Larry Lieber, Jack Oleck – Writer
Larry Lieber, Jack Davis – Artist
Vince Coletta – Inker
George Roussos, Stan Goldberg – Colours
June Braverman – Letters

Western Team-Up, a title that was pretty self-explanatory and only lasted a single issue would feature two stories, one new and one a reprint when it was first released fifty years ago. Larry Lieber would start the book off with a story featuring the Rawhide Kid and the Dakota Kid, though they would not team up until near the end of the tale. It all begins with a bit of testosterone and ends up with Johnny Clay, the Rawhide Kid, getting a job on the Morgan farm thanks to Cliff Morgan or the Dakota Kid, as he calls himself. While things move along, the father complains about his gunslinger son while chores need to be done and the Dakota Kid getting himself thrown in jail, a plot is made to steal the Morgan cattle and Wayde Morgan is gunned down in the scuffle. Things go from bad to worse as the one responsible manages to pin the blame on the Rawhide Kid, the Dakota Kid breaks out of jail and starts to hunt him down while being disowned by his father and bodies follow Cliff Morgan wherever he goes as his search intensifies. Eventually, the two gunmen meat and things, as the reader soon discovers, do not go as they might expect. Larry Lieber writes and illustrates the first tale in this book and does a great job of it. What is most interesting is that the Rawhide Kid plays more of a supporting role to the lesser-known Dakota Kid which is not necessarily a bad thing if trying to establish a new character. The sad thing is that this would be the only appearance of Cliff Morgan in the Marvel Universe, the title being cancelled after this one single issue. The second feature in this book would be brought to life by Jack Oleck, also taking double duties in the creative department, the story a reprint from Kid Colt Outlaw #87 and starring the Gunsmoke Kid. Oleck would go on to have the Gunsmoke Kid interfere in a mining dispute where a man named Benton with a tribe of Piutes at his back are trying to hussle a prospector for his gold. The Kid tries to interfere and while successful at first, gets taken hostage with the old man not soon after. While captured, the Kid comes up with a plan and the two men put it in motion ending up with the good guys winning the day. This was a fun tale as well, with Oleck doing a great job with the material and the man’s pencils being a joy to look at it. As a whole, this issue worked extremely well and it is a shame that no more were produced but understandable as Westerns had faded in popularity at the time of this book’s release in 1973. For those that enjoy the genre, this is one issue that is worth seeking out if in need of a little entertainment.