It’s been a long time since I’ve reviewed one of these cheesy sci-fi/adventure comics from the ‘50s and ‘60s. Dark Horse used to collect and re-release them all the time, and they were probably my favorite type of comics, including Doctor Solar, Captain Midnight, and my personal favorite, Magnus, Robot Fighter: 4000 A.D. Space Western Comics is another collection in that same vein; however, while it’s certainly fun in parts, it doesn’t quite pack the same punch as the others.

Spurs Jackson is a rancher with an electronic engineering degree. Or maybe he’s an electronic engineer with a ranch. Either way, he can ride a horse, spin a rope, and shoot a six-gun, but also fly a rocket to Mars in 20 minutes flat. When aliens first land on Earth, it happens to be on his ranch, so Spurs and his men are the first ones to have contact with them and eventually nullify the threat they pose. Ever after that, Spurs Jackson and his Space Vigilantes are the first ones the government calls when more alien shenanigans occur.

And of course, it seems to happen frequently. Spurs has dealings with Mars, Venus, the Moon, some meteors, and more. Some of their inhabitants are enemies, some of them are friendly, but there’s always some danger to be faced, and Spurs and his men do it with horse-riding, rope-throwing, cowboy ingenuity.

The comics are relatively entertaining to read, but they feel like they’re missing something. The stories don’t seem to have the same innovation, or the same heart, that the other comics I mentioned have. The characters and the adventures all seem a bit generic—and when you read them all at once, they tend to run together.

The comic also features some rather unfortunate depictions of Native Americans. In fairness, it was probably seen as pretty progressive in the 1950s. It’s trying to be complimentary, but by today’s standards, it still comes across as pretty problematic. Spurs’s friend Strong Bow is an intelligent and capable member of the Space Vigilantes team, but he speaks in the stilted, stereotypical way that white writers have been using to portray Native American dialogue for decades. There are a number of other depictions of Native American characters and culture throughout the various issues. Some of them do better, others do worse, but none of them feels great.

The foreword to this volume acknowledges this, saying that they’ve made the decision to leave in the problematic characters and moments, rather than trying to whitewash over the mistakes of the past. It’s a decision I respect and typically agree with. Unfortunately, it can also make it uncomfortable to read at times, and the comic itself suffers for these depictions.

As I understand it, the concept of Space Western Comics was originally conceived as a spoof or send-up of other sci-fi/adventure comics of the day. The idea of cowboys on horseback fighting aliens in flying saucers was brought up in a meeting as, “Wouldn’t this be ridiculous and funny?” However, in my opinion, beyond that basic concept, the humor doesn’t really come across. It’s ridiculous, yes, but no more ridiculous than any of the other comics from that era I’ve reviewed.

The difference is, with Magnus or Doctor Solar, they were meant to be fun and far-fetched, but they were done with sincerity. So along with the cheesiness, there was also heart. That heart is what made those comics so much fun to read all these years later. Space Western Comics is entertaining, but in my opinion, without that sincerity, it’s missing the heart.

That said, the comic is not without its merits. First published in the 1950s, before the Space Race had even begun, much less taken us to the moon, it’s always fun to see how writers and artists of the day depicted space travel, rockets, other planets, etc. There are a number of cool adventures in this volume. If you’re into the cheesy sci-fi/adventure comics of this era, this one might not be the best of the bunch, but it’s still worth checking out.

Creative Team: Walter B. Gibson (written by), Craig Yoe (edited by), Clizia Gussoni (produced by)
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
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