Weird Western Tales #56 "Fear is the Stalker"

 Weird Western Tales #56 June 1979

"Fear is the Stalker"

Gerry Conway, story - Dick Ayers & Luis Dominguez, art - Luis Dominguez, cover

Norfolk, Virginia. August 1862.

It is a hot night on the docks and a Confederate soldier lights up his pipe. Silently Scalphunter rises from the water, climbs upon the dock and knocks out the soldier with a quick Kiowa chop to the neck. He takes the soldier's rifle and pistol then heads to a small shack with a light burning inside. As he slides up next to the window, he overhears five men talking inside.

They are talking about the 'damn Redskin' and it being all his fault that Captain Smith tried to slip past the blockade and then they wouldn't be stuck in Norfolks waiting to get paid. One man says that he heard the Indian was a spy for Lincoln. One sailor with a massive facial scar states that Paggat, the first mate, said the Captain told him the Indian was planted to get evidence of gun running. 'Scar' says the Indian was pretty smart, taking the place of the Indian they expected and they laying a trap for them. Another sailor starts saying if the Indian was so smart why did he get captured and why did he fall overboard and drown?

The second sailor starts poking Scar with a finger to which Scar takes umbrage and tells him to back off. A fight breaks out much to the joy of Scalphunter who now knows that Smith thinks he is dead. He hides among the crates on the dock as soldiers rush by to quell the violence. Scalphunter opens a crate of the rifles and finds a paper containing

CHAFWORTH

HOTEL GRISSOM
NORFOLK

At the Hotel Grissom, a distance from the waterfront, the ship doctor and Paggat are having a conversation. Paggat asks if Smith will live. The Doc says that if Smith survives the next few hours but the Doc isn't sure if Smith will WANT to live. Paggat tells the Doc to talk straight, he has a right to know. Doc replies what rights did MacLawson have when he was flogged. Paggat is disgusted because it was MacLawson that almost cut the Captain's arm off. The Doc says that he had to finish the job, at which point we hear Smith scream from the next room over the loss of his arm.

They rush in an Smith is ranting and railing. Doc explains that the cargo hook tore through the muscle and nerves, he had no choice because of the danger of infection. Smith swears he'll kill Doc before he passes out.

Scalphunter makes his way through the shadowy alleys, avoiding the street lamps and the Confederate soldiers on every corner. He leans out of an alley and motions towards two soldiers. They spot him and move closer, gasping as the tall Kiowa warrior, armed with a rifle steps from the shadows. As one soldier lunges with his bayonet, Scalphunter swings the rifle butt into the man's jaw and then kicks the other in the stomach. The man falls and Scalphunter shows him the paper from the crate. The soldier tells him the Hotel Grissom is a few blocks north and grabs for his rifle but Scalphunter quickly knocks him out and leaves.

At the Hotel Grissom there is a food delivery at the rear entrance when Scalphunter suddenly jumps from behind the delivery wagon. He knocks down the hotel manager, Charles Renshaw. Renshaw demands to know what Scalphunter wants but the only reply he gets is a silent smile.

In the hotel dining room Paggat and Doc are discussing Smith's fate and what a monster the Captain is. Doc is pondering if he should have helped the Captain and what kind of man has Doc become because of the association? Suddenly a man comes running out of the kitchen screaming. Doc and Paggat rush in and find Renshaw on a prep table, food everywhere and Renshaw is in shock. He is mumbling "Crenworth, warn Crenworth". Paggat says that is the man Smith was supposed to meet. Doc asks Renshaw about Crenworth who reveals that Crenworth is in room 708 and the Indian forced that information out of him. Paggat and Doc suddenly realize Scalphunter is alive and quickly leave the kitchen.

In Smith's room it is total darkness and the door slowly opens. Smith awakens, demanding to know who is there when a silhouette appears and Smith starts shouting that Doc isn't coming again with any knives. Scalphunter says the Doc isn't here, HE is. Smith starts panicking and grabs a pistol from the night stand and fires, but Scalphunter has already slammed the door shut.

Smith opens the door in time to see Scalphunter head through the exit to the stairwell, heading upwards. Smith fires again but is answered by only Kiowa laughter.

One floor below, Doc and Paggat have found that Crenshaw has been shot and the fear he told Scalphunter Smith's location. They suddenly hear a pistol shot and they give chase up the stairs.

