We're back with the second half of Kit West's adventures in Cow Puncher Comics.
Kit was an interesting character, especially when viewed from a modern perspective. A Cowgirl hero in a cowboy world, she seems to have been striving for the future. She both stood independent and was bound by convention.
With only six tales, they did try to be creative while holding to the Western world in which the stories took place. Yesterday we saw her go up against "The Devil" and today we see her face off with an Orangutang. Just a bit different than the typical cowboy confrontations.
Being a Western hero, her villains were often "Injuns" and yet, they often tried to be more than the stereotypes indicated by the "You betchum" dialogue. Usually, the Red Menace in the stories are acting or reacting to villainous white guys. Or something a bit more creative, as in our third tale today.
It's well worth looking at the somewhat clumsy nature of the forward thinking behind Kit West's tales and use that for a bit of perspective. Today's efforts to be progressive will look just as clumsy and unenlightened to those looking back in another generation or so.
But the self-aggrandizing arrogance of the modern Woke movement will likely not fare as well upon later reflection. Woke is all too often a trendy 'feel-good' version of Awoken/Enlightened - without the self-awareness that comes with the latter state. It's a good step, but it's still merely a step on a path and not the destination - so get a grip. Thinking and acting like 'you've arrived' is both self-deception and counter productive because you drive away everyone else who can still see your flaws, and entrenches them deeper in their moral foxholes.
Okay - i think i've probably achieved my obligatory ramble by now, eh?
Let's jump in and have fun with Kit instead of more blabbage. We've got two more illustrated by Jill Elgin, and a third from Howard Larsen...
Yeah, i'm gonna leave that last line hanging...
Kit was an interesting character, especially when viewed from a modern perspective. A Cowgirl hero in a cowboy world, she seems to have been striving for the future. She both stood independent and was bound by convention.
With only six tales, they did try to be creative while holding to the Western world in which the stories took place. Yesterday we saw her go up against "The Devil" and today we see her face off with an Orangutang. Just a bit different than the typical cowboy confrontations.
Being a Western hero, her villains were often "Injuns" and yet, they often tried to be more than the stereotypes indicated by the "You betchum" dialogue. Usually, the Red Menace in the stories are acting or reacting to villainous white guys. Or something a bit more creative, as in our third tale today.
It's well worth looking at the somewhat clumsy nature of the forward thinking behind Kit West's tales and use that for a bit of perspective. Today's efforts to be progressive will look just as clumsy and unenlightened to those looking back in another generation or so.
But the self-aggrandizing arrogance of the modern Woke movement will likely not fare as well upon later reflection. Woke is all too often a trendy 'feel-good' version of Awoken/Enlightened - without the self-awareness that comes with the latter state. It's a good step, but it's still merely a step on a path and not the destination - so get a grip. Thinking and acting like 'you've arrived' is both self-deception and counter productive because you drive away everyone else who can still see your flaws, and entrenches them deeper in their moral foxholes.
Okay - i think i've probably achieved my obligatory ramble by now, eh?
Let's jump in and have fun with Kit instead of more blabbage. We've got two more illustrated by Jill Elgin, and a third from Howard Larsen...
Yeah, i'm gonna leave that last line hanging...
page art by Jill Elgin and Howard Larsen from Cow Puncher Comics #s 5-7 (1947)
