Bat Lash #6

Bat Lash #6 (On Sale: June 24, 1969) has a cover by Nick Cardy.

(Revenge) is by Sergio Aragones, Denny O'Neil, Mile Sekowsky and Nick Cardy. Some people claim that Nick Cardy was the penciler and Mike Sekowsky was the inker, but this is nonsense. Cardy even talks about this issue in The Art of Nick Cardy saying, "...I was too busy and his pencils really lightened the load. Mike and I went way back so he was great to step in and assist. Mike had a wonderful eye for design. I always felt Mike's talent was wasted on super-hero books."

The story opens with Bat Lash riding through a driving rainstorm when he comes upon a funeral in progress. As he is getting off his horse he notices that the preacher's voices sounds sort of familiar. Bat walks up to the grave and faces off against the preacher gunning him down with a lightning quick draw. The local sheriff is present and pulls his gun on Bat, saying that was "the brazenest thing I ever seen...cold-blooded murder in front of twenty witnesses!" Only Bat points out that the "preacher" has a .44 derringer in his had and was about a second away from gunning down Bat. The sheriff doesn't know what to make of this, but decides to lock Bat Lash up till he figures out what is going on.

While in a nice dry cell Bat relates the story of "preacher" Rickett, how 10 years earlier Bat lived on a farm with his family and how one day Rickett rode into their property, bringing good news. Seems he had discovered oil on their land. Rickett talks Bat's father into selling his farm to get the cash up for well equipment. Only, they drilled for an entire week and never hit any oil. When young Bat was looking for rocks to build a fireplace he found an empty oil barrel and knew his family had been swindled.

I'd love to tell you the rest of the story, only I can't find my copy. All I can locate is my copy of All-Star Western #9, which reprints the first half of this issue. Reprinted in All-Star Western #9, All-Star Western #10 and Millennium Edition: All-Star Western 10 (#17).

Edited by Joe Orlando.