Super DC Giant S-22

Super DC Giant S-22 (On Sale: December 1, 1970), has a "Top Guns of the West" cover by Joe Kubert. 

The reprints begin with Johnny Thunder in "The Betrayal of Johnny Thunder" by Robert Kanigher and Gil Kane and reprinted from All-Star Western #97 (1957).

That is followed by Nighthawk in "The Man Without a Mask" by France Herron, Gil Kane, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Western Comics #59 (1956).

Next is Matt Savage Trail Boss in "The Dance Hall Queen and the Desperadoes" by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Western Comics #85 (1961). Matt and Lute help an injured man, Dave Hardin, on the prairie. He was robbed by two bandits who stole the money he intended to use to buy a ranch. His girlfriend Abby Simms has the rest of the money, and he suspects the thieves will go after it. Matt offers to help, but the thieves get their first. They use Abby as a hostage then escape with the stolen money.

Matt pursues them alone since Hardin was injured during the confrontation with the bandits. The outlaws split up. Matt catches the first one, but he doesn't have the stolen money. When Matt catches the second thief, the bandit throws the money into a quicksand bog. Matt returns to town with two prisoners, but without the money.

After dropping off the outlaws, Matt believes he was tricked. He returns to the prairie and finds the stolen money under a rock. The outlaw dropped it and threw a money bag filled with rocks into the quicksand. Matt was tipped off because the money bag sank too quickly. Matt then returns the money to Dave and Abby who use it to buy a ranch. 

That is followed by Bat Lash in "Melinda's Doll" by Denny O'Neil and Nick Cardy and reprinted from Bat Lash #2 (1968). Bat Lash is about to be married to the youngest of the Gilkin daughters at gunpoint when youngsters he hired earlier release bags of mice into the church and cause a ruckus allowing Bat to escape though he loses his coat and right boot in the process. He rides off on Daisy into a snowy blind canyon.

Further in the canyon, a Marshal and his daughter, Melinda, are trying to escape two gunmen when their covered wagon hits a rock. The Marshal hides a metal cigar case inside Melinda's doll, Suzy, and hides Melinda in a hollowed tree stump. The Marshal is shot and killed. Bat arrives later and takes the Marshal's coat and boots when Melinda appears believing Bat to be her father (likely due to fear/denial). Bat takes her to the nearest city, Serenity, where he unsuccessfully tries to pass Melinda onto other people earning the ire of the townsfolks. This is observed by Samuel E. Styff, undertaker, who mistakes Bat for the Marshal whom he had ordered killed.

Bat goes into Polly's Inn to get some dinner and discovers Polly takes in children who have lost their parents. Two of Styff's henchmen enter but Bat chases them off causing Polly to take Bat's guns/belt until he's ready to leave. However, Styff promises a free funeral to whoever kills the Marshal, and Bat is forced to flee without his weapons. Bat and Melinda enter the cellar of the funeral parlor and hide in coffins and are unwittingly transported to the cemetery. There they discover that Styff has been selling guns to Native Americans by hiding/transporting the guns in coffins. 

Bat witnesses this and pockets the Native Americans' payment when they are ambushed by Styff and his men. One of them shoots Melinda and a tearful Bat takes them all down. Bat discovers Melinda is alive, the doll having stopped the bullet and Bat discovers the metal cigar case inside of which is a receipt proving Styff's actions. Bat takes the captured criminals back to town and reveals what's been happening to the townsfolk who are angry as the Native Americans have been using their guns against the townsfolk. They cart the criminals off to jail and Polly takes custody of Melinda; Bat gives Polly a bag of gold to pay for her care. Bat then enters a restaurant and begins wooing the beautiful Patty Lou Smithers when Melinda enters unwittingly driving off Patty and angering Bat. She only wanted to say goodbye and give Bat a flower she picked for him. Bat hugs her and takes her back home.

We end with Johnny Thunder in "The Gauntlet of Thunder" by Robert Kanigher and Gil Kane and reprinted from All-Star Western #104 (1958).

