Kid Colt Outlaw #61
Showdown!
Kid Colt rides into the town of San Juan and is stopped by two armed men who tell him the old sheriff who is going into the local saloon to face Dip Fallon. Kid Colt is about to get involved when suddenly the sheriff walks out of the saloon with out a single shot fired and shamefully leaves town.
Suspecting that there is something very wrong with the situation, Kid Colt rides after the sheriff and manages to rescue him when the elderly lawman gets caught in quicksand. Camping out for the night Kid Colt tries to get some answers from the sheriff but all he says is that when he put on his badge he put the past behind him and refuses to talk further, and plans on riding out and living on the range as nobody will want a spineless lawman.
Later that night the pair are awoken to the sound of cattle on the move and go to investigate. They find a gang of outlaws trying to rustle some cattle and go to stop them. When the outlaws see the sheriff they recognize him as famous outlaw Cobra Kane, and they surrender immediately. Realizing that this is the reason why the sheriff quit was because he was recognized by Dip Fallon. Kid Colt manages to appeal to the sheriffs sense of duty to make him come back to San Juan and clear out the town. Kid Colt and the sheriff return to town and confront Dip Fallon and his gang and drive them out.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt
Steel
Surrender or Die!
The United States Cavalry have the town of Longhorn surrounded, trapping a gang of outlaws who have taken over the area. However although the army has been ready for an attack on the town all day the orders have not been given. Watching over this tense scene is Kid Colt who is asked to speak with the commanding officer. The commanding officer asks Kid Colt to go down into the town under a flag of truce so he can warn the outlaws what is waiting for them in an attempt to have the situation resolved without any bloodshed.
Kid Colt rides down waving a white flag and he is welcomed into the town and at first the outlaws believe that the Kid has come to side with them. Kid Colt is taken to the boss of the gang, a man named Trigger Pace whom he warns about the army's impending attack if they do not surrender. Trigger argues with Kid Colt about surrendering and decides to put it to a vote among his men. All the outlaws agree to stand their ground except for a single young man. When Trigger orders both the young man and Kid Colt killed, both fight back and easily incapacitate the entire gang in a blazing gun battle, leaving them open for capture from the army. The young man as it turns out is the son of the commanding officer, who had realized the errors of being an outlaw and had decided to surrender and accept his punishment.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt
Steel
The Phantom Raiders!
Kid Colt is passing through Phantom City, and old ghost town, when he spots a elderly sheriff have a gun fight with a gang of outlaws who appear to be ghosts as Kid Colt did not hear their approach and after the gun fight was over he saw the outlaws get up and leave the scene. Examining the area where the battle took place, Kid Colt is shocked to see that there are no hoof prints or marks where the supposed ghosts came in and fell.
Later not far away the ghost gang is recognized as that of Dace Dalton -- who had apparently died -- by the crew of a steam train. They are too late to stop their locomotive before hitting logs laid out on the tracks and the train crashes. Kid Colt soon arrives on the scene and is told about the ghostly robbery of the train.
Finding this all suspicious, Kid Colt rides into the town of Faro the next morning to learn more about Dace Dalton. As it turns out Dace Dalton and his gang were captured by a US Marshal named Sumter. When Dace attempted to escape and Sumter apparently killed Dace and his gang, a fact that cannot be substantiated because Sumter disappeared shortly thereafter.
Realizing who the lawman he saw in Phantom City was, Kid Colt rides out to talk to him. Caught by surprise Sumter wheels around tries to shoot Kid Colt, but the Kid is unharmed. Upon closer inspection it turns out that Sumter has been shooting at the "ghosts" with blanks the entire time and that Dace Dalton and his men have been playing out the "ghost" scenario in order to keep Sumter away from their crimes. Sure enough, when Dace and his men return that night, Kid Colt and Sumter out shoot them with live rounds and the outlaws quickly surrender.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt
Steel
The Stalker!
Kid Colt rides into Sunset Mesa, a crimeless town, to visit his friend Sam. As Kid Colt pulls up to Sam's newspaper the "Peacemaker" he hears gunshots, and rushing around back he fires at the shooter but misses. Rushing back inside to check on Sam, he finds his friend dying on the floor. Sam's final words to Kid Colt are to check the old files for "Sunset Mesa finds peace". Just then the sheriff and his deputy arrive and are forced to arrest Kid Colt as a suspect for Sam's murder. However Kid Colt is soon eliminated as a suspect when they determine his guns weren't fired and that Sam was killed by a single bullet.
Kid Colt is released and sets up camp outside of town. The next morning he is woken by a posse who explains that another local named Hank Ford was murdered the same way that Sam was the night before. Kid Colt then returns to town and ponders over what Sam had said before he died. Realizing that Sam was referring to an old newspaper headline, Kid Colt goes through Sam's newspaper archive and finds a headline reading "Sunset Mesa Finds Peace" and learns that it about the day that Scar Harris -- the last outlaw in Sunset Mesa -- was found guilty of his crimes and how Scar Harris vowed revenge against those who sent him to jail.
Kid Colt then has a telegraph sent to the state prison in San Remy and learns that Scar Harris escaped from prison two months prior. Realizing that Scar Harris is finally trying to get his revenge, the Kid takes his findings to the sheriff and then arranges to have the remaining members of the jury meet in one place. Sure enough, Scar Harris tries to eliminate them all at once, but is stopped by Kid Colt who then turns the outlaw over to the law.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt
Steel
