Kid Colt Outlaw #72
The Sheriff of Buckshot!
Passing through the town of Buckshot, Kid Colt happens upon a notice saying that the town is looking for someone to be sheriff. As he reads the sign, someone shoots the sign. The shot came from a man who suggests that Kid Colt ignore the notice and leave town. Not like being badgered by outlaws, Kid Colt draws and shoots the guns out of their hands and tells them to scrap. Realizing that Buckshot has a problem, Kid Colt decides to do something about it.
The following day, Kid Colt pays a visit to the outgoing sheriff, who tells him that the town is trying to get a bank loan so they can modernize the town. Unfortunately, the sheriff is too old to deal with the outlaws in town and they put the town at risk of being denied the loan. Hearing all this, Kid Colt asks to be deputized at once. Once he has been sworn in, Kid Colt goes to the local saloon and orders a stop to all gambling, gunplay, and carousing. When one of the outlaws tries to draw on Kid Colt, he manages to shoot the guns out of his hands. He then goes around town and breaks up gunfights before they start, and then puts everyone to work cleaning up the town and repainting the houses.
With order restored to the town, it is in good shape for when representatives from the bank in St. Louis come to inspect the place. Impressed by what they see they agree to grant the loan.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt, Steel
Trail of Disaster!
Kid Colt is watching a card game and becomes more interested in the outcome when one of the card payers, a man named Cantrell, places a golden idol onto the betting pot. The dealer agrees to raise another thousand dollars to the pot. Cantrell thinks he wins with a full house but the dealer has four aces. Cantrell accuses the dealer of cheating and draws his gun. That’s when Kid Colt steps in, shooting the guns out of both men’s hands. Kid Colt tells Cantrell that he lost and to accept it, but he vows that Deuce Harris will never live long enough to spend his winnings. However, Kid Colt confronts Deuce about pulling an ace out of his pocket, even though he can’t prove it he warns Harris that he will reap what he sows.
Outside on the street, a Chinese man goes to Cantrell and asks for the idol back and he gets told to go back to the railroad. Kid Colt interrupts by pointing out that this “foreigner” is doing more to build the country than Cantrell is. The man introduces himself as Lo Ping and says that Cantrell stole the idol from him, saying he was intended to sell it and use the money to bring the rest of his family to America. Kid Colt promises to do whatever it takes to get Lo Ping’s idol back.
When he pays a visit to Deuce Harris, he discovers that someone who him and stole the idol. He finds the shooter’s footprints and begins following them. These footprints belong Jake Cantrell who is shot by Luke James. When Kid Colt catches up to Luke James in the El Toro Desert he has run out of water and offers the idol in exchange for a drink. Kid Colt tells him that the idol is not his to sell and reclaims it after pointing to Luke James there was an oasis right behind him but he was too obsessed with the golden idol to see it.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt, Steel
Fateful Journey!
While getting his horse from a stable, Kid Colt is surrounded by lawmen who accuse him of robbing the Sierra Stage the night before. Kid Colt says he is innocent, pointing out that the Sierra Stage route is six hours away and he’s been in town since yesterday. The sheriff tells Kid Colt that five witnesses swear they can identify him, but if they can’t he’ll be free to go. Kid Colt agrees to go so long as they take his horse with them. Steel is tied to the stagecoach that will take them to Sierra. Inside the carriage, one of the passengers begins asking about Kid Colt and hearing that he has never been convicted of a crime, he reminds the sheriff that in America a man is innocent until he is proven guilty and as such Kid Colt shouldn’t be in handcuffs.[1] Despite his requests that Kid Colt be uncuffed, the sheriff refuses to listen.
Later on, the coach is attacked by outlaws and the passenger hands Kid Colt some guns to help defend the coach. Kid Colt helps defend everyone else even though he is still handcuffed and once the outlaws have been disarmed they surrender. When the man suggests Kid Colt be uncuffed again, Kid Colt tells him that he’ll comply with his captors and prove his innocence. When they reach Sierra, Kid Colt is presented to the passengers of the robbed stagecoach and they all confirm that Kid Colt was not the man they saw rob them. Kid Colt is then released and on his way back to his horse he is stopped by the passenger who was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. As it turns out, this man is Harold Whitney, a representative for the Colt gun company and he has come to give Kid Colt a pair of brand new weapons. Colt thanks Harold for the new guns and he promises they will only be used in support of law and order.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt, Steel
Continuity Notes
When the passenger asks if Kid Colt’s real name is Colt, like the guns. Most sources since Kid Colt: Hero of the West #1 have stated that Kid Colt’s real name is Blaine Colt. However, Kid Colt #4 has stated that Kid Colt’s real name is actually Blaine Cole.
Draw on Sight!
Crossing paths with Strap Chisholm, Kid Colt prepares to draw but Strap can’t bring himself to do draw and tells the Kid not to make a big scene about it on the street. That’s when the sheriff arrives and asks Chisholm if this stranger is giving him trouble. Strap says that Colt was only asking where he could bed his horse for the night. While the sheriff is giving Kid Colt directions, Strap Chisholm slips away. That’s when the sheriff comments how Strap Chisholm has been an upstanding citizen ever since he came to town. Kid Colt wonders if Strap Chisholm, the slickest gun in the west, has retired. Going to the local saloon, Kid Colt learns from the bartender that Chisholm has lived in town for three years and has raised a family.
That’s when Kid Colt notices Johnny Starr and Wolf Petrie coming into town and suspects there is going to be trouble. They come into the saloon and start asking about Strap Chisholm. Knowing that they are going to cause trouble for the reformed gunfighter, Kid Colt confronts them and tells them to get out of town. Later, the Kid pays a visit to Strap at his home to warn him about Starr and Petrie sniffing around town looking for him. He learns that the two outlaws have a grudge against him since he cheating them out of loot that they were planning on stealing from a stagecoach by hitting it first. With this information, Kid Colt tells Strap that he won’t have to worry about Johnny Starr and Wolf Petrie for much longer.
Kid Colt goes back into town and finds Starr and Petrie and tells them that he was the one who cheated them out of the stage money. He challenges them to a draw, two against one. As usual, Kid Colt manages to outdraw the two gunmen and shoots the guns out of their hands instead of killing them and sends them packing.
Recurring Characters
Kid Colt, Steel
