"The Gangs of Old New York"
Gerry Conway, story - Dick Ayers & Romeo Tanghal, art - Luis Dominguez, cover
October, 1862. Manhattan, New York City, corner of South St & Water St. Scalphunter is walking in the street when he sees a man slap a woman across the face. The man, an Italian, accuses her of stealing from the money he forces her to beg for. Scalphunter quickly grabs the man wrist before he can strike again. One quick punch and the man is down on the brick street but he swiftly produces a switchblade and stands to confront the Kiowa warrior.
The woman shouts his name, Luigi Maldrone, begging him to stop but not before Scalphunter pulls his own, much larger knife. Luigi is pleading for mercy and Scalphunter lunges forward and Luigi screams. Scalphunter grabs the woman's hand and they flee. The police shortly arrive and find that Luigi's belt has been cut and his pants are around his ankles.
Down through back alleys the woman leads Scalphunter until they finally go through a door that leads to a basement tavern that her father runs. The woman, Maggie, tells her father than Luigi had beaten her and that Scalphunter saved her. Scalphunter demands to know who Maldrone is but the crowd in the bar grows quiet as the door opens and Maldrone walks in with three thugs. Maldrone demands that his wife, Maggie, come home with him and the Indian as well.
The two thugs lunge forward with knives but Scalphunter grabs their wrists, hefts them skyward and throws them into some nearby tables. Maldrone pulls a pistol as the third thug rushes Ke-Woh-No-Tay. Scalphunter grabs the thug just as Maldrone fires, accidentally killing his own man. Maldrone and his men beat a hasty retreat. Maggie's father tells her to get Scalphunter out of there and she leads him out and through the back alleys. They make their way to the roof and the across the rooftops of New York, eventually climbing down a fire escape and into a window.
Maggie explains it is a safe house where her father and others make plans against Maldrone and the Camorra. She asks Scalphunter why he is in New York and why did he defend her against Maldrone. Scalphunter's memories rush back to his days on the plains, his search for his sister, befriending Bat Lash and Lincoln, and his conflict with Mademoiselle Magarit. He says nothing but approaches Maggie in the lamp light and gently takes her chin in his hand. She pulls back and explains that she is married to Maldron, without love, but still married. She explains Maldrone's ties to organized crime.
She outlines the history of the Camorra, men released from an Italian prison who swore vengeance and terrorized the area for the past thirty plus years. Eventually the government started rounding them up but several panicked and fled to America and took over the Italian part of New York. Luigi eventually saw her and threatened to kill her father unless she marry him. As she stands there looking at Scalphunter she leans in and kisses him for a long time.
We cut to a church, Maggie's father is by the altar, having been beaten by Maldrone and his men. Maldrone demands to know where Maggie and the Indian are. Her father whispers that he will finally tell and as Maldrone leans in, the old man spits in his eye. Maldrone, enraged, smashes him with a blackjack and then shoots him dead. Unknown to Maldrone and altar boy has seen the whole affair, and shortly the young man is relating the tale to some men in the bar.
Back in the safe house, Scalphunter lies asleep in the bed and Maggie stands by the open window. She contemplates her options, considering what her encounter with Scalphunter means to her. While he sleeps, she takes his hunting knife, climbs out the window, to do some hunting of her own.
Statistics for this issue
Men Killed by Scalphunter - 0
Running Total - 112
Compared to Jonah Hex - 22nd appearance and Scalphunter has 112 vs Jonah's 92 (in WWT #32)
Scalps Taken - 0
Running Total - 20
Injuries - None.
Timeline - This issue takes place during one full day and into the night.
Very happy to see Conway back and putting us back into the ongoing timeline but there is no real reason for Scalphunter to be in New York other than... reasons?? Not a bad issue, but nothing really to set it apart from some of the other tales of Scalphunter in big cities, except this is the biggest of them all.
As far as ads in the issue, we had
- Star Trek The Motion Picture
- 1st issue of Time Warp
- Wonder Woman Saves the Astronauts (and fruit pies)
- The 500th issue of Action Comics
Next Issue: Scalphunter handles a problem like Maggie (musical reference)
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