Red Ryder - Characters and Story

Characters and Story

Astride his mighty steed Thunder, Red was a tough cowpoke who lived on Painted Valley Ranch in the Blanco Basin of the San Juan Mountain Range with his aunt, the Duchess, and his juvenile sidekick, Little Beaver, who rode his horse, Papoose, when they took off to deal with the bad guys. Little Beaver spoke in the pidgin English now considered an offensive caricature. (Example: "Spinach heap good. Me like'm!") Other notable characters were ranch hand Buckskin Blodgett, Red's gal pal Beth and bad guy Ace Hanlon.

Harman was eventually acclaimed as one of the finest Western pen-and-ink artists, known for his dramatic sense of perspective and authentic action. Contributing artists and writers worked on the strip over the years, including Stephen Slesinger who scripted and approved all of the stories until his death in 1953; Jim Gary, Edmund Good, John Wade ("Johnnie") Hampton, Robert MacLeod and Bill Lignanti (of The Palm Restaurant fame). Charlie Dye, Johnnie Hampton, Joe Beeler and George Phippen were co-founders of the Cowboy Artists of America of which Harman was also a charter member. Harman left Red Ryder in 1963 to concentrate on his paintings, MacLeod continued writing the story continuity for the strip with staff artists of Red Ryder Entp., Inc.

Gaylord DuBois, a prolific comic book writer associated with Slesinger, scripted Red Ryder and Little Beaver for a short period in 1938 and again in the early 1940s.