity    Proper Camp (1 page)

Credits    Letters: typeset

Notes    On the inside back cover.

Publisher advertisement "Exciting news for every..." (1 page)

 Coming soon: Straight Arrow #03 [M.E.] Fred Meagher

  Link ⇊ ⇊

Straight Arrow #01 - [M.E.] Fred Meagher

Publisher: Magazine Enterprises

Publication Dates: February-March 1950 – March 1956

Number of Issues Published: 55 (#1 – #55)

Color: color

Dimensions: standard Golden Age US; then standard Silver Age US

Binding: saddle-stitched

Publishing Format: was ongoing series

Information thanks to the Grand Comic Database

The Straight Arrow radio program was a western adventure series for juveniles which was broadcast, mostly twice weekly in the United States from 1948 or 1949 through 1951. A total of 292 episodes were aired. Although first broadcast only in California, in early 1949 it was broadcast nationally on the Mutual Broadcasting Network. All the programs were written by Sheldon Stark. The protagonist, rancher Steve Adams, became the Comanche Indian, the Straight Arrow, when bad people or other dangers threatened. In fact, Adams was a Comanche orphan who had been adopted by the Adams ranching family and later inherited the ranch. His dual identity was known to only one friend. Internal evidence places the ranch in the vicinity of the Colorado Rockies in the 1870s. Howard Culver played both Adams and Straight Arrow. The program was sponsored by Nabisco Shredded Wheat.

Like many other children’s programs, this one soon had cross-over presence. The Straight Arrow Comic book. published by Magazine Enterprises, first came out in February 1950. Most of the stories were written by Gardner Fox. In addition, there was a Straight Arrow comic strip for which Fox wrote all the scripts as well as and Straight Arrow collectible cards of Indian crafts inserted in the boxes of Nabisco Shredded Wheat.

Also 1 Australian issue 16
Also 1 issue Straight Arrow’s Fury #1

Publication    February-March 1950 | Price: 0.10 USD | Pages: 36 | Frequency: Bi-Monthly

Featuring    Straight Arrow

Credits    Pencils: Fred Meagher | Inks: Fred Meagher

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Illustration    Indian Horse Recognition (1 page)

Synopsis    Facts about horses: the Palomino; the Paint; the Pinto; the Appaloosa; the Piebald.

Credits    Pencils: Fred Meagher (signed) | Inks: Fred Meagher (signed)

Content    Genre: Non-fiction

Notes    On the inside front cover.

Comic Story    Straight Arrow! (8 pages)

Featuring    Straight Arrow

Credits    Script: Gardner Fox | Pencils: Fred Meagher | Inks: Fred Meagher

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Comic Story    Lodge Pole Lore (1 page)

Credits    Pencils: Bob Powell (signed) | Inks: Bob Powell (signed)

Content    Genre: Non-fiction; Western-frontier

Comic Story    Roaring River (8 pages)

Featuring    Straight Arrow

Credits    Script: Gardner Fox | Pencils: Fred Meagher | Inks: Fred Meagher

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Comic Story    White Comanche (6 pages)

Featuring    Tales of the Tipi

Credits    Script: Gardner Fox | Pencils: Ogden Whitney (signed) | Inks: Ogden Whitney (signed)

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Notes    Signed in first panel. Ogden Whitney and Gardner Fox are credited to this series in Jerry Bails' Who's Who. Art ID by Steinar Ådland December 2010

Text Story    Timmy Takes the Trail (2 pages)

Credits    Pencils:? (illustration) | Inks:? (illustration) | Colors:? (illustration) | Letters: typeset

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Comic Story    Apache Vengeance (7 pages)

Featuring    Straight Arrow

Credits    Script: Gardner Fox | Pencils: Fred Meagher (signed) | Inks: Fred Meagher (signed)

Content    Genre: Western-frontier

Activity    Archery (1 page)

Synopsis    Facts about shooting arrows.

Credits    Pencils: Fred Meagher (signed) | Inks: Fred Meagher (signed)

Content    Genre: Non-fiction

Notes    On the inside back cover.

Publisher advertisement    "Magazine Enterprises brings you a..." (1 page)

Synopsis    Full page backcover ad for Tim Holt Comics #14 featuring the cover of that issue.

 Coming soon: Straight Arrow #02 [M.E.] Fred Meagher

 Link ⇊ ⇊

Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men #02 (Four Color #513)

Publication    November 1953 | Price: 0.10 USD | Pages: 36

Featuring    Ben Bowie and his Mountain Men
Credits    Pencils:? (painting) | Inks:? (painting) | Colors:? (painting)
Content    Genre: Adventure; Historical | Characters: Ben Bowie

Scan:  unknown ( diff size edit)

Foreword/Afterword    Mountain Men (1 page)
Synopsis    Short overview of what is meant by "mountain men."
Credits    Pencils: William Overgard | Inks: William Overgard | Letters: typeset
Content    Genre: Historical
Notes    Inside front cover, black and white. Three illustrations with typeset text. Art credit based on comparison of brush strokes of trees in interior and also positioning of figures. Gene Reed 8/22/2016

Comic Story    The Hostiles (17 pages)
Synopsis    Ben and his friends help fend off Huron Indian raiders at a rickety fort nicknamed "Fort Indefensible."
Featuring    Ben Bowie and his Mountain Men
Credits    Script: Paul S. Newman | Pencils: William Overgard [as WO] | Inks: William Overgard
Content    Genre: Historical | Characters: Ben Bowie; Jim Prentice; Nakah, Zeke Moss
Notes    Art identification by Martin Olsen via the error tracker (January 2009). Ink credit based on comparisons of Overgard's art for Prize, Lev Gleason and Ziff-Davis, Particularly The Hawk. Gene Reed 8/22/2016.

