Frontier Western #7
In "Dead or Alive!", Stan Lee and John Romita deliver a tense, character-driven Western where Ben Smith—a man who’s never carried a gun—faces his greatest test when he intervenes to save a stagecoach under attack. With his wife’s departure weighing on him and a reputation for being gun-shy, Smith’s sudden act of bravery shocks everyone, including himself. Joe Maneely’s dynamic cover captures the moment’s intensity, perfectly framing the stakes of a man stepping into courage against all odds.
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Moose Harper and Ben Smith own adjoining spreads. Harper is a vicious bully, while Smith doesn't wear a gun and tries to be reasonable when sorting out disputes. His wife leaves him a note telling she can no longer live with a man who is gun shy. He pursues her and sees two men attacking the stage she is on. Despite being unarmed he charges down on them, manages to wrest a gun from one, and shoots. One of them proves to be Moose Harper. All present hail his courage and Nancy rushes back into his arms.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).