The Tom Mix of Film, Radio & Comics

Tom Mix was a cowboy, a U.S. Marshal, a Captain in the army who both rode up San Juan Hill with Teddy Roosevelt, fought in the war in the Philippines in 1903, as well as serving as a commando in World War II, while at the same time serving as a sheriff in more than a dozen western towns, and the man who almost single-handed saved America from a battalion of dragon riding Japanese warriors.

The Real Tom Mix

Thomas Edwin Mix (birth name Thomas Hezikiah Mix, January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the first Western megastar making an estimated 336 films, all but nine of which were silent films, despite this he still remanded popular almost into the 1950’s.

Joining the army from 1898 to 1901, though he never saw action. In fact, Mix deserted from the Army and carefully kept the facts about his military service a closely guarded secret the rest of his life.

His film career lasted until 1935, from then on appearing only as a performer in a circus until his death in an auto crash in 1940.

His popularity remained so enduring that The Tom Mix Ralston Straight Shooters ran for over 17 years (1933–1950), a period that included a full decade after his death.

Mix himself never appeared on the radio show, his voice, damaged by a bullet wound to the throat and repeated broken noses, was unsuitable for broadcasting. Instead, he was portrayed by actors such as Artells Dickson (1933-1937), Jack Holden (1937-1939), Russell Thorsen (1939-142), and Joe “Curley” Bradley (1944-1950).

The radio success directly fueled Mix’s comic book presence. His first appearance came in a single-page advertisement in New Fun #1 (February 1935), where the cowboy endorsed “official Tom Mix Zyp-Guns.” Soon after, he appeared in narrative form across Dell Comics titles such as The Comics, Popular Comics, and Crackajack Funnies from 1936 to 1939.

Ralston Purina, the sponsor of the radio series, extended the Tom Mix brand through an innovative mail-order premium program. For two box tops from any Ralston cereal, young fans could join the Straight Shooters club and receive a variety of exclusive items. These premiums included the nine issues of 36-page issues of Tom Mix Comics (1940–1941) or one of the three issues of Tom Mix Commandos Comics (1942), alongside other collectibles such as decoder rings, badges, whistle-rings, replica six-shooters, Straight-Shooter manuals, and perhaps the most bizarre, a poster detailing the 47 major wounds the fictional Tom Mix had sustained from bullets, knives, arrows, axe attacks, dynamite blasts, horse falls, and cattle stampedes.

Separately, Fawcett Comics became the character's primary publisher, issuing Tom Mix Western for 61 issues from 1948 to 1953. Mix also made numerous appearances in other Fawcett titles, including Master Comics #95-133 and Wow Comics #62 and #65-69.

Although Fawcett had another Western title, Six-Gun Heroes (#1-23), Tom Mix did not appear in it during its original run. However, after Fawcett ceased operations, Charlton Comics acquired and reprinted its unused material. As a result, Tom Mix stories were featured in Charlton's Six-Gun Heroes from issues #27 (June/July 1954) through #35 (August 1955). Additionally, Charlton published further reprints in their title Cowboy Western Comics #29, #53, and #54.

Tom was married to five women: (1) Grace Allen - marriage annulled (2) Jewell "Kitty" Perrine (3) Olive Mix (4) Victoria Forde (5) Mabel Hubbell Ward.