JOE BLAKE

Real Name: Joe Blake

Identity/Class: Normal human (Old West Era)

Occupation: Deputy Sheriff

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Wyatt Earp

Enemies: Luke (last name unrevealed)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Trail's End, American mid-west

First Appearance: Gunsmoke Western#64/4 (May, 1961)

Powers/Abilities: Joe Blake was a young and impressionable man. He seemed to be a good gunfighter.

History:

(Gunsmoke Western#64/4 (fb) - BTS) - Joe Blake helped the nefarious Luke to case the town of Trail's End, working out a plan on how to hold up the bank. Unbeknown to them, the town's sheriff, Wyatt Earp, was watching them.

(Gunsmoke Western#64/4) - While they watched the bank, Luke told Blake his plan how they would steal the bank's gold - Blake would become the Deputy Sheriff and allow Luke to escape. He pushed Blake into applying for the position. Slightly hesitant, the young man did so and was given the star badge, advised by the sheriff that he now had a sworn duty to uphold the law. Early the next day while walking the streets of the town, Earp and Blake came across two men, who recognized Blake from an earlier encounter and who wanted to settle an old score. The sheriff refused to back down, shooting away the two men's guns. Blake was surprised that the sheriff would risk his life for him and it made him re-evaluate his role in life. A few minutes later, news of a bank robbery in progress reached the two lawmen and they rushed over to confront the thief. Luke told Blake to shoot the sheriff in the back, but Blake instead declared that he was following his newfound duty. Luke told the sheriff of Blake's role in organizing a plan for the robbery, but the sheriff said that he recognized the two's motives, but that Blake showed potential for good if given the opportunity. Blake escorted the unlucky Luke into jail.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee (writer), Jack Kirby (pencils) and Dick Ayers (inks).

Wyatt Earp did not reveal his name to anyone in the story; his name and recognition of his fame was given in the text box at the end of the tale. Given his fame, Earp probably took an assumed name in the town.

This story was reprinted in Kid Colt Outlaw I#197/2 (August, 1975), which is where the images are from.

Profile by Grendel Prime.

CLARIFICATIONS :
Joe Blake has no known connections to:

• Blake, Becky - lawyer, partner and former secretary of Matt Murdock & Foggy Nelson @ Daredevil I#155
• Blake, Donald - physician created by Odin as mortal identity of Thor @ Journey into Mystery I#83
• Blake, Eden (Earth-93060) - body taken over by Lukasz to become Mantra @ Mantra#1
• Blake, Emily - attracted to Ben Urich @ Daredevil Annual I#7/3
  
• Blake, Evie (Earth-93060) -daughter of Eden @ Mantra I#1
• Blake, Gus (Earth-93060) -ex-husband of Eden @ Mantra I#2
• Blake, Gus, jr (Earth-93060) -son of Eden @ Mantra I#1
• Blake, Kent (1950s era) - of the Special Investigations Department @ Kent Blake of the Secret Service#1
• or any other "Joe" or "Blake" characters

images: (without ads)
Kid Colt Outlaw I#197/2, p1 (main image)

Other Appearances: None

Last updated: 10/30/10

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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