Thursday, October 09, 2025
Weird Western Tales #58 "Weep the Widow"
Wednesday, October 01, 2025
Weird Western Tales #57 "The Correspondent"
Gerry Conway, story - Dick Ayers & Luis Dominguez, art - Luis Dominguez, cover
August 28, 1862, just southeast of Bull Run, Virginia. Night. Ke-Woh-No-Tay is tending a fire as two Union soldiers walk up behind him, whispering for him to not move. They say they want two things, Who is he and Why is here? He says that he is Ke-Woh-No-Tay, a Kiowa, and as for why he is here? He doesn't explain himself to children. He grabs a flaming stick and rushes one soldier. He grabs the rifle barrel and shoves the torch into the man's midsection. He then swings the rifle free of the man's grasp, clocking the other soldier upside the head with the butt of the rifle.
The first soldier fights to extinguish the flames on his coat and Scalphunter tells him to put sand on the burns to ease the pain. The man lives because Scalphunter has no reason to kill 'unwashed boys'. The soldier does just that, falls to the ground and then pulls a pistol from his coat. To that, Scalphunter puts up his hands and laughs 'like a man newly reborn'.
Twenty minutes later the two soldiers being Scalphunter into the Union camp outside of Bull Run. It is the Army of Virginia commanded by General John Pope and tomorrow will see the battle of 'Second Bull Run'. The two soldiers bring Scalphunter to the Captain's tent and they say they think he is a spy. The Captain agrees and asks Scalphunter for an explanation.... or else. Just then a man steps forward and says that no explanation is needed as HE will vouch for Scalphunter.
The man is Lemuel J. Broderick, reporter for the New York Herald. Broderick was in Washington and saw Scalphunter at a reception hosted by President Lincoln. With street cred like that, Scalphunter couldn't be a Rebel spy. The Captain then makes Scalphunter Broderick's responsibility so he acn wash his hands of the whole thing, and then walks off. Broderick then explains that he is a war correspondent, one of the best, if not THE best. The two men sit down to a very late meal and Broderick explains the pickle he is in.
His editor expects good stories and lots of them because battles sell papers. The problem is that the battles are two few and far between, sometimes for days. Some correspondents make up battles, for who back home would really ever know. But Broderick has scruples, he only writes about what happens even if, well, even if he has to instigate the conflict himself. Now, since Scalphunter was out in the woods he would know where the Rebel patrols are so all that needs to happen is for Scalphunter to lead Broderick and the Captain and some men to ambush some Rebs and...
Scalphunter quickly refuses any part of that but Broderick just as quickly points out that even without Scalphunter the patrol will be arranged and maybe innocent Union soldiers will die because of it. Broderick lights up a cigar and walks away. Scalphunter reconsiders and tells Broderick that he will help.
An hour later the patrol is working their way through the forest, following Scalphunters lead. He is leading them to the Southeast but only Scalphunter knows that the Confederates are to the Northwest. After another thirty minutes Broderick is starting to smell a rat and confronts Scalphunter, grabbing him by the shoulder. Scalphunter quickly backhands Broderick, calling him a corpse scavenger. Two soldiers in the patrol rush Scalphunter and he sidesteps one, grabs him and flings him over a cliff. The second one he then grabs, hoisting him over his head and throws the soldier into the approaching four remaining soldiers in the patrol.
Broderick comes to from his slapdown and shoulder butts Scalphunter over the edge of the cliff where he strikes his head on a ledge and falls unconscious. The soldiers then pull up the first soldier and Broderick then leads the patrol to the Northwest.
Some time passes before Scalphunter comes to and then starts following the trail that the patrol took. For almost an hour, Scalphunter fights back the effects of a concussion but eventually trips on some forest undergrowth landing perilously close to a rattle snake. The snake rears up, coiled to strike and Scalphunter slowly pulls his knife when suddenly a Confederate soldier appears and takes aim. Scalphunter has to chose and quickly throws the knife into the soldiers neck as the snake sinks his fangs into Scalphunters forearm.
Scalphunter retrieves his knife, cuts open the wound and sucks out the poison and collapses.
Morning dawns and Scalphunter awakens and locates Broderick and the patrol that has been wiped out. Broderick is mortally wounded as the patrol was ambushed by a Rebel patrol of at least twenty. He begs Scalphunter to help him, get him to medical help but Scalphunter states that all Broderick longed for was a story and now he has it. Broderick needs nothing else from him.
As Sclphunter turns and walks away we are left with Broderick bleeding to death, crying for mercy and help with his last breath.
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Weird Western Tales #56 "Fear is the Stalker"
NORFOLK
Monday, September 15, 2025
Weird Western Tales #55 "A Sea of Blood"
Monday, September 08, 2025
Weird Western Tales #54 "Blockade"
Just then they are stopped by Union soldiers who tell Samson he is under arrest by the Federal Army for treason. Smith whips out a pistol and shoots both soldiers. Smith grabs Scalphunter and tells him they better hightail it outta there. They rush out of the station and highjack a horse drawn city trolley. Smith pushes the driver out of the cab and whips the horses into a fury as soldiers exit the station and open fire.
Friday, September 05, 2025
Salesmen of Yesterday!! Danny Rogers
Good ole' Danny Rogers, convincing everyone to buy his seeds because he ain't one to go around spreading his seed for free!
