BLACKJACK
Real Name: Unrevealed
Identity/Class: Human (Old West era)
Occupation: Gambler, saloon owner
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: None
Enemies: Ben Avery, unidentified poker player, unidentified sheriff/Red Beard Dolan
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: His saloon/gambling hall in an unidentified town
First Appearance: Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4 (March, 1956)
Powers/Abilities: Having no paranormal abilities, the wealthy Blackjack was a highly-skilled poker player (...either that, or a highly-skilled cheater!).
Although a tough-talker when armed with his derringer while he was facing an unarmed opponent, Blackjack was a coward when threatened with a confrontation by a superior gunman.
Height: 5' 10" (by
approximation)
Weight: 160 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Unknown
Hair: Black
History: (Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Blackjack is unrevealed, but he eventually established a saloon/casino in town.
(Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4) - Blackjack had just won a poker game against the elderly Ben Avery and two other players -- Avery was despondent, for he had lost every cent he had. One of the other players accused Blackjack of playing with a stacked deck; not taking too kindly to being accused of cheating, Blackjack threatened the man with his derringer. Just then, the sheriff entered the saloon. The lawman heard about Avery losing to Blackjack, so he tried to talk the casino owner into returning Avery's money -- the old man needed it for his sick wife...besides, Blackjack was rich enough, he'd never miss it. But the heartless Blackjack wasn't swayed by the lawman's words ("I ain't runnin' no charity game here!") and refused to comply. As he left the saloon, the sheriff told Blackjack he couldn't force him to return the money, nor could he prove that he ran a crooked game, but he warned the shady casino owner that he'd be keeping an eye on him -- Blackjack smugly smiled and told the lawman to have a good day.
(Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4 - BTS) - Feeling sorry for Ben Avery, the sheriff formulated a plan to get the old man's money back by employing a simple disguise and conducting a campaign of "psychological warfare" to intimidate Blackjack. With the assistance of one of the townsmen, the sheriff would get word to Blackjack that Red Beard Dolan was riding into town -- Dolan was supposedly "the most dangerous man in the county," and he was holding up and shooting gambling hall owners from one end of the territory to the other (see comments).
(Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4) - One week later, the townsman warned Blackjack about Red Beard Dolan, so Blackjack went to the sheriff's office to ask for protection. But the lawman told Blackjack that he couldn't do anything about Dolan because he had no evidence against him... just like he had no evidence that Blackjack ran a crooked game.
That night, Blackjack saw a red-bearded stranger riding through the darkened streets of the town, and shortly thereafter he went to the sheriff's office and begged the lawman for help; but the sheriff nonchalantly told him he couldn't do anything because Dolan hadn't broken any laws in town yet ("If he enters your saloon and shoots it up, call me! Otherwise, don't bother me!"). The fearful Blackjack continued to plead for help, so the sheriff said he'd see to it that Dolan didn't bother him again on one condition: Blackjack had to return the money he won from Avery, shut down his saloon, and leave town. Seeing he had no other recourse, Blackjack agreed to the sheriff's terms and left town -- his eventual fate is unrevealed.
The next day, Ben Avery went to the sheriff's office to thank him for getting his money back. Avery walked into the office and saw a bearded stranger standing there -- he was surprised when the stranger pulled off his false beard and revealed himself to be the sheriff.
Comments: Created by Stan Lee (writer) and Al Williamson (artist)
This story--"Gambling House!"--was just a filler
story, and Kid Colt did not appear in it; it was reprinted in Kid Colt
Outlaw I#216.
It was unrevealed whether Red Beard Dolan was actually real, or just the
fictitious creation of the sheriff -- Blackjack had no idea who Dolan was
until the townsman informed him.
Profile by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Blackjack has no known connections to:
Ben Avery has no known connections to:
The unidentified sheriff/Red Beard Dolan has no known connections to:
The unidentified poker player has no known connections to:
An elderly man with a sick wife, he wasn't a very good poker player; he made the mistake of playing against Blackjack and lost all his money as a
result. But the sheriff eventually helped Ben behind-the-scenes by
wearing a disguise and frightening Blackjack into returning Ben's money.
Avery later went to the sheriff's office to thank the lawman for getting his
money back, and saw a red-bearded stranger standing there; Ben exclaimed his
surprise when the stranger pulled off his false beard and revealed himself
to be the sheriff ("Well I'll be
hornswoggled!").
--Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4
The lawman of the Western town, he learned that Ben Avery had lost all his money in a poker game with Blackjack. Feeling sorry for the impoverished old man, he tried to talk Blackjack into returning Avery's money, but the cold-hearted Blackjack refused.
So the sheriff went beyond the constraints of the law to help Avery -- he put on a false beard and disguised himself as outlaw Red Beard Dolan, all to frighten Blackjack into giving back Avery's money and leaving town.
--Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4
Along with Ben Avery and another man, he had been engaged in a poker game with Blackjack. He accused Blackjack of cheating and the casino owner threatened him with a derringer.
But he stood his ground and pointed out that Blackjack was only talking tough because he wasn't armed, while Blackjack had a gun; in disgust, Blackjack let him go because he didn't think it was worth wasting words on him.
--Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4
images: (without ads)
Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4, p1, pan1 (Main Image, Blackjack (with saloon girl) collecting his poker winnings)
Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4, p2, pan2 (Headshot, Blackjack)
Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4, p1, pan2 (Blackjack threatening unidentified poker player with his derringer)
Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4, p3, pan1 (Blackjack begs sheriff for help)
Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4, p1, pan1 (Ben Avery loses his money to Blackjack)
Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4, p1, pan2 (Ben Avery)
Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4, p4, pan1 (unidentified sheriff tells Blackjack his terms)
Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4, p4, pan4 (sheriff disguised as Red Beard Dolan)
Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4, p4, pan5 (sheriff removes false beard)
Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4, p1, pan2 (unidentified poker player threatened by Blackjack)
Appearances:
Kid Colt Outlaw I#58/4 (March, 1956) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Al Williamson (pencils), Gray Morrow (inks)
Last updated: 01/02/17
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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