Marvel Premiere #54



Had this comic been done by Fantagraphics, that title would have a whole different connotation.

Definite Clint Eastwood vibe on that cover, right down to using a Colt Army Model percussion revolver. These were not cartridges; they were ball&cap. You loaded powder into the cylinder, then a pistol ball and tamped it down. Then, percussion caps were loaded on nibs, at the hammer end of the cylinder. The hammer would strike the percussion cap, which ignited the powder and launched the pistol ball. It created a ton of smoke, too.

Creative Team: Peter Gillis-writer, Gene Day-pencils, Tony De Zuniga-inks, John Costanza-letters, Ben Sean-colors, Jim Salicrup-edits

Synopsis: The year is 1890 (according to the splash page)...



We are in manacle, WY, which we are told is a dying town. A local punk, looking for a reputation, picks a fight with Caleb Hammer, which allows for some exposition about hunting for some ex-soldiers. The punk goes to draw; but, Caleb takes a turn from Trinity's handbooks and handles things differently...





The sheriff comes in and asks for introductions and we learn that Caleb is a Pinkerton agent. he's hunting for Crawford Mckie and James Lovelace, who have left a trail of bodies wherever they have gone. They were soldiers, who took part in the capture of Geronimo, then were decorated and discharged. They went from town to town, using the medals for acclaim, then robbing and killing the townspeople. They came to Manacle, but pickings were slim and moved on. Caleb follows.

On the trail, Luke Sommers, the punk, catches up with him to finish their argument. caleb flashes baclk to his wife's murder, at the hands of a drunk soldier, who thought she was his cheating wife. Caleb was training to be a minister; but, abandoned the calling. Now, he faces Sommers. Sommers aims to kill him; but, Caleb has palmed a rock and whips it at his temple, causing him to drop his gun. Caleb then snaps off the cylinder...



Caleb tracks to a farm that hasn't yet been abandoned, and sees signs that the family was taken, by force. he goes to the parn and trips a rope, setting off an explosion and fire. The horses run out; but Caleb rescues a foal, that is trapped. He flashes back to 1886, at the McCormick Manufacturing plant, in Chicago, where the Pinkertons are acting as strike breakers, when the police are called in and a riot ensues. Caleb's younger brother, Isaak, is killed.



Back in the present, Caleb has tracked the killers and their hostages to a place called The Devil's Anvil. He waits. He makes wolf howls to unnerve the killers, while the rancher mentions indian spirits. Caleb flashes back to another past mission. In the present, the mother pleads for her son, who is sick. Caleb busts through a window and takes out one killer, while the boy has a seizure. he takes down the other; but the boy dies. The two killers are taken alive; but there is still tragedy.



Thoughts: There is a good story here, and a terrific character; but, the constant flashbacks interrupt the flow of the present story. better to have gotten the backstory in one go and then finished the modern story. There is a definite Clint Eastwood "Modern Western" feel to this, where even the heroes have shades of grey and things don't always go well for the white hat. Caleb settles things without ever firing his gun, which is interesting.

A Pinkerton agent is a favorite character type for a western, especially for a writer who has done their research. the Pinkerton name was built in the 1800s and Dime Novels added to the lore, though the truth is a bit murkier. Pinkerton was used to infiltrate unions and break strikes by several businessmen, including the infamous Homestead Strike. Pinkerton became synonymous with hired muscle, designed to intimidate workers and prevent them from bringing labor action for fair wages. They were also involved in fighting the Molly Maguires. When the Dept. of Justice was formed, the appropriations weren't enough to create their own investigative branch and much work was farmed out to Pinkerton. They even provided bodyguard services, until new laws were passed, banning them from serving the government, due to the strikebreaking activities. They were also often contracted to hunt down outlaws, such as the James Gang. Pinkerton agents are favorites of modern western writers and even Steampunk afficianadoes, as men of action.

Caleb is a deeply troubled man, who gave up the ministry after the death of his wife and further death of his brother. We see he works to take down his prey, without guns, in contrast to the cover. I suspect part of that might be why we didn't see more , until John ostrander used him in Blaze of Glory, in 2000, some 20 years later. That mini gave a modern remake of Marvel's Western characters.

At this point in time, the Western was all but dead, with DC's Jonah Hex about the only survivor. it, too, was inspired by Eastwood and the Spaghetti Westerns; but, that one revelled more in its violence, thoguh it told some of the best stories of the age. Marvel had abandoned westerns long before; and, despite a few things (like Blaze of Glory and the Rawhide Kid mini) never really returned to it. DC would turn Jonah Hex into a Mad Max wannabe, with Hex; but, that was a last hurrah, before Joe Lansdale and Tim truman would bring Jonah back for some new Mojo, adding the "weird" to Weird Western.

The shame of this is that there is a good character here and much could be done with him; but, it wasn't the right time, nor was it the right place.

Gene Day and Tony DeZuniga are terrific on the art and Day knew how to pace this kind of stuff. DeZuniga was best when working on more realistic strips, rather than superheroes. Gillis' script is good; but, needed reworking. Too bad his editor was Jim Salicrup and not Archie Goodwin. A stronger story person is needed to guide things.

Next; Caleb gets one story and we return to superheroes, as Simon Williams gets a solo story.