Outlaw Kid #12
Six-Gun Menace!
A young man named Brad challenges the Outlaw Kid to a duel, but the Kid refuses due to a promise he made to Brad's aunt Cora that he would keep him out of trouble and he soon leaves after shooting the guns out of Brad's hands. Brad is convinced that the Outlaw Kid is a coward but the other saloon patrons tell him that he is a fool. Brad is later approached by Mr. Hawkins, the owner of the saloon who offers him a job. Meanwhile, the Outlaw Kid meets with Brad's aunt Cora to tell her the bad news, but she refuses to let the boy go bad after she raised him up from a boy.
The following morning in his alter-ego of Lance Temple, the Outlaw Kid overhears Brad being asked to go see Mr. Hawkins and does not like the sound of it. Spying through Hawkins' office window, he overhears Hawkins hires Brad to carry feed out to Cooley Pass, offering him two hundred dollars to take the job. After Brad leaves, one of Hawkins associates enters the room and tells Hawkins that Brad is just what they need to pull off their job. Lance returns to his father's ranch intent on seeing what the job is up.
That night when Brad meets up with Hawkins he is told the reason why the feed is taken in the middle of the night because the buy has gun troubles with others and wanted to avoid trouble. Brad accepts this explanation, but the Outlaw Kid is not convinced and makes his presence known. However before the Kid can get some answers, Hawkins minion Lane knocks the Kid out from behind. Before they can eliminate the masked hero, Aunt Cora suddenly appears with a gun in her hand. They try to shoot her, but Cora proves to be quite the gunslinger in her own right and is able to shoot the guns out of Hawkins and Lane's hands. Before they can react, Brad -- angry that they shot at his aunt -- knocks out Lane, and a revived Outlaw Kid knocks out Hawkins. The Outlaw Kid explains the "feed" that Hawkins wanted shipped was really weapons and ammo that he was going to sell to a renegade Apache tribe. Realizing how his quick temper almost got him into a lot of trouble and promises to go straight.
Recurring Characters
Outlaw Kid
Thunder
The Riddle of Fargo Pass!
The Outlaw Kid is out on patrol and about to call it quits for the day when suddenly he is met by Belle Taylor who is excited about something. She tells him that she heard a shot and followed it to Fargo Pass where she found a dead man laying on the ground. However when Belle leads him to the spot where she found the body, they find it missing. Finding no trace of the body, Belle insists that she saw it, remembering a man who appeared with a gun who spooked her off and convinced her to go look for him. The Outlaw Kid assures her that he believes her story, but tells her without proof they can't prove that anything happened.
Several days later in his alter ego of Lance Temple, the Outlaw Kid talks to his father. His father tells him how local rancher Ed Harley went missing without a trace recently, and was last seen going to count the head of his stock and was heading in the direction of Fargo Pass. Lance makes the connection immediately and goes to see Belle, however in his alter-ego he cannot mention anything about what he knows without compromising his identity. They pass two men named Dawes and Gibson and Belle recognizes Gibson as the man she saw in the canyon and tells Lance to bring her home. The two men recognize her as well and know that that isn't good and secretly follow Lance and Belle back to the Taylor ranch.
Later that night after Belle is at home, the Outlaw Kid pays a visit to her home and they compare notes and the Kid suspects that there is going to be trouble. He asks her to trust him to handle things and Belle gives the Kid her full cooperation. That night Gibson arrives on Belle's property and seeing what appears to be her silhouette behind a blind he shoots through the window. The Outlaw Kid then strikes easily subduing Gibson and when Belle appears alive and well, they explained they put a dummy in the window to draw him out of hiding. The Kid learns that Gibson was hired by Dawes to kill Harley, and when he was spotted he hid the rancher's body in the hills to dispose of it. Dawes wanted Harley out of the way so he could set himself up as a cattle baron. With the information provided by Gibson, the Outlaw Kid is able to apprehend Dawes and turn him over to the authorities.
Recurring Characters
Outlaw Kid
Zane Temple
Belle Taylor
Thunder
Badman's Choice
The Outlaw Kid is on the trail of Hank Dolan who is wanted for robbing the stage out of Copper City. However the criminal manages to get the drop on the Kid, forcing him to stand down. With a posse on his trail, Dolan orders the Kid to trade clothes with him so that he can use the disguise to sneak out of town. However before the Kid can comply, the gun is shot out of Dolan's hand by another outlaw, Billy Gantz.
Gantz decides that he wants a cut of Hank's stolen fortunes and Dolan reluctantly agrees and so he takes Billy and the Outlaw Kid to the location of the buried loot. However as the Outlaw Kid is forced to dig, soon the impatient Gantz begins to believe that Dolan is playing him. As the two outlaws argue it out, the Kid uses that opportunity to blind them with dirt, allowing him to easily take the outlaws down and turn them over to the authorities and recover the stolen loot.
Recurring Characters
Outlaw Kid
Thunder
Range War!
The Outlaw Kid is at the property line of Hardin's ranch where Hardin and his men are examining the damage done to the fence that lines the property. Hardin believes that the damage is the work of Barton, a rival rancher. While the Kid does not disagree, he tells Hardin that cooler heads should prevail in dealing with this feud before it erupts into a full out range war however Hardin refuses to listen to reason.
Within the week word was out and soon both Hardin and Barton hire out various gunmen from outside of Caliber City. Seeing this, the Outlaw Kid decides to talk to Barton, but finds him less willing to settle things civilly because he believes that Hardin put the fences up to keep his herd away from the only water nearby.
Over the next few days, the Kid in his alter-ego of Lance Temple spends time with his father who fears things will eventually explode, asking his son not to get involved reminding him of the vow he made never to use a gun. Soon violence explodes on the streets and on the two ranchers land. The towns people soon get fed up and decide to act, but the Outlaw Kid asks them to wait for him to try one more time to find a peaceful solution to the problem.
When they get to Hardin's ranch, Hardin informs them that he was about ready to call it quits but the men he hired went off to Barton's place in an attempt to take the range for themselves. When they arrive at Barton's place they learn that the hired guns that he employed are doing the same thing. When the locals decide to round up both Hardin and Barton, but the Outlaw Kid tells them that the pair have suffered enough and convinces them to all work together to deal with the outlaws. The warring outlaws are then attacked by all the locals, led by the Outlaw Kid and they are seen sent packing. With the crisis over, Harden and Barton agree to live in harmony and work together from now on.
Recurring Characters
Outlaw Kid
Zane Temple
Belle Taylor
Thunder
