Marvel continue to license out their classic back catalogue to other publishers like Dark Horse, Fantagraphics and Clover Press but it’s leading to some interesting approaches including the upcoming The King Goes West, featuring Western comics by the one and only Jack Kirby.
THE KING GOES WEST: THE COMPLETE MARVEL WESTERNS BY JACK KIRBY TRANSPORTS READERS TO THE LAWLESS AMERICAN FRONTIER
The first of three Volumes of Western stories from Marvel Comics begins with the earliest Marvel works of Jack “King” Kirby in the genre
Dark Horse books in collaboration with Marvel Comics and editor and Marvel archival consultant Cory Sedlmeier, present The King Goes West: The Complete Marvel Westerns by Jack Kirby Volume 1: 1957-1961. This first of three volumes collects Jack Kirby’s Marvel Westerns in page after page of classic artwork alongside rare never-before-reprinted stories and covers. Chronicling a side of Marvel comics that paved the way for the modern Marvel Era, these Western stories take readers far from our bustling world to a place deep in the wilds of western settlements where Kirby’s imagination and artwork could invoke truly breathtaking storytelling.
“Jack Kirby’s Marvel Westerns are the last major frontier to explore in his vast career,” says Sedlmeier. “I’ve been working behind the scenes for years to bring the King’s Western work back into print, and I’m proud that Dark Horse has come along for the ride. Every story and cover has been painstakingly restored from the very best archival sources available, including rare materials that I acquired in 2023. Jack Kirby is the most consequential creator in American comics, and it’s an honor to give this chapter of his career the comprehensive presentation it has always deserved.”
Inside The King Goes West: The Complete Marvel Westerns by Jack Kirby Volume 1: 1957-1961
Filled to the brim with Kirby’s trademark action, readers can rediscover the many ways that these Western stories spring from the same creative well as Marvel’s legendary super heroes—like Johnny Bart, the all-new Rawhide Kid who vows to use his skills to avenge his murdered Uncle Ben. In this volume, Kirby also presents the original Two-Gun Kid and the Black Rider and crafts taut morality tales of the pioneers and outlaws of the American frontier. Restored from the finest archival materials including scans of original art, these stories can be enjoyed and discussed by fans and historians for many years to come.
Volume 1 collects the complete Jack Kirby stories and covers from Quick-Trigger Western (1956)(1956) #16; Black Rider (1957) #1; Two-Gun Western (1956) #12; Gunsmoke Western (1955) #47, #51-53 & #56-62; Wyatt Earp (1955) #22, #24-26 & #29; Kid Colt Outlaw (1948) #83, #85-97; Two-Gun Kid (1948) #48, #52, #54-57 and Rawhide Kid (1955) #17-20.
Saddle up for The King Goes West: The Complete Marvel Westerns by Jack Kirby Volume 1: 1957-1961 when the 216-page (7×10”) Hardcover arrives in bookstores and comic shops on February 2, 2027, for $59.99. Pre-order now from Dark Horse Direct or your local bookstore or comic shop. Visit Find your comics store (FYCS) or Bookshop.org for more details and stores near you.
