Just in time for Valentine's Day, here's a tale of romance from the Old West:

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"The Eyes of Johnny Thunder"

Writer: Gardner Fox

Artists: Gil Kane & Joe Giella



As we begin our story, we find schoolteacher John Tane hammering away in his classroom fixing up some old chairs, when he's suddenly interrupted by the sound of gunfire coming from the street outside. Quickly changing into his Johnny Thunder disguise, he's shocked to find that the shots are being fired by a group of lovely young women, all firing at a hastily arranged target (and missing badly, at that!). The ladies immediately gather around the lawman to ask for pointers:
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Johnny goes on to explain to the sheriff that he hatched this scheme to try and draw out Madame .44, who we're told recently wrote to the elder Tane brazenly informing him that she'd be coming to Mesa City for a date with Johnny! The following day, the ladies gather for the competition:
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But before Johnny can announce the winner of the shoot, Sheriff Tane interrupts with the news that Madame .44 has just robbed a stagecoach near Stovepipe Rock. Much to his chagrin, Johnny now realizes his scheme has failed, and he rushes off to track down his nemesis. At the crime scene, he spots a vital clue:
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JT is indeed correct, and as the scene shifts to the deserted relay station, things are getting tense between Madame .44 and her two henchmen. It appears that they aren't too thrilled with their leader's plan of giving most of the money back to miners cheated by a local con man named Joe Hendricks, the victim of their recent hold-up. The matter soon comes to a head:
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Thunder explodes on the two bandits, furious that they'd pull a gun on a lady, and makes quick work of them.:
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But just as Johnny is about to unmask Madame .44, one of her henchman gets a bright idea:
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That's right - apparently this baddie figures his best bet to escape is by blowing up a half keg of gunpowder sitting nearby (!!). His plan works, with disastrous results for our hero:
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Madame .44 quickly comes to Johnny's aid:
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The lady then helps Thunder gather up the stolen loot and stagger out of the wrecked station before the gang members revive. Though they're both disabled, they manage to mount their horses and head for the hills. A few minutes later, Johnny gets an idea to try and throw the hoodlums off their trail:
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Johnny struggles to carry Madame .44 up the bank on the other side of the creek. Meanwhile, the two bandits (who we're told were freed from their bonds by the blast, but otherwise unharmed) are in hot pursuit trying to regain the loot Thunder is carrying. And unfortunately for our hero, at least one of the two goons is not as dumb as he appears:
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Meanwhile, Madame .44 carefully guides Johnny across the rickety bridge, but another peril arises:
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After one missed shot, Thunder nails the wolf on the second try, but its momentum carries it into Johnny and knocks him off the bridge. Yet somehow he manages to hang on for dear life even with Madame .44 dangling around his neck:
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But there's no rest for the weary, as a rifle shot cracks over their heads and they realize that the bandits are closing in. Johnny quickly gathers himself and carries Madame .44 to a narrow canyon road where he hatches another plan:
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The thieves, not aware that their adversaries are handicapped immediately surrender, but as Johnny slips up from behind to bind them, they quickly realize their mistake:
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Madame .44 then rides off, leaving Johnny to hand over the crooks and their loot, and then visit the town doctor:
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I'm not as enamored of this story as the first one. JT is able to perform all kinds of heroic feats while blind, but Madame .44 gets injured, and what does she get to do - throw a pebble!?

So there you go... Julie leaves his readers with that tantalizing conclusion, as we're left to wonder if the mysterious Jeanne Walker is really the object of Johnny's quest! But is she? I guess you'll all have to wait another couple of months to find out!

Coming later this month: Meet the West's only honest-to-goodness Super-hero!

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"As for contentment, that is a myth.  Give a man everything he wishes and he will be unhappy, because he didn't wish for more; give him more, and he will die of his worries.  Only a turtle, asleep on a sunny log, knows contentment!"
-Merlin to Prince Valiant

            Hal Foster 3-7-43
Last Edited By: Osgood Peabody Feb 13 11 4:41 PM. Edited 2 times.