American Update: The Atlas Explosion! A Western Trinity – Annie Oakley, Arrowhead and Cowboy Action
*Western: Having focused on longer-running titles in our previous Atlas Western updates, we thought we’d present more of a sample platter this time, with three short-run series. Annie Oakley had had a previous series in the late 40s, when she was a ‘funny career girl’, along with Millie the Model etc. Annie’s 1955 revival, however, was a straight adventure comic, from #5 (continuing her previous numbering), with early work by Andru and Esposito. We have issues #5-9 of her second series new in. Arrowhead occupies an unusual position as the company’s first Native American hero (Apache Kid, who predated him, was a white man in ‘redface’, so really doesn’t count); Arrowhead’s short-lived series from 1954 featured superior art by the much-underestimated Joe Sinnott, behind Maneely and Heath covers. The entire four-issue run is now in stock. And finally for this update, Cowboy Action, a chameleoid anthology which started life as Western Thrillers and ended it as Quick-Trigger Western, but from number #5, in 1956, to number #11, Cowboy Action it was, starring the Prairie Kid (whose main skill appears to have been over-accessorising), the Gun-Dance Kid, and other heroes largely… overlooked by history. Nevertheless, it featured a stellar roster of artists, including Heath, Drucker, Maneely, Williamson and Baker. We have Cowboy Action from the technical first issue of the series (#5 FN/VF £51 pictured) to #11, lacking only #7 for a complete run, if your interpretation of the term is fairly liberal!