Weird Western Tales #69 "Lady in Blue"

Weird Western Tales #69 July 1980

"Lady in Blue"
Gerry Conway, story - Dick Ayers & Romeo Tanghal, art - Luis Dominguez, cover 

March, 1983, Pennsylvania. It is night and we are witness to a small farm, the entire area covered in snow when slowly an entire snow drift stands up to reveal Scalphunter. Clad in a heavy bearskin robe, he lifts his hand and points towards the farmhouse and then several Union troops come on horseback from the nearby forest behind him. Scalphunter has no love for the men he works for.

He has disdain for Lieutenant Sanders, disgust for Sergeant Wilks, contempt for Dick Lansing, and some friendship for Jase Garson. Sanders says he doesn't like the look of things, the farmhouse could be a Rebel trap but Wilks states that is what they have the Injun for. Lansing asks Jase if he is scared and Wilks kicks Jase's horse who starts and then takes off in a fearful gallop. Jase is unable to control the horse as it heads off into the darkness. Scalphunter hears the horse behind him and reacts on instinct, grabbing the reins, planting his feet and halts the horse on a dime. Jase, however does NOT stop and flies head over saddlehorn, landing into a snowbank. 

Scalphunter walks up, thinking the war is crazy to send children instead of men to fight their battles but he is amazed as Jase rises from the snow and Jase is a woman!!! Jase tucks her hair under he snowcap and begs Scalphunter to not give away her secret. The others arrive shortly and ask if Jase and Scalphunter are ready to head to the farmhouse. They both state they are and the soldiers make their way quietly through the snow.

In the farmhouse the Schillerhorn brothers, all four, have been holed up for three days waiting for a Confederate supply patrol. They don't know the patrol was intercepted the prior night and the captured soldiers told of the stolen beef stored in this valley. They think they hear a noise outside and when one of them goes to the door, it is suddenly kicked in by Wilks who quickly shoves a bayonet into one. 

Scalphunter tries to intervene since there is no honor is slaying foes who are greatly outnumbered. Wilks throws a fist into Scalphunter's jaw and then shoots two more of the Rebels. Lansing guns down the fourth much to the horror of Jase. Wilks tells Lansing to tell Sanders that the Rebs resisted and that is why they had to be killed. Jase suddenly throws her hands over her mouth and rushes outside to vomit. 

Wilks is unfazed and kicks logs out of the fireplace and sets fire to the cabin. One of the soldiers asks if they should drag the bodies outside and Wilks asks if they are gonna complain about the heat and laughs about it. The soldiers run out and the entire cabin is shortly engulfed as the soldiers watch the fire consume everything in the cold winter night. Scalphunter holds his tongue and makes it a point to remember, the fire, the smoke, the men and the smell of roasting flesh.

Next morning the Union soldiers are riding into their camp, escorting several head of cattle. Sanders tells Wilks that what happened at the cabin is better left untold. At the camp Scalphunter goes into his tent and starts to wash away the smell of the night before. With water in his eyes he reaches for a towel and it is handed to him by Jase. She came to thank him for keeping her secret. He says it was not his to tell, even a squaw must have a reason for doing what she does.

Jase is slightly put out and then recounts how she is able to defend herself. She was raised in upper New York state and her father taught her how to use a rifle, ride a horse and fight with fists or weapons. When the war broke out her brothers went off to war but came back in boxes. She was determined to take their place so she cut her hair, put on one of her brother's suits and enlisted. She said she did it to free the slaves and preserve the Union. Those are good reasons, but if those are good reasons, why does war attract such bad men?

Scalphunter has no answer for her and they leave the tent. As they walk away Jase bumps into Wilks who drops the steak he was eating. Wilks looks at the steak in the snow and pronounces it ruined and lashes out at Jase. Scalphunter intervenes and a fight breaks out between the two men. Shortly the entire camp coms running and Sanders orders Wilks to stand down. Wilks is having none of it and knocks Scalphunter backwards into a tent.

The tent collapses and the two man battle it out under the weight of the wet canvas. Wilks gets his hands around Scalphunter's neck and starts choking the life out of him. Jase leaps forward and pulls at Wilks' hair trying to break his hold on Scalphunter. Wilks rises up and shrugs like a bull, tossing Jase backwards off of him. Jase's hat comes off exposing her hair and revealing her true identity. Wilks starts laughing, saying NOW he understands why the Indian was protective of Jase, he was keeping her for himself. Wilks moves toward her saying that all of that is about to change!!!

Statistics for this issue

Men Killed by Scalphunter - None!s

Running Total - 129

Compared to Jonah Hex - 29th appearance and Scalphunter has 129 vs Jonah's 115 (in JH #2)

Scalps Taken - 0

Running Total - 20

Injuries - None

Timeline -  One evening and the next day.

I enjoyed this one even though the 'surprise' was not really a surprise, even without the cover and the title giving it away. Not a lot of originality in this story, mean soldiers, Scalphunter disgusted with war, etc etc but I still enjoyed it. Not in the top ten but not the bottom of the barrel either. My one gripe was that a man like Wilks would not let a steak hitting the ground dissuade him from eating it. I can see it being COLD, rather than piping hot, but come ON! He was walking around gnawing on it like a beast!

And I just love this panel:

Ads for this issue included the second Superman/Spider-Man teamup where they fight the Parasite and Dr. Doom.

O.J. Simpson once again hawks some running shoes as well as Dingo boots.

The Flash and Twinkies are a Flash in the Dam against the Destroyer.

House ad for all the backup features in the DC Implosion (Scalphunter moves to Jonah Hex)

The letters page indicates that Weird Western Tales is about to be canceled.

Next Issue: We got some fire, we got some ice and we have a conclusion!