On the roof, Scalphunter stands in the darkness near the edge clutching the rifle. Smith storms through the door and levels the pistol at Scalphunter but the rifle spits forth a bullet, knocking the pistol from Smith's hand. Smith reacts like a savage animal, throwing himself towards Scalphunter as the two men grapple on the roff's edge. Scalphunter flips Smith over his shoulder and over the edge. Smith manages to grab onto the lip with his remaining hand as Scalphunter draws a bead on him.

Just then Paggat emerges on the roof, pistol drawn. Scalphunter pivots, firing one shot through Paggats heart. Doc raises his hands, they exchange knowing nods and Scalphunter leaves. Smith, still clinging to the roof starts calling out to Doc, begging to be pulled up, his grip is fading. Doc stands in the doorway, slowly turns to descend the stairs as Smith's fingers loosen and the Captain beats Doc to the first floor.

Statistics for this issue

Men Killed by Scalphunter - 2, Paggat and Smith

Running Total - 103

Compared to Jonah Hex - 18th appearance and Scalphunter has 103 vs Jonah's 82

Scalps Taken - 0

Running Total - 14

Injuries - None.

Timeline - Immediately after the prior issue so maybe a few hours one night in August.

All in all, this one was pretty good a nice tidy wrap up to the Blockade runner saga. Smith's fate of losing an arm and eventually falling to his death was very Fleisher like and reminded me of several Jonah Hex stories in WWT. The title on the cover of the book obscured Smith's missing arm so it was a surprise to see him missing a limb, but still fighting like a maniac. Scalphunter toyed with him, luring him to the roof to finish him off. I also loved the angle that was used on the cover, heights! Crumbling shingles! Ocean!!

One problem was the Chafworth/Crenworth/Crenshaw naming mistake. The editor really fell down on his job with this point in the tale (Boo, Ross Andru...BOO)

I just had to chuckle with Smith screaming Wilson!! All I could think of was Tom Hanks.

The Hostess ad has Superman meeting the Orbitrons!, we get a house ad for Jonah Hex and WWT as well as an ad for DC Comics Presents Superman and Sgt Rock (that was a pretty good issue!) and a Hembeck comic with Two-Face. The back cover has a Spalding ad by Jack Davis with Rick Barry and Dr J.

Next Issue : Scalphunter encounters two types of snakes: a rattler and a journalist!

Weird Western Tales #55 "A Sea of Blood"

 Weird Western Tales #55 May 1979

"A Sea of Blood"

Gerry Conway, story - Dick Ayers & Romeo Tanghal, art - Luis Dominguez, cover

Aboard the Sea Dragon a sailor suddenly falls from the sail rigging, screaming all the way down. Scalphunter sees the man fall and tells Smith the man is falling. Captain Smith remarks that men fall on a ship all the time, especially if they are no good and scrawny and... WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING? Scalphunter starts running across the deck, pushing aside two sailors swabbing the deck and manages to break the mans fall and catches him.

The doctor of the Sea Dragon comes forward, stating he has never seen anything like that in 30 years! He asks if Scalphunter can move his arms, but Scalphunter replies that his people have strong arms from wrestling bulls. The Doc examines MacLawson (the man who fell) and says that he will be fine after some brandy. Capt. Smith says they will do nothing of the sort because that man will get ten lashes for disrupting the deck. Doc Wilson says that MacLawson is in shock and the flogging could kill him. Smith bristles at anyone questioning his authority. 

Smith gets up in Scalphunters face and says that he has taken the money to smuggle the guns but as afar as he is concerned, Scalphunter and his Reb friends are nothing but dirt. Scalphunter watches as MacLawson is tied to the mast and sadistically lashed by Smith. He notes that this is no worse than what the Kiowa women did to prisoners but they never took pleasure in it as Smith is demonstrating. He fights back the urge to kill Smith but he knows he cannot betray the trust that President Lincoln placed in him to smash the blockade runners.

The scourging complete, a cry comes from the Crow's Nest that sails have been spotted to port. It is quickly identified as a Yankee gunboat and all hands are armed and ready to fight. The cannons are loaded and as the two ships come aside each other, the massive steel barrels belch forth careening balls of death and destruction. Eventually the two ships join together and the fight becomes hand to hand as sailors and gun runners tear into each other. Scalphunter does not see a Union sailor coming behind him with a hatchet until Capt. Smith guns the sailor down.

