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Adventure Comics
- 11 (December 1936) The Dude Ranch, Part 3
- 15 (May 1937) The Snatch
These best stories of the comic books are preceded by their issue number.
Slim and Tex
Slim and Tex were two good natured cowboys, who were best friends are friendly rivals. They form an idealized portrait of friendship between two men. Both men looked young and not too experienced, although both were competent cowboys.
Slim and Tex work at "The Triple X" ranch, near the town of Painted Tent, apparently in Arizona. It is owned by the beautiful, spirited woman Helen Harley, whom they address as Miss Helen, and her father. The stories are set in modern times, with cars as well as trains and horses being part of this world.
Asking Helen to the Dance (#4, March-April 1936). Writer: A. Leslie Ross. Art: A. Leslie Ross. The first Slim and Tex story.
The Dude Ranch, Part 3 (1936). Writer: Alex Lovy. Art: Alex Lovy. Kidnappers threaten an innocent young woman who is hiding out at the dude ranch.
Previous episodes of Slim and Tex were comedy anecdotes, two pages long. With the change of writer-artist here, we get a new approach. The stories become longer. Crime and adventure elements are now introduced. The series is turned into a full fledged mystery-adventure tale. Lovy greatly thickens the plot. All the characters and story lines are greatly developed here, some in surprising ways. This is an excellent story on all levels, both plot and art.
Unlike many other early adventure serials in the comics, this tale has no racist elements. This too makes it unusual.
The art here is one of the great celebrations of male bonding in comic books.
The Snatch (1937). Writer: Alex Lovy. Art: Alex Lovy. First Slim, then Tex go after the kidnappers. This is the last Slim and Tex tale. The story breaks off in mid point, with Slim wounded, and Tex tracking down the kidnappers. Apparently, the series was canceled before any final episodes could be written, or at least published. This particular episode was published after a gap of four months; it might have been created long before, and originally scheduled for #12, but delayed when the series was canceled.