Writers – Robert Kanigher, Gardner Fox
Artists – Mort Drucker, Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane
Inkers – Seymour Barry, Joe Giella

Four stories take place in this second issue of Johnny Thunder, all of them reprints once more and this time Johnny Thunder and The Nighthawk are joined by The Trigger Twins. Who stars in the first tale but Thunder himself in what can only be called ‘Battle of the War Bonnet.’ Here, Johnny must help a young brave named Swift Deer, who aims to be just like Johnny Thunder himself, while also trying to stop the Mesa Mack gang, who want to kill the Western hero. The Trigger Twins are up next, and their story finds Walt not having the best of luck as Sheriff at the moment. Thankfully, his twin brother Wayne is always there to help him out when he’s in a pickle and just in time as the Hit and Run gang look to make an example out of Walt the second they are able. The third feature stars none other than Nighthawk, who has currently found himself without his memory. Having amnesia is no easy thing, especially when one is a masked crimefighter. It is fortunate for him that the local Doctor refuses to look under the mask to gauge his identity, yet unfortunate as he must essentially stumble around until he can figure it out himself. When some never-do-wells and the sheriff’s son show up, it proves to be just what he needs in order to become the man he once was. In a final outing, John Tane, the alter-ego of Johnny Thunder, never usually finds himself in trouble. That all changes when an imposter who looks just like him shows up at his door and takes him hostage in order to lure out the real Johnny Thunder so that the Drygulch Gang might kill him. That, of course, does not happen, and the hero manages to escape and save the day. Altogether, this was a very fun issue filled with as much cowboy action as one could hope for. Robert Kanigher and Gardner Fox know exactly what the audience wants to see, and that finds the good guys facing off against a lot of bad guys, though not without a bit of struggle first. Every tale finds the heroes down and out for a bit, whether thanks to the villains or by some other means, but they always manage to find a way out of it and rise to the occasion. The artwork is just as good as the stories, and one can find a who’s who of great illustrators in this issue, including Carmine Infantino, Mort Drucker, and Gil Kane, all of whom make their stories as exciting as possible. While it would have been nice to see some original tales featuring Johnny Thunder or even a feature-length story, these reprints are still quite good and a perfect escape from everyday tedium.

3.5 out of 5