Number 1149: The Lone Ranger is pure gold

You've probably seen this picture of Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp (as Tonto, no less) from a revisionist movie version of the Lone Ranger legend.

I have mixed feelings. My Lone Ranger is the Lone Ranger of the Baby Boomers, growing up with the television show starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels. But the Lone Ranger franchise has been lying dormant for a while, and some movie people are betting it's ready for a reboot and new look. I might not like it, but who knows? I'm not the target audience, and for those at whom it's aimed it might be good. (I'm a bit concerned about a white guy, Depp, playing a Native American. Even in the era of white people playing ethnic minorities, at least Jay Silverheels was a Navajo.)

This story, "Gold Coin Fraud," is from The Lone Ranger Western Treasury #1 (1953). It's a thick 25¢ annual, drawn by Tom Gill and his studio staff. "Gold Coin Fraud" has an educational slant to it. I've included two text pages showing different types of gold coins of the era.

I showed you the origin of the Lone Ranger from this issue in Pappy's #1046.

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Number 1046


Origin of the Lone Ranger

Lone Ranger fans got their 25¢ worth from the Lone Ranger Western Treasury #1 in 1953. One hundred pages, with origin stories of the Lone Ranger, Tonto and Silver!

By 1953 the Lone Ranger had been around as a character for 20 years, created in 1933 for radio. A very popular hero, the Lone Ranger appeared in books, comic strips, comic books and a television show, even a few appearances on movie screens. The story in the Western Treasury sticks to the origin told on radio and on television, of six Texas Rangers ambushed by the Butch Cavendish gang. The Lone Ranger's origin was as well known as Superman's to the kids (like me) who followed both television shows.

The comic book Lone Ranger, drawn since Lone Ranger #38 in 1950 by Tom Gill, used Clayton Moore and his television costume as the basis for his image of the masked man. Gill had a solid cartooning style, which conveyed the feeling of the Old West.

I showed Gill's first Lone Ranger story in Pappy's #754, where you can read more about the artist.

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Number 754


Tom Gill's Lone Ranger


The character of the Lone Ranger is as iconic as Tarzan, Sherlock Holmes or Superman. Crank up The William Tell Overture on your stereo and ask people what they associate with that stirring theme. He was created by George W. Trendle and writer Fran Striker for radio almost 80 years ago, then branched out into movies, TV and the comics. Dell had the Lone Ranger franchise for a long time, especially during the height of the TV show's popularity.

Artist Tom Gill based his comic book Lone Ranger after actor Clayton Moore, indelibly identified with the role.* Tom Gill was a longtime comic book man, born in 1913. He drew comics for decades, and a whopping 135 issues of The Lone Ranger. A good run. He was also a popular art teacher. He died at age 92--another good run--in 2005.

This is the lead story from Tom Gill's first issue of The Lone Ranger, #38, when the comic went from reprints of the Lone Ranger newspaper strip to original stories. It was written by Paul S. Newman, who also had a good run as the longtime writer.

Gill's art and layouts were clear and the stories moved along briskly. The Lone Ranger of the comics had the same strict moral code as he exhibited in all other media. He may have shot a lot of guns out of outlaw hands, but he never killed anybody. Well, hardly ever, I think. I'm sure there were some owlhoots in those pre-antibiotic days who may have died of sepsis or complications of the proverbial "flesh wound" inflicted by the masked man.

In this particular story, the Lone Ranger takes a chance, leaving his buddy Tonto in a mine amongst killers. He says he'll have time before Tonto gets killed to make sure a lady doesn't sell out to the bad guys. Good thing the Lone Ranger's timeline worked out or Tonto's good run would have ended right then.


















*I saw Moore signing autographs at a store opening in 1970, a memory I cherish, even if I the size of the crowd kept me from getting close enough for an autograph.

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