Comic Story    A Trap for the Beaver Trappers (17 pages)
Synopsis    Ben and his men are trapping beaver, but their traps are being robbed by a renegade white man and his Algonquian Indian helpers.
Featuring    Ben Bowie and his Mountain Men
Credits    Script: Paul S. Newman | Pencils: William Overgard [as WO] | Inks: William Overgard
Content    Genre: Historical | Characters: Ben Bowie; Zeke Moss; Nakah; Jim Prentice
Notes    Story continues on inside back cover in black and white and concludes on back cover in color. Art identification by Martin Olsen via the error tracker (January 2009). Ink credit based on comparisons of Overgard's art for Prize, Lev Gleason and Ziff-Davis, Particularly The Hawk. Gene Reed 8/22/2016.

Coming soon: Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men #03 (Four Color #557) 

 Link ⇊⇊ 

Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men #01 (Four Color #443)

Ben Bowie and His Mountain

 Publisher: Dell
Publication Dates: May-July 1956 – November 1958-January 1959
Number of Issues Published: 11 (#7 – #17)
Color: Color
Dimensions: Standard Silver Age U. S.
Paper Stock: Glossy cover; Newsprint interior
Binding: Saddle-stitched
Publishing Format: Was Ongoing Series
Publication Type: magazine

The 6 Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men issues of Four Color (Dell, 1942 series) (#443, 513, 557, 599, 626, 657) are considered by Dell to be the first 6 issues of this series.

Information thanks to the Grand Comic Database

Ben Bowie is an American series of Dell Comics ( Dell Publishing ) about a fictional character, trapper of his condition. The series has an interest in so far as it foreshadows the Davy Crockett craze which will occur shortly thereafter. It is part of the American myth of the conquest of the frontier myth revived throughout the 1950s and found its political epilogue in kennedyesque themed New Frontier .
By Westerncomicsblog.wordpress.com

 Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men #01 (Four Color #443)

Publication    January 1953 | Price: 0.10 USD | Pages:36

Featuring    Ben Bowie and his Mountain Men

Credits    Pencils:? (painting) | Inks:? (painting) | Colors:? (painting)

Content    Genre: Historical | Characters: Ben Bowie

Scan:  unknown ( diff size edit)

Text Article    The Beaver Trapper (1 page)

Synopsis    Facts about beaver trappers.

Credits    Letters: typeset

Content    Genre: Non-fiction

Notes    Inside front cover; black and white. Two illustrations and typeset text.

Comic Story    Hostage of the Huron (16 pages)

Synopsis    Ben Bowie and young Jim Prentice find a burned wilderness cabin, reminding Ben of the circumstances in which he found Jim three years earlier. After finding a woman and her young child alive in a hidden cellar in the ruins of the cabin, the four take off in pursuit of Huron Indians who killed the woman's brother and captured her husband. On the way they meet up with trapper Zeke Moss and his blood brother Nakah, an Iroquois Indian. The group finds the Huron camp and after rescuing the captive, Ben, Jim, Zeke, and Nakah decide to stay together.

Featuring    Ben Bowie and his Mountain Men

Credits    Pencils: William Overgard?; Jon Small? | Inks: Jon Small

Content    Genre: Historical | Characters: Ben Bowie; Jim Prentice; Zeke Moss; Nakah

Notes    Introduction of main characters. Overgard pencils credit for this sequence from Alberto Becattini (2007-05-14); Small pencils credit by Hames Ware (2011-06-20). Inks credit by Merlin Haas (2007-07-14) and Hames Ware (2011-06-20).

Comic Story    Trapped (8 pages)

Synopsis    Jim is cornered by a bear in the forest, but manages to escape. With Ben's help he tracks the bear to its den.

Featuring    Ben Bowie and his Mountain Men

Credits    Pencils: Jon Small | Inks: Jon Small

Content    Genre: Historical | Characters: Jim Prentice; Ben Bowie

Notes    Pencils and inks credits from Hames Ware (2011-06-20).

 

Comic Story    The Mission (10 pages)

Synopsis    Zeke and Nakah make a dangerous run with a wagon of ammunition to a fort under siege by Algonquin Indians.

Featuring    Ben Bowie and his Mountain Men

Credits    Pencils: Jon Small | Inks: Jon Small

Content    Genre: Historical | Characters: Ben Bowie; Zeke Moss; Nakah; Jim Prentice (cameo)

Notes    Story continues on inside back cover in black and white and concludes on back cover in color. Pencils and inks credits from Hames Ware (2011-06-20).

 



Coming soon: Ben Bowie and His Mountain Men #02 (Four Color #513)

Link ⇊⇊