Avengers, The (1963 series) #142

The Official Index lists the last chronologically previous appearances of the cowboys. As all their series had finished by then or gone into total reprint mode they were able to choose the last non-reprint story and assume the Avengers tale happened later. For Kid Colt it lists Giant-Size KC#3. In this case the Marvel Continuity Project has a better idea - the later KC#201 which was the last to include a non-reprint story (and the last of all the cowboy non-reprints). And coincidentally published in the same month as Av#142. Night Rider also has GSKC#3 which included a KC/NR team-up. This was the last *published* story of Carter Slade. But there is at least 1 CS tale which has to occur later, as I will explain next issue. On the other hand Rawhide Kid is given KC#201, his last published non-reprint appearance, in this case a KC/RK team-up. Ringo Kid is taken all the way back to Gunsmoke Western #53, his last published new appearance. (His 1970's issues were all reprints.) Two-Gun Kid has #104 of his own series, the last to contain a non-reprint story.

Kid Colt may be the longest-running cowboy comic character, with his own series lasting from 1948 to 1979, though with mostly reprints in the later years, and lots of other appearances. Rawhide Kid had his own series in the mid-50's, and revived in the early 60'. His series too lasted until the end of the 70's, again with many reprints. Ringo Kid was also a 'child' of the 50's, but stayed there. His 70's series was a reprint of the original. There was *a* Two-Gun Kid in the late 40's, even preceding Kid Colt. But *this* Matt Hawk Kid Colt was invented in the early 60's. He was the 1st of these heroes to maintain a secret public identity. Night Rider is also an invention of modern Marvel. He was originally Ghost Rider in his own series in 1967. But he's been renamed here to avoid confusion with the later motorbike-riding supernatural hero. Later he'll get called Phantom Rider. He also had an active secret id Carter Slade.

Despite being part of the Serpent Crown story this issue and the next will concentrate on Kang and the cowboys. The cover is misleading, showing the cowboys fighting the Avengers (including Hawkeye). And Iron Man's included when he's not in the Wild West past. Moondragon and Thor don't do anything during the attempted robbery. In fact they don't do much the rest of the issue either. This story really spotlights Hawkeye and the cowboys.