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Bat Lash #7

Bat Lash #7 (On Sale: August 25, 1969) has another great cover by Nick Cardy.

Inside we have "(Brothers)" which is plotted by Sergio Aragones, scripted by Denny O'Neil and drawn by Nick Cardy. One night Bat Lash runs into Don Pasqual, his father's best friend, who relates to Bat the night his family was killed and how Pasqual was able to pull Bat's brother, Billy, away from the
"evil ones" who burned his family's farm to the ground and killed his father and mother.

Pasqual related how he took Billy and fled to Mexico, to the house an an aunt, but how Billy would not speak and would not take notice when spoken to. A doctor examined Billy and said his problems were of the soul and he offered to adopt Billy. On the way back to the Lash ranch Don Pasqual was shot by bandits and "struggled with death" for a year. When he finally returned to the farm he learned how Bat had dealt with those who murdered his family and how since that time Don Pasqual has been searching for Bat.

Meanwhile in El Paso, a blond-haired bounty hunter is pulling a Bat Lash wanted poster off the wall and heads off in search of the man he does not know is his brother, while at the same time Bat and Don Pasqual set off in search of Billy. As the bounty hunter searches he recalls his lack of a childhood and how he does remember Dr. Jimeniz taking him to a camp of revolutionaries where he was trained like a man in the ways of shooting. As a revolutionary the young boy fought against the tyrannical Mexican government before traitors in their midst were their undoing. He sought out and hunted down the traitors, killing them one-by-one, and when he was through, he felt as if a part of him had died with each man. All that he was good for was killing, so he took up the life of a bounty hunter.

Billy hit the small town of Encinitas just after Bat and Pasqual, who are in the cantina trying to enjoy a meal wile being eyeballed by a group of brothers who think Bat looks a whole lot like the bounty hunter that nailed their pa, though, the bounty hunter looked younger than Bat. Bat overhears the brothers, knocks them around and then he and Don Pasqual convince them it is better for them to leave the cantina vertical rather than horizontal. As they are chased into the street they meet Billy coming into town and can't believe that there at two of them.

Unable to figure out which one nailed their pa, they run for cover and decide to take them both out. As bat and Don Pasqual leave the cantina, they are confronted by Billy. Bat tries to talk Billy down to no avail and as they prepare to stand off against each other, a shocked Don Pasqual attempts to break up the fight, telling them "You are bro--!" before he is shot in the back by the ambushing brothers. Fighting side-by-side, Bat and Billy neatly handle the four brothers. A dying Don Pasqual tries in vain to tell them who they each are, to no avail.

Billy lets bat go, for Don Pasqual's sake as he seemed like he "was a brave old hombre...an' he seemed to think yo're worth savin'!" As they go their separate ways, both brothers are haunted by the familiarity of the other. Billy is drawn to watch as Bat buries Don Pasqual while Bat laments how everything he touches dies. A sad ending.

What is unfortunate is that this is the end, the last issue of Bat Lash; a book killed way too soon. I think DC ran the ads touting the book's near arrival longer than they published the book itself.

This story was reprinted in All-Star Western #11, Weird Western Tales #12 and Showcase Presents: Bat Lash TPB.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Bat Lash #6

Bat Lash #6 (On Sale: June 24, 1969) has a cover by Nick Cardy.
(Revenge) is by Sergio Aragones, Denny O'Neil, Mike Sekowsky and Nick Cardy. Some people claim that Nick Cardy was the penciler and Mike Sekowsky was the inker, but this is nonsense. Cardy even talks about this issue in The Art of Nick Cardy saying, "...I was too busy and his pencils really lightened the load. Mike and I went way back so he was great to step in and assist. Mike had a wonderful eye for design. I always felt Mike's talent was wasted on super-hero books."

The story opens with Bat Lash riding through a driving rainstorm when he comes upon a funeral in progress. As he is getting off his horse he notices that the preacher's voices sounds sort of familiar. Bat walks up to the grave and faces off against the preacher gunning him down with a lightning quick draw. The local sheriff is present and pulls his gun on Bat, saying that was "the brazenest thing I ever seen...cold-blooded murder in front of twenty witnesses!" Only Bat points out that the "preacher" has a .44 derringer in his had and was about a second away from gunning down Bat. The sheriff doesn't know what to make of this, but decides to lock Bat Lash up till he figures out what is going on.

