Overview

The American Old West loosely refers to the area west of the Mississippi River during the 19th and early 20th centuries. This time period was characterized by a steady migration from the American eastern states to the west coast. Such famous routes as the Oregon Trail and explorers like Lewis and Clark helped pave the way and settle this large geographic region of the United States.

Families and frontiersmen blazed trails and built settlements in the rugged mountains and arid deserts. Clashes between Native American Indians and Cowboys are the stuff legends were made of. Ranchers, herdsmen, and farmers all made an important investment in the settling of the Old West.

As the region became more populous and the Pony Express began delivering important documents; bandits, thieves and other outlaws also began to multiply. All of this is captured in the fictional literature commonly known as the western. Aspects of the Western genre are sometimes incorporated into the post-apocalyptic genre, seeing as they have similar settings.

Virtually every comic publisher has produced its share of titles and characters associated with the Old West. Some of the more popular western characters include:

• Alcalde
• A Man Named Frank
• Arizona Girl
• Bernardo
• Black Rider
• Boom Boom Brown
• Caleb Hammer
• Captain Monastario
• Carmelita Rodriguez
• Clay Riley
• Don Alejandro De La Vega
• Dr. Danger
• Elena de la Vega
  
• Erron Black
• Fat Man
• Gunhawk
• Iron Mask
• Kid Cassidy
• Kid Colt
• Lady Rawhide
• Lone Ranger
• Nightriders
• Orville Jones
• Outlaw Kid
• Padre Felipe
• Phantom Rider
• Rawhide Kid
• Red Wolf
• Reno Jones
• Ringo Kid
• Roland Deschain
• Sam Hawk
• Sergeant Garcia
• Tall Bear
• The Man With No Name
• Tonto
• Toronado
• Two-Gun Kid
• Warroo
• Zorro