Eventually the battle ends with the death of every Union sailor and the burning and sinking of their ship. Smith says that every encounter is like this, a battle to the death. Scalphunter asks if he finds honor in this to which Smith says he is in it for the money, honor gets a man killed. Just then a deckhand comes up and tells Smith that a cannonball tore through the mainmast. It can be patched so detectives in the shipyard can't tell they were in a battle but it can't be fixed for sailing. Smith says that changes their plans. They can use steam to get back to port but without sails they can't encounter another gunboat and can't meet their contact to pick up the guns and ammo.

Scalphunter tells him the mission must be completed and pulls a knife on Smith and twists Smiths arm behind his back. Scalphunter demands a rifle and ammo and will hold watch over Smith until they obtain the weapons and are back in port. On into the night, for six hours, Scalphunter stands guard over Smith. Doc Wilson and MacLawson talk in hushed whispers, MacLawson saying that if the Indian doesn't kill Smith, then he will. MacLawson hasn't been ashore for three years and what more can be done to him now? MacLawson was shanghaied in Boston, he used to be a silversmith, but now his hands are ruined, his nerves shot, his intended career gone.

Then a cry from above, lights have been spotted, it is the King George! The two ships rendezvous and the cargo is transferred under the armed watch of Scalphunter. They sail off and at dawn a blockade is seen coming towards then. Smith says they can't run and it's too late to dump the cargo, they will have to fight. As the cannons are readied, Scalphunter knows that this is his moment to hand Smith over to the Union Navy. He comes upon Smith from behind, rifle raised to knock him out, but a sharp eyed sailor sees this and knocks Scalphunter out from behind. 

Laying on the deck, vaguely through the veil of unconsciousness that envelopes him, Scalphunter feels the cannons firing, knows the blasting of the cannonballs, feels the ship turn and engage the Union ship and he hears the scream of the Union sailors as they die amidst the fire and blood soaked waves of the ocean.

When he finally comes to, he is bound and staring down Smith's gun barrel. They are in dock and Smith says he was very surprised when Scalphunter's 'friends' on the dock had never seen him before. Therefore Scalphunter must be a Yankee spy. Smith smashes his pistol into Scalphunter's jaw. The 'friends' wanted Scalphunter so they could take him to the Confederate authorities but Smith is gonna save them the trouble with a nicely placed single bullet. As he takes aim, MacLawson suddenly appears with a cargo hook and buries it in Smiths left shoulder.

Smith staggers backward, knocking Scalphunter into the bay and discharging his pistol, killing MacLawson. Smith shouts he wants the redskin dead and a sailor says he must be, falling into the water with his arms tied behind his back. Smith says he wants Scalphunter and MacLawson both in hell. Doc says he's not sure about the Indian but MacLawson had already been there.

Later we see Scalphunter surface beneath the dock. He is enraged and he is now on the hunt for Captain Smith.

 

Statistics for this issue

Men Killed by Scalphunter - Zero

Running Total - 101

Compared to Jonah Hex - 17th appearance and Scalphunter has 101 vs Jonah's 81

Scalps Taken - 0

Running Total - 14

Injuries - Knocked out.

Timeline - We don't know how long they were at sea, but it does cover a full day and night and into the next day. Maybe we can be generous and say five days in August.

So, let's talk about the fall that opens the book. I read the dialog aloud and added a few seconds for running across the deck, making it about 16 seconds that we saw MacLawson falling. According to the wonderful website Omni calculator, an object falling for 16 seconds started at a height of 4,118 feet and reaches terminal velocity of 204 mph. Now a main mast on a pirate ship is 222 feet and reverse engineering the math, means, that at best, MacLawson fell for 3.7 seconds and attained a speed of 81 mph.

So now you can decide for yourself just how string and fast a Kiowa brave can be. 

We get a new inker with Romeo Tanghal and it creates some very expressive scenes with smoother inking than Dominguez's sketchy style. The story is pretty good with Ke-Woh-No-Tey, seeing, once again, the barbarism of the 'civilized' white men, their war without honor and the sadistic butchery they can inflict upon their own men. Another good chapter in the Indian Spy saga.

We also get an ads for:

A contest for coming up with a daring rescue that could be performed on the Wonder Woman TV show.

Superman and Hostess Fruit Pies save the day in The Ionic Storm. 

Batman and Robin action figures with magnetic hands from Mego. 

American Seeds hawks their wares on the back cover. 

Next Issue: A battle across the rooftops of Norfolk and an amputation.