While in a nice dry cell Bat relates the story of "preacher" Rickett, how 10 years earlier Bat lived on a farm with his family and how one day Rickett rode into their property, bringing good news. Seems he had discovered oil on their land. Rickett talks Bat's father into selling his farm to get the cash up for well equipment. Only, they drilled for an entire week and never hit any oil. When young Bat was looking for rocks to build a fireplace he found an empty oil barrel and knew his family had been swindled.

I'd love to tell you the rest of the story, only I can't find my copy. All I can locate is my copy of All-Star Western #9, which reprints the first half of this issue. Reprinted in All-Star Western #9, All-Star Western #10 and Millennium Edition: All-Star Western 10 (#17).
Edited by Joe Orlando.

Bat Lash #5

Bat Lash #5 (On Sale: April 22, 1969) has a nice cover by Nick Cardy.

The full-length Bat Lash strip is untitled and produced by the normal crew of plotter Sergio Aragones, scripter Denny O'Neil and artist Nick Cardy. This untitle story is sometimes referred to as "Wanted - Sergio Aragones" as the character after Bat Lash in this issue is named Sergio and looks a whole lot like you know who.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Bat Lash #4

Bat Lash #4 (On Sale: February 20, 1969) has another great cover by Nick Cardy.

Our untitled Bat Lash story is by plotted and drawn by Nick Cardy and scripted by Denny O'Neil. Bat Lash is rescued by the women of a small town after he angers the men. He leaves town and witnesses a stagecoach robbery. He helps the pretty girl who is delivering a shipment of money and learns their is more money to be had. He drives the stagecoach into Mexico until a group of soldiers capture it.

Bat Lash eludes the soldiers and is found by a group of rebels. They force him to break into a nearby fort to get information from one of the prisoners. Led by a small boy, Bat Lash gets inside the fort and finds the stagecoach girl. She then gives him the information concerning a traitor to the local governor.

Bat Lash then escapes the fort with Little Jose, the boy who acted as his guide. Jose is shot during the escape, forcing Bat Lash to run hard to the next town. He is too late to save the boy, but he reaches the governor in time to warn him about a general who is the traitor. Bat Lash is rewarded, but he has mixed feeling because of Jose's death.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Bat Lash #3

Bat Lash #3 (On Sale: December 26, 1968) has a cover by Nick Cardy.

"(Judge Nero)" is plotted and drawn by Nick Cardy and scripted by Denny O'Neil. This is the only issue of Bat Lash not plotted by Sergio Aragones. In Comic Book Artist #1, of this issue and Cardy's scripting Sergio said, "I was surprised, because he made Bat look like a clown. He drew all the characters so cartoony, falling in bathtubs, and hanging from roofs... It really hurt me a lot, because I didn't want anything like that. The humor should be the result of Bat Lash's action. I think that's the only issue that he's out of character."

Bat Lash is taken into a new town by a sheriff's wife. The sheriff tries to kill him, then makes him the new deputy after Bat Lash meets the pretty deputy Samantha Eggbert. When the sheriff is killed by crooked Judge Nero, Bat Lash is framed for the crime. He is convicted and sentenced to hang, but Samantha helps him escape. Bat Lash then leaves town, leaving Samantha behind to face the townspeople.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Bat Lash #2

Bat Lash #2 (On Sale: October 29, 1968) has a truly wonderful cover by Nick Cardy.

(Melinda's Doll) is written by Denny O'Neil and plotted and drawn by Nick Cardy. While escaping from a wedding that he doesn't watch, Bat Lash discovers the body of a dead marshal in the snow. He takes the dead man's coat and boots, then finds his orphaned daughter Melinda nearby. The girl is confused from shock and believes Bat is her father.

