I don’t own a copy of this pulp, but I recently read an e-book reprint of it that’s also available in a paperback edition. I don’t have any idea who did the pulp cover. The lead novel was also reprinted in paperback around 1970 by Curtis Books with a cover by Vic Prezio. The fellow on the cover of that paperback edition is definitely our old friend Steve Holland. (Thanks to Martin O'Hearn for his helpful info on the paperback edition.)
“Iron Horse Gunsmoke” is the third Masked Rider novel after the series was
taken over by Better Publications and became part of the Thrilling Group, after
the first dozen or so issues were published by Ranger Publications. It’s the
second Masked Rider tale by veteran pulpster Donald Bayne Hobart, who wrote 19
Masked Rider novels, more than any other writer who contributed to the series.
(Walker A. Tompkins was second with 18.) For those of you who don’t recall, the
Masked Rider was more than likely inspired by/an homage to/ripped off from The
Lone Ranger. He’s a good guy outlaw who wears a mask and travels with a
faithful Indian companion as they drift around the West, helping folks in need,
dispensing justice to owlhoot varmints, and generally adventuring. But as it
turns out, the character is a lot more interesting than you might think. Unlike
The Lone Ranger, who only occasionally uses disguises, the Masked Rider spends
a large portion of each novel pretending to be drifting cowboy Wayne Morgan.
The novels make it clear that Morgan is not the character’s true identity; he’s
just as fictional as the Masked Rider himself. Somewhere in the mists of the
past, the Masked Rider and his family ran afoul of injustice, and that’s why he
dons a black cape and mask and sets out to right wrongs. But who he really is
or what his actual background might be, we never find out. His Yaqui friend
Blue Hawk, like Tonto to The Lone Ranger, is no mere sidekick. He’s an equal
partner in the fight against lawlessness and is tough and smart and just as
much of a badass as The Masked Rider. They’re a great team.
In “Iron Horse Gunsmoke”, Hobart gives us a nice twist in the plot. In most Western novels featuring the building of a railroad, the cattlemen are all for it since the steel rails will make it easier for them to ship their herds to market. In this novel, however, through a series of misunderstandings, as well as events manipulated by shadowy villains, the railroaders and the ranchers are mortal enemies, and it’s up to the Masked Rider to uncover what’s really going on and expose the true villains behind the violence erupting on the range. It’s a breakneck, full-tilt yarn full of shootouts, ambushes, fistfights, avalanches, and dynamite blasts. I’ve become a fan of Hobart’s work in recent years because of this high-speed pacing and his solidly written action scenes. He has a good handle on the Masked Rider and Blue Hawk, too, and the supporting characters are always colorful and interesting in a Hobart novel. I raced through this story and really enjoyed it.
Tom Gunn was a house-name used by Syl McDowell on the Sheriff Blue Steele series. Frank Gruber has also been linked to that name, but it’s likely that other Thrilling Group regulars also used it. The short story under that by-line in this issue, “Roaring Verdict”, doesn’t strike me as the work of either McDowell or Gruber. There’s really no telling who wrote this short tale of the violent confrontation between an old lawman and a cunning outlaw. It’s almost all action and well-written, but it probably could have used some sort of plot twist. Even so, it’s an entertaining story.
The issue wraps up with “That Bond of Courage”, a short story by George H. Michener, a fairly prolific but forgotten Western pulp author. It’s about the wintry clash between two sodbusters and a local cattle baron. There’s an attempted murder, a trek through a blizzard, and some unexpected redemption. This is a well-written, low-key story that comes to a satisfactory conclusion. Nothing earthshaking here, but I liked it.
Overall, this is a good issue of MASKED RIDER WESTERN MAGAZINE. The Masked Rider novel by Donald Bayne Hobart is a solidly entertaining Western adventure yarn, and it takes up most of the pages. I’m a Hobart fan and I’ve become very interested in his work, so I expect to read something else by him in the near future.
