DOC DRAGGETT

Real Name: Draggett (first name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Human technology user (Old West era)

Occupation: Criminal; former scientist

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Kid Colt (Blaine Colt)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Doc (nickname)

Base of Operations: His secluded hideout/workshop, somewhere in the Purple Hills

First Appearance: Gunsmoke Western#73/1 (November, 1962)

Powers/Abilities: Draggett had been a scientist in some unspecified field, but he eventually turned to bank robbery.

To get revenge on Kid Colt for his apprehension and imprisonment, Draggett built a robot that could outdraw the gunslinger.

Height: Unrevealed (5'10"; by approximation)
Weight: Unrevealed (160 lbs.; by approximation)
Eyes: Pale-blue/gray
Hair: Brown

History:
(Gunsmoke Western#73/1 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Draggett is largely unrevealed, but he had been a scientist years earlier, which earned him the nickname of "Doc." He eventually became a bank robber, and his crimes drew the attention of Kid Colt.

(Gunsmoke Western#73/1 (fb)) - Brandishing his gun, Draggett was in the process of robbing the Vistaville Bank, when Kid Colt entered--both of Colt's pistols were holstered. But in the split-second before Draggett could even fire his gun at him, Colt drew his own pair of pistols and shot Draggett's gun from his hand with one, and Draggett's gun-belt from his waist with the other--after Draggett was captured, Kid Colt rode out of town ("Lawmen and me don't mix too good!"). The humiliated Draggett was turned over to the sheriff, and he was sentenced to serve a five-year term in the territorial prison.

   Five years later, Draggett was released from prison, but he vowed to get revenge on Kid Colt. After getting himself a secluded hideout, Doc Draggett realized that no man was fast enough to beat Kid Colt in a showdown gunfight, so he began work on one of the most incredible schemes in Western history. For countless days and nights, Draggett labored on his creation, losing track of everything except his burning desire for vengeance upon the man who had defeated him--but he was confident that when his work was finished, he would defeat Kid Colt!

(Gunsmoke Western#73/1) - Draggett finally completed his creation: A man-sized robot (see comments), which he designed to draw and fire a gun twice as fast as any human! He tested the robot with a crude drawing of Kid Colt on the wall; at Draggett's verbal command, the automaton drew its gun and rapidly fired six shots--every one was a bull's-eye, and it did it twice as fast as Kid Colt! After dressing the robot in some clothes, Draggett was ready to enact his scheme for revenge.

(Gunsmoke Western#73/1 - BTS) - Draggett set his robot in an alleyway off the town's main street, then he spread word around that he wanted to challenge Kid Colt to a showdown, but that the Kid was too afraid to face him.

(Gunsmoke Western#73/1) - When Kid Colt heard of the defaming rumors, he traced them down and eventually located Draggett on the street. But Draggett told Colt that he would take him on next, because he had a "friend" waiting in the alley who wanted to confront Colt first; Draggett claimed that Colt had caused his "friend's" face to become so scarred that "he" didn't want to show himself in public, and that's why "he" wanted to challenge Colt in the alley.

   Kid Colt looked in the alley and could only see the shadowed silhouette of his challenger. But then Draggett told Colt to stand aside, because he wanted his "friend" to demonstrate how fast "he" was. Draggett called out the command to draw, and his "friend" drew "his" gun lightning-quick and fired six shots--upon seeing this exhibition, Kid Colt became disconcerted, because he knew that even he himself couldn't draw nearly that fast!

   But refusing to back down from the challenge, Colt entered the alley, and Draggett instructed him to tell his opponent when to go for "his" gun. Kid Colt realized that if he couldn't outdraw his challenger, then he'd have to outsmart "him" somehow. After calling for his opponent to draw, Kid Colt immediately dropped to the ground, below the line of fire--he knew that anyone who drew and fired so fast couldn't stop to change his aim. As he lay face-down on the ground and all six of his challenger's shots whizzed by over him, Kid Colt fired a single shot at his mysterious opponent, which caused "him" to topple to the ground.