Monday, September 01, 2025
Weird Western Tales #53 "Twilight of Treachery"
July 1, 1862. Top of the unfinished Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
Scalphunter is hanging from underneath the top platform, having just pulled Miss Lavender to her death. He has been enlisted by, and then double crossed by, Bat Lash in a plot to kill President Abraham Lincoln. A plan formed by Secretary of War Stanton. Scalphunter climbs back upon the platform and hears soldiers coming up the stairs. Three soldiers, two armed and one carrying a lantern have seen the bodies fall from the structure. As the round a turn near the top, Scalphunter hurls himself downward upon them. Crashing into the men a rifle is discharged but the bullet goes wild.
Scalphunter is grabbing and pummeling them. He flips over them, grabbing one and tossing him further down the stairs. One soldier finally gets ahold of Scalphunter from behind, choking him and tearing at his eyes. Scalphunter remembers the words of his teacher when he was with the Kiowas, a lesson about how dangerous a frightened man can be in a fight. Such a man cannot be beaten, he can only be killed. Sclaphunter reached behind himself, grabs the lantern and smashes it against the man face, setting him ablaze. The remaining soldiers try to give chase but Scalphunter has already made it out of the structure and into the darkness.
He finds his way through alleys and across rooftops until he arrives atop Stanton’s townhome. He hangs from the roof, listening in to where Bat Lash is demanding even more money from Stanton. Stanton understandably balks at the request but Lash says that Stanton has mucked things up by trying to kill Ke-Woh-No-Tey. Stanton tries to compose himself but Lash notices the shadow outside the window and puts a finger to his lips, signaling Scalphunter to remain quiet and wait.
Lash uses some fast talking to get Stanton to leave and Scalphunter climbs into the room. Lash apologizes for the pickle that he put Scalphunter in and gets a solid right hook to the jaw and some unrequested nap time for his troubles. When Lash comes to, Scalphunter says that he would have killed Lash for what he had done, but then remembered how this game was played when they saved the Gatling gun on their prior adventure.
Bat replies that he had no choice, if Scalphunter had hurt Stanton, they never would have learned who the other men in the plot are. He says that he never intended to take the money, he would never betray his country. Lash concocts a plan where he will keep an eye on Stanton and Scalphunter goes to be with Lincoln. While they are talking the butler is approaching the room with the bottle of wine that Lash had requested of Stanton earlier. As the butler enters, Scalphunter has already made his exit out the window.
Later, Lincoln is sitting in the Oval Office reading. Without looking up, he bids Scalphuner to enter, he has been expecting him. Lincoln says that his eyesight is bad but his hearing is as good as ever, he heard Scalphunter when he slipped past the sentry. Scalphunter calmly explains the plot by Stanton and how Lash and he are working to foil it.
Lincoln sighs and says that he is not surprised. Lincoln states that for all of Stanton’s faults he is the best man to be Secretary of War, and that this treason is against Lincoln the man, not the Presidency. Lincoln says that Stanton still needs to be taught a lesson when this is over. Lincoln then calmly asks Scalphunter if he Indian wrestles.
The two men takes seats across a table and calmly place their elbows down, slowly grasping each other’s hand. Lincoln smiles as they each brace themselves and Lincoln quickly starts pressing downward. Ke-Who-No-Tey is surprised and almost drops his grasp. He fights back to the starting position. In the lantern lit room, the men stare at each other, not wavering, testing each other and testing themselves. This is not a fight to win but a test of trust. Suddenly, without a word, both men let go, a deep mutual respect now formed between them.
They stay together throughout the night, talking of each of their pasts and of the plan for tomorrow. Lincoln is slated to give an address the next day and he will proceed with it.
The next day Stanton arrives to escort Lincoln to the stage built on the Capitol steps for the address. Scalphunter stays behind in the shadows. As Lincoln steps outside, Stanton declines Lincoln’s offer to join him on the stage and leaves the Capitol. Scalphunter follows Stanton to a nearby wooded area where Bat Lash is tied up and guarded by two men. Scalphunter suddenly jumps from a tree and hurls a knife into the chest of one of the men, a Union officer. The officer, his pistol already drawn, falls and shoots the other man who is smoking a cigar. As the other man falls, cigar in his hand falls upon the fuse, which quickly catches.
Scalphunter jumps to free Bat Lash but Bat tells him that the fuse leads to twenty sticks of dynamite, it's a fast burning fuse, it HAS to be stopped! Scalphunter takes off as only a Kiowa warrior can. The fuse snakes through the grass and up to the Capitol. Scalphunter continues to give chase to the dancing flame. The spark weaves it's way through the crowd towards the platform. Scalphunter pushes his way through the throng and then he dives under the platform upon which stands the President of the United States. He cuts the fuse with about a foot to spare.
Later Lincoln is talking to Scalphunter in a hushed whisper, stating he knows that Scalphunter and Bat Lash have saved his life but it must remain a secret. If it got out the scandal would tear the Union apart. The other two men, a general who graduated from West Point and high society businessman from Boston are dead and Stanton has learned his lesson. Lincoln asks Scalphunter why Bat Lash isn't with them.
Scalphunter replies that Bat had business in Richmond, something about a card game and a woman. Scalphunter says he will miss Bat and Lincoln agrees but fears Richmond may prove to violent for a man such as Bat. Bothe men smile and nod.