Two-Gun Kid #36
The Saga of the Two-Gun Kid!
The Two-Gun Kid is riding shotgun in stagecoach, defending it from raiders and helping it get to Carbonville where he goes to see a doctor to have his arm patched up. The locals ask the Two-Gun Kid to leave as Carbonville is a peaceful town, however the sheriff insists that the Kid stay as he is a friend of his, however the Kid decides to leave anyway that is until word comes that the Corbett brothers are coming into town. Hearing this, the Two-Gun Kid refuses to leave now, telling the sheriff that he has been hunting down the Corbett brothers for some time.
The Two-Gun Kid begins telling the tale of his childhood, as a young boy the Kid grew up on a poor Kansas farm. Looking through the potato cellar the young boy found a gun in and decided to practice shooting. He was found by his father who tells the boy that he is a natural with a gun. The Kid's father told him that he used to be a lawman until he got married and had the boy he gave up the life of a lawman and became a simple farmer. He then has his son to renounce using a gun.
Soon after the locals asked if the Kid's father could be the new sheriff, and believing the town to be peaceful he accepts the job as their struggling farm does not make them much money. However during the swearing in ceremony the Corbett brothers arrived and shot the Kid's father. The shot also frightened the horse pulling the wagon that carried the Kid's mother. The wagon then pitched to the side and the Kid's mother was killed. Going to his dying father, the Kid was told that he no longer had to keep his promise to never use a gun and to ride and fight evil wherever he finds it. After his father dies, the Kid then took his father's gun and one of the guns dropped by Snake Corbett had dropped in the chaos, taking up the name Two-Gun Kid he vowed to avenge his father's death.
Finishing his tale, the Two-Gun Kid goes out of the doctors office facing the Corbett brothers. He easily disarms them with his blazing guns, taking them into custody. In thanks the people of the town thank the Kid for his help and offer him the chance to settle down, but the Kid refuses telling them that there are others out there in need and rides off.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
Continuity Notes
This origin story contradicts the other origins about the Two-Gun Kid in Wild Western #34, and in Two-Gun Kid #41.
Further, the Two-Gun Kid states that he uses the same weapons that he has carried since childhood. This contradicts Two-Gun Kid #15 in which the Kid replaces his usual Colt .45 pistols with .golden 43 calibre Colt Dragoons.
There is no official explanation for these contradictions. If I were to speculate, I would assume that the origins provided here are a fabriation even though they are being told by the Two-Gun Kid himself. One possible explanation for this deception is the fact that when you look at the origin told in Two-Gun Kid #41 is not as heroic as the one here.
Doom in the Dust!
The Two-Gun Kid rides into the town of Rimrock where he comes to the aid of Fen Trask, a man disfigured man who is being roughed up by two men. After the Kid drives them off he asks Trask why they were after him and he tells them that he struck gold and they tried to rough him up to find out where his gold dust is coming from. The Kid takes him to the local doctor where he is being patched up. There a local saloon dancer named Arlene comes to see if Fen is okay, and the clearly smitten man leaves with her soon after he is patched up. The Kid asks the doctor what Fen's story is and learns that he was kicked in the face by a mule when he was young, disfiguring his face. He tells the Kid that Arlene showed up in town not long ago and took an instant interest in Fen, but suspects that she was just after his gold.
Curious of this itself, the Two-Gun Kid decides to investigate Arlene, he goes over to the Madden Saloon where she works and asks the owner, Bets Madden, about her. Suddenly, Fen comes into the saloon and tells everyone that Arlene just married him, adding to the Kid's growing suspicion. That night, the Kid gets a hotel room and hears someone breaking into his room just in time to roll out of bed before the intruder can gun him down. The Kid knocks the shooter over the railing to the floor of the hotel, but he escapes before the Kid can identify him. The sheriff comes in to see what the commotion is. As the sheriff is investigating a local comes in and tells the sheriff that yet another wagon carrying gold dust has been held up. When the sheriff decides it's time to arrest Fen Trask, the Kid asks why and learns that the region has chunk gold, not the gold dust commonly found in rivers, and suspects that Fen has been holding up the coaches and claiming he struck rich.
