Billy the Kid Adventure Magazine #23

When a prospector named Jeb is murdered by his greed-stricken partner Phil Kessler, Billy the Kid swears vengeance and pursues him across treacherous terrain—mountains, hostile territory, and finally the merciless desert itself. With dwindling supplies, a lame horse, and an empty gun, Billy tracks Kessler deeper into the wasteland, but the desert and Kessler's cunning conspiracies threaten to kill him before he ever gets his chance. In this gritty 1954 tale from Billy the Kid Adventure Magazine, hatred becomes Billy's only compass in a landscape determined to bury them both.

When a smooth-talking con man called the Deacon uses honeyed words to trick Billy the Kid into surrendering his guns, the outlaw must prove that he's sharper than any sermon—and faster than a false preacher's draw. As the Deacon and his gang ride toward an isolated ranch to finish off a defenseless nester, Billy races to intercept them, relying on cunning and marksmanship instead of the moral arguments that nearly broke his spirit.

Zebe Skinflint, the seemingly kindly proprietor of the local pawn shop, leads a double life as the Loan Arranger—a masked hero with a quick draw. When a robbery attempt on the Deadeye First National Bank puts him to the test, our hero takes action with guns blazing against the Black Bart gang. In true western fashion, the Loan Arranger's reward for stopping the outlaws circles back to help his old friend in an unexpected twist.