Gunsmoke Western

Gunsmoke Western
Gunsmoke Western #57 (March 1960), depicting its three primary feature characters. Cover art by Jack Kirby and Dick Ayers
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Format	Anthology
Publication date	1955 - 1963
Number of issues	46
Main character(s)	Kid Colt Wyatt Earp Two-Gun Kid
Creative team
Writer(s)	Stan Lee
Artist(s)	Jack Keller Jack Kirby Joe Maneely John Severin

Gunsmoke Western was an American comic book series published initially by Atlas Comics, the 1950s forerunner of Marvel Comics, and then into the 1960s by Marvel. A Western anthology that ran 46 issues, it featured early stories of the Marvel Old West heroes Kid Colt and the Two-Gun Kid, and work by such artists as Jack Kirby, John Severin, Joe Maneely, Doug Wildey, and many others.

Gunsmoke Western was published by Atlas Comics, the 1950s forerunner of Marvel Comics. It ran 46 issues, taking over the numbering of a previous series, Western Tales of Black Rider, beginning with #32 (cover-dated Dec. 1955). The series, which fell under the Marvel Comics banner with issue #65 (July 1961), ended with #77 (July 1963).

The publication had premiered in 1948 as the superhero comic All Winners, a.k.a. All-Winners Comics, vol. 2, then after one issue immediately became All Western Winners, a.k.a. All-Western Winners, for three issues; Western Winners for three issues; Black Rider for issues #8-27; and Western Tales of Black Rider for #28-31. The series was one of several Atlas Westerns that included Frontier Western; Western Gunfighters; and Western Thrillers and two successor series that took over its numbering, Cowboy Action and Quick-Trigger Western.

With the change to Gunsmoke Western, the series began starring Kid Colt, drawn by its longtime artist Jack Keller. The lesser-known Atlas frontiersman character Billy Bucksin served as a backup feature for three issues, with anthological Western stories in-between. Issue #35 (June 1956) introduced the backup feature "Wyatt Earp", starring a version of the real-life lawman, for two issues before back-up features were dropped in favor of Kid Colt plus standalone stories. The Earp feature returned in issue #43 (Nov. 1957), running as backup (and in one instance as the lead feature) through #58 (May 1960).