The Kid doesn't believe it and decides to investigate things further riding out to Trask's mining shack and finds Fen being held hostage by a gang of men with Arlene. Recognizing his attacker from the hotel by his black eye. The Kid easily subdues the men and learns that Arlene initially was manipulated by Bets Madden to seduce Fen to learn where his mine is but found that she truly loves him. Telling Fen that the sheriff is after him and why, Fen decides to show Two-Gun where his mine is to prove that he is not responsible for the robberies. Going to the mine, the Kid is surprised to see that deep below is an underground river where he gets his gold dust. Suddenly, Bets Madden gets the drop on them and threatens to shoot them. He explains that he was hoping to find the location of the mine, but settled for robbing stages for their gold dust in order to frame Fen.
The Kid then takes a stick of dynamite and lights the fuse, sending Madden flee. The Kid discards the stick of dynamite and tackles Bets. However just after taking Clem down, the mine explodes and caves in. Seeing Fen safe and with Arlene, the Kid asks why he blew up the mine, and Fen explains that he has enough gold for a small ranch and wants to live a simple life with his new wife.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
Two-Gun Kid
In a small mountain town, the Two-Gun Kid just narrowly avoids getting shot by a man trying to bushwack him. Shooting the guns out of his attacker's hand, the Kid demands to know why he shot at him. He learns that the man sought to kill the Two-Gun Kid to earn a reputation and the Kid forces him to leave town. The Kid heads over to the local blacksmith to get Cyclone's shoes redone and meets the local blacksmith. He is impressed by the Kid and tells him that he can relate to the plight that he faces every day. Just like the Two-Gun Kid has to deal with gunslingers seeking a reputation, the blacksmith is known for his strength and is regularly challenged by men trying to prove that they are stronger than he is.
Just them some young boys come into the blacksmith shop and begin goading one of their friends, Barr, to challenge the Two-Gun Kid to a draw. As Barr begins to question if drawing against the Kid is a smart idea, the Kid tells him it's not and demonstrates that only cowards would peer pressure someone else to pick a fight with another and then uses his gun skills to shoot the gun belts off the two instigators. Barr thanks the Kid for going easy on him and teaching him a lesson. In the aftermath the blacksmith remarks over how strong the Two-Gun Kid is and wonders if he could take him in a fight, and stops himself from challenging the Kid laughing to himself how it must be in human nature to challenge each other.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
Two-Gun Kid
The Two-Gun Kid comes to the defence of a town that is attacked by a Comanche war party, an attack that was seemingly unprovoked. When the Comanches are driven away thanks to the arrival of the Calvary. In the aftermath the Kid examines the battle ground and finds that the Comanches are carrying the new model of Spencer Carbines and wonders where the Comanches got them. The Kid overhears Greg Maitland of the Maitland Land Developing company -- the man who sent in for the Calvary -- and the captain of the soldiers talking about the shipment of a gatling gun that is being shipped into the territory to use in going into Comanche territory and stopping the uprising. However, Two-Gun butts into the conversation and points out that the attackers are young braves that were riled up by something, pointing out that if they go to war they will solve nothing and lose countless lives. When the captain orders the Kid arrested, Two-Gun manages to break free and escape on his horse Cyclone.
Riding out into Comanche territory, the Kid comes across a soldier who tells him that the Comanches attacked their caravan and stole the gatling gun. He tells the soldier to report in to the captain in Bufftown and follows the trail. Finding the attack site he finds that the attackers horses have shod hoofs, making him realize that the "Comanches" who attacked the wagon were white men disguised as Comanches. While continuing after the trail, the Kid is attacked by a real band of Comanches, but blasts away their bows and subdues their leader, Red Cloud the son of chief Buffalo Horn. Two-Gun asks why they attacked the town and learns that a white man told them that the Calvary planned to attack his people and they engaged in a pre-emptive strike. Two-Gun tells him that the man who told him this was a liar and tells Red Cloud to return to his father and order his warriors to wait.
The Kid continues to follow the trail of the men who stole the gatling gun and finds that Greg Maitland was responsible for stealing the gatling gun and manipulating both the Calvary and the Comanches in the hopes of wiping out the Native Americans and buying up their land. The Kid ambushes the gang, easily defeating the gang, and manages to wing Maitland even though he tries to shoot him with the gatling gun. Drawn by the sound of the gatling gun, the captain and the Calvary arrive and the Kid explains the whole conspiracy. The captain thanks Two-Gun for showing him that there are other ways of dealing with a problem without needless war and bloodshed.
Recurring Characters
Two-Gun Kid
Cyclone
