In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Western was a significant part of American pop culture, with an outsized presence in film and literature and on television. Tales of the noble American cowboy, roaming the Old West on a trusty horse armed with a six-gun and a sense of justice, were no stranger to comics, either. In fact, it was one of the most popular genres – along with horror, sci-fi, war and romance – that kept comics afloat during times when the super heroes that helped launch the industry had subsided in popularity. The Western comics of this era – iconic but unheralded, historic but overlooked – have been given short shrift in this Golden Age of collected editions we are lucky to live in. But like a lone small town sheriff riding high on his steed and giving hope to his townspeople, Dark Horse has gallantly entered the scene to rectify this largely missing piece of Marvel Americana with the first of a planned three-volume set of Jack Kirby’s Western comics at Marvel.
For a preview page loaded with art and information about this upcoming title, click the link below!
There were a great many wonderful artists drawing Westerns at this time in comics history – at Atlas alone there was Joe Maneely, Russ Heath, John Severin and the woefully under-appreciated Jack Keller – but Kirby was “king” of them all. His work in these pages is a woodshedding period for concepts that would later become foundational for the Marvel Universe proper.
The first volume, due in February of 2027 and titled The King Goes West: The Complete Marvel Westerns by Jack Kirby Volume 1 – 1957-1961, collects 200+ pages of Kirby’s earliest Western work at Atlas/Marvel – all his covers and interior pages of story art – in chronological order by “job number”, the number assigned to artists’ work in that era to track a project’s status as it was being created and delivered. This editorial decision will give readers a chance to see Kirby’s evolving approach to his drawing style and his renderings of Old West archetypes.
And who is that editor? Why, anyone familiar with Marvel Masterworks will be pleased to know that Cory Sedlmeier is attached to this project! His firm grasp on resource materials will guarantee that only the best film, stats and original art is used to restore these vintage comics for a new audience. The King Goes West Volume 1 will feature covers and story art from Black Rider, Gunsmoke Western, Quick-Trigger Western, Two Gun Kid, Wyatt Earp, Kid Colt Outlaw and Two Gun Western – plus a raft of newly restored pages of Rawhide Kid, which had previously been presented in Marvel Masterworks in 2006 and 2007.
This news is most welcome for collectors of classic Marvel Comics, and not just because they are important artifacts from the dawn of the Marvel Age and essential for those who appreciate the King of Comics, Jack Kirby. It’s welcome news mainly because they’re just plain fun to read!
Below is the text from Dark Horse’s press release:
THE KING GOES WEST: THE COMPLETE MARVEL WESTERNS BY JACK KIRBY TRANSPORTS READERS TO THE LAWLESS AMERICAN FRONTIER
The first of three Volumes of Western stories from Marvel Comics begins with the earliest Marvel works of Jack “King” Kirby in the genre
MILWAUKIE, Ore., (AUGUST 2026)—Dark Horse books in collaboration with Marvel Comics, present The King Goes West: The Complete Marvel Westerns by Jack Kirby Volume 1: 1957-1961. This first of three volumes, edited by Marvel archival consultant Cory Sedlmeier, collects Jack Kirby’s Marvel Westerns in page after page of classic artwork alongside rare never-before-reprinted stories and covers. Chronicling a side of Marvel comics that preceded the modern Marvel Era, these Western stories take readers far from our bustling world to a place deep in the wilds of western settlements where Kirby’s imagination and artwork could invoke truly breathtaking storytelling.
“Jack Kirby’s Marvel Westerns are the last major frontier to explore in his vast career,” says Sedlmeier. “I’ve been working behind the scenes for years to bring the King’s Western work back into print, and I’m proud that Dark Horse has come along for the ride. Every story and cover has been painstakingly restored from the very best archival sources available, including rare materials that I acquired in 2023. Jack Kirby is the most consequential creator in American comics, and it’s an honor to give this chapter of his career the comprehensive presentation it has always deserved.”
Inside The King Goes West: The Complete Marvel Westerns by Jack Kirby Volume 1: 1957-1961
Filled to the brim with Kirby’s trademark action, readers can rediscover the many ways that these Western stories spring from the same creative well as Marvel’s legendary super heroes—like Johnny Bart, the all-new Rawhide Kid who vows to use his skills to avenge his murdered Uncle Ben. In this volume, Kirby also presents the original Two-Gun Kid and the Black Rider and crafts taut morality tales of the pioneers and outlaws of the American frontier. Restored from the finest archival materials including scans of original art, these stories can be enjoyed and discussed by fans and historians for many years to come.
Volume 1 collects the complete Jack Kirby stories and covers from Quick-Trigger Western (1956) #16; Black Rider (1957) #1; Two-Gun Western (1956) #12; Gunsmoke Western (1955) #47, #51-53 & #56-62; Wyatt Earp (1955) #22, #24-26 & #29; Kid Colt Outlaw (1948) #83, #85-97; Two-Gun Kid (1948) #48, #52, #54-57 and Rawhide Kid (1955) #17-20.
Saddle up for The King Goes West: The Complete Marvel Westerns by Jack Kirby Volume 1: 1957-1961when the 216-page (7×10”) Hardcover arrives in bookstores and comic shops on February 2, 2027, for $59.99. Pre-order now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local bookstore or comic shop. Visit Find Your Comic Store (FYCS) or Bookshop.org for more details and stores near you.
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