   When Kid Colt went over to look at his fallen foe, he wasn't too surprised to discover that it was a mechanical man, since nothing human could have drawn so fast--he resolved that his metallic opponent was one "hombre" that would never draw again.

   But then Kid Colt overheard some of the townsmen talking as they stood over the body of Doc Draggett--the bullet Colt fired at the robot had ricocheted off its tin body and hit Draggett, killing him instantly; one of the townsmen commented that it was "kinda a poetic way for the Doc to cash in."

   And so Kid Colt triumphantly rode out of town, having proven that a man could defeat any opponent...as long as he used the brain he was born with.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Jack Keller.

It's curious that Draggett referred to his mechanical man as a "robot," since that term wasn't even used (at least in the real-world) until the 20th century, in the 1920 science-fiction play R.U.R.

This 7-page story--I Can Outdraw Kid Colt!--never revealed how Doc Draggett gained the knowledge to build a robot, but I guess some possibilities are:

1. Maybe Draggett had some association with Victor Timely/Kang the Conqueror (Kang did spend some time in the Old West @ Avengers I#141-143).

2. Maybe Draggett himself was a time-traveler from some future era (...which would explain how he knew the term "robot").

3. Maybe he was a mutant with an advanced mentality.

4. Or maybe he was just an ordinary man who was "ahead of his time."

Profile by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Doc Draggett has no known connections to:

Doc Draggett's robot has no known connections to:

Doc Draggett's robot

Wanting to get revenge on Kid Colt for sending him to prison, Doc Draggett built a mechanical man made of tin--the robot was armed with two guns on its belt.

When given the verbal command "Draw!," the automaton responded by drawing a gun from its holster and immediately firing all six shots--its accuracy with a stationary target was incredible, for every shot was a bull's-eye.

Although it could draw its gun twice as fast as a human, the robot's speed was also its greatest weakness, for it fired so fast that it was unable to adjust its aim if its target moved.

Kid Colt faced the robot in a showdown gunfight, and when he called for it to draw, he immediately dropped to the ground, below the robot's line of fire; Colt then followed with a single shot of his own, which caused the automaton to topple over--possibly the impact of its fall damaged the robot beyond repair.

Ironically, the bullet from Colt's gunshot had ricocheted off the mechanical man's tin body and struck Doc Draggett, instantly killing the robot's creator.

(Comment: There was no evidence in the story that the robot could walk about independently--it appeared that its arms were the only moving parts of its body. So how did it move around? I guess Doc would just Draggett.)

--Gunsmoke Western#73/1

images: (without ads)
Gunsmoke Western#73/1, p1, pan1 (Main Image - Doc Draggett, robbing bank)
Gunsmoke Western#73/1, p4, pan2 (Headshot - Doc Draggett)
Gunsmoke Western#73/1, p3, pan3 (Doc Draggett, working on his robot)
Gunsmoke Western#73/1, p6, pan5 (Doc Draggett (left) challenges Kid Colt to face his "friend" (actually his robot - background) in alley)
Gunsmoke Western#73/1, p3, pan5 (Doc Draggett finishes working on his robot)
Gunsmoke Western#73/1, p4, pan3 (Doc Draggett tests his robot by having it fire at crude drawing of Kid Colt on wall)
Gunsmoke Western#73/1, p4, pan5 (Doc Draggett dresses his robot)
Gunsmoke Western#73/1, p7, pan3 (Kid Colt ducks under line of fire and shoots Doc Draggett's robot)
Gunsmoke Western#73/1, p7, pan4 (Kid Colt discovers secret of Doc Draggett's "friend")

Appearances:
Gunsmoke Western#73/1 (November, 1962) - Stan Lee (writer/editor), Jack Keller (pencils and inks), Stan Goldberg (colors), Artie Simek (letters)

First Posted: 10/06/2021
Last updated: 10/06/2021

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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