Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Avon Publications, golden age, pre-code horror

Graham Ingels' Take On Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok #1 at Auction

Wild Bill Hickok became Avon Publications' longest-lived series, but the title character took a back seat to Calamity Jane on his series debut

Published Sat, 11 Mar 2023 22:00:09 -0600

by Mark Seifert

Last updated Mon, 30 Sep 2024 16:16:21 -0500

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Article Summary

Avon Publications launched Wild Bill Hickok #1 amidst 1949's Western storytelling boom, featuring Graham Ingels' artwork.
Despite the title, Calamity Jane, drawn by Ingels, dominates the #1 issue cover.
Calamity Jane's connection to Wild Bill Hickok adds historical intrigue, blending fact and fiction in their legends.
Wild Bill Hickok became Avon’s longest-running series, with the debut issue being a prized collectible.

Stories of the American West held a strong fascination for the reading public in the 19th century, and that interest has endured to the present day. Avon Publications started their Wild Bill Hickok comic book title at a time of rising interest in such stories as the media landscape and comic book trends were changing. Wild Bill Hickok #1, cover-dated September-October 1949, features the launch of a 28-issue Wild Bill Hickok series running 1949-1956, and is highlighted by a cover drawn by legendary artist Graham Ingels. This debut issue is a desirable collectible for fans of Hickok, Ingels, and Wild West lore, and a FN- condition copy is up for auction in 2024 October 3 – 5 Good Girl Art and Romance Comics Showcase Auction #40269 at Heritage Auctions.

This cover offers up an interesting snapshot of the comic industry of this 1949 moment. Though the title was clearly started to take advantage of the rising popularity of Westerns across all media, Wild Bill is relegated to a small inset on this cover, and the focus is instead on a beautiful woman. As a "the story behind the cover" feature in this issue explains, this is Calamity Jane, and despite the cover's "true stories from official files" claim, bears no resemblance to photographs of the historical figure. Coincidentally, the Ingels-drawn figure here bears a more general resemblance to Doris Day, who would play Calamity Jane on film a few years later.

A legendary historical figure in her own right, Calamity Jane is best remembered for her connection to Wild Bill Hickok, although the details of this association and her life are perhaps the subject of more speculation than fact. But like Hickok, she too enjoyed a legend through fictional exploits that have echoed in eternity in American history. Artist Graham Ingels is best remembered for his work at EC Comics.

Wild Bill Hickok would become Avon's longest-lived series. There are only 20 entries for this issue on the CGC census, but there's a raw and a FN- condition copy is up for auction in 2024 October 3 – 5 Good Girl Art and Romance Comics Showcase Auction #40269 at Heritage Auctions.