Bat Lash takes the girl to the nearby town of Serenity. The crooks that murdered the marshal try to kill him too. He discovers that they are smuggling guns to indians inside coffins. Bat finds evidence against the local undertaker proving his involvement. He arrests the crooks, then leaves Melinda with a woman in town before leaving town. Reprinted in Super DC Giant S-22.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Bat Lash #1

Bat Lash #1 (On Sale: August 29, 1968) has a cover by Nick Cardy. I never cared for the coloring on this one, maybe the weakest of all the Bat Lash covers.

"We're A-Comin' ta Get You" is plotted by Sergio Aragones, scripted by Denny O'Neil and drawn by Nick Cardy. Bat Lash leaves No Hope Junction to avoid a lynch mob. On the road he meets a monk named Sebastian who offers him kindness. Sebastian has one piece of a marker that leads to the lost fortune of Don Sergio Aragones. After parting ways, Sebastian is killed by outlaws seeking the marker. Bat Lash is wounded while fighting them.

Bat Lash recovers in the town of Wormhole not far from the monastery where Sebastian was headed. He tells the monks there that Sebastian was killed, but the monks are really the outlaws. They then frame Bat for Sebastian's murder.

Bat escapes from jail and locates another traveling monk who carries another marker to the treasure. He takes the monk's place and returns to the monastery. He then sells the crooks the second marker. The sheriff catches Bat on the way out, but he talks his way out of trouble. While romancing Sebastian's niece, he discovers a third marker needed to find the treasure. He allows the sheriff to take the fortune after capturing the outlaws. Bat keeps the money he made from selling the second marker and leaves town. Shamelessly never reprinted.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Showcase #76

Showcase #76 (On Sale: June 13, 1968) is a classic issue featuring the debut of DC's most conflicted western hero, Bat Lash. It sports a nice cover by Nick Cardy and puts forth the question asked in dozens of DC house ads (see below) in the previous months: "Will he Save the West -- or Ruin it?"

As Sergio Aragones told Mark Evanier at the 1998 San Diego Comic-Con:

I was, by that time, living in New York and I was called by Joe Orlando and Carmine Infantino. We went to a restaurant next to DC Comics and they talked about new projects and stuff. They said they wanted to create a different western and they had the name, "Bat Lash." I said, "Don't say anymore. I'll bring you something."

So I went home and thought of a more European western. In those times, all the westerns were very, very aggressive with the cliché of the American Cowboy with very beautiful clothes and able to shoot guns out of other people's hands.

I have adored the western I brought in ideas and sketches and they liked what I did. They took it to Nick and said, "Go ahead!" It's very hard because I write the way I talk...pretty bad. [laughter] People don't understand so what I do to save time (and it's much easier for me because I'm more visual) I draw my scripts and put in very basic dialogue. I would put in notes to the artist saying, "Please don't use this as reference!" [laughter]

Instead of writing about a saucer, for instance, it was just as easy for me to draw a saucer. So I would do the scripts on 8-1/2" x 11" paper, divided into panels, and I would draw the story very crudely, but with no intention for the artist to follow the drawings. When I saw the first work that Nick did, I was so emotional.

(Pheasant in Aspic) is written by Sergio Aragones and drawn by Nick Cardy. Bat Lash is forced to leave town when the boyfriend of a woman that he has been romancing tries to kill him. On his trip to the next town of Welcome, Bat Lash catches a pheasant which he intends to have for dinner. When he reaches Welcome, he notices that most of the honest people are leaving town. Criminals have taken over the town making it unsafe for good people.

Bat Lash brings his pheasant to the local restaurant to have it cooked. Diane, the woman running the place, wants to leave town, but Bat Lash refuses to let her leave until he has dinner. He then goes to the general store to buy additional ingredients.

Bat is confronted by crooks who try to force him out of town. The cowboy proves stubborn and hard to kill. Despite several attacks and trouble from the locals, Bat Lash finally gets Diane to finish cooking his dinner. When he offers her the first bite, she refuses to eat since it has been poisoned. Diane admits that she is the head of the criminal gang, so Bat Lash escorts her to the nearest jail before leaving town. Shamefully never reprinted.

Edited by Joe Orlando.