Black Rider (character)

The Black Rider is a fictional Western character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in All-Western Winners #2 (Winter 1948), from the company's 1940s forerunner, Timely Comics.

Publication history
After appearing in subsequent issues of the All-Western Winners omnibus, by issue #8 the book changed its title to Black Rider, with the character becoming the lead feature. Other company characters, like Kid Colt and Arrowhead also made appearances. After slightly changing its name again, to Western Tales of Black Rider, by issue #32 the book reverted to an anthology format and was renamed Gunsmoke Western (which took over the numbering of the Black Rider title) through the 1950s.

Most of the Black Rider's adventures were drawn by Syd Shores. When the character's adventures were reprinted in the 1970s in Western Gunfighters, the character was renamed the Black Mask.

A one-shot revival, Strange Westerns Starring the Black Rider appeared in 2006, with a story by Steve Englehart and art by Marshall Rogers.

Fictional character biography
As a young man, Matthew Masters was known as the Cactus Kid, an outlaw. His criminal career ended one day at the Last Chance Saloon in Jefferson County, Texas, when he faced the David Gang, who had taken the town hostage. When the dust cleared, the killers were dead, and the Cactus Kid was summoned to the mansion of the governor of Texas. The governor pardoned the young outlaw as a reward for getting rid of the Davis Gang, and the Cactus Kid promised to go to medical school and become a doctor.

Years later, "Doc" Masters became the new physician for the small town of Leadville, Texas. Masters' new peaceful lifestyle left him unwilling to use violence when a hired killer came to town, and he was branded a coward by the townspeople. Masters decided to disguise himself as the Black Rider, so that he could fight criminals without revealing his criminal past to the town. His adventures happens from before 1870 until 1877.

Sometime, in middle of one of his adventures, the Black Rider investigates a crime in Texas that leads him to New York City's Chinatown. There he receives help from a mysterious Chinese man, who is eventually revealed to be a younger version of the Ancient One, future mentor of the occult superhero Doctor Strange.

Much later in his hero career, in 1880, Masters found a dying Masked Rider, Jim Gardley, who was shot by unknown assailants. When Masters tried to assist him and retired the mask from his face, Gardley suddenly died. Masters took the Eternity Mask and decides to search for the killers. Later in life, at his 80s, Masters gives the mask to the young hero Dennis Piper,The Ferret.

Brasilian continuation
The Black Rider (translated as "Cavaleiro Negro") became a very popular hero in Brazil, where he was published by publisher Rio Gráfica since 1949, being published first in the magazine Gibi Mensal. Then the Black Rider starred his own long series of 245 series, 15 annuals and 2 special series, beginning with an issue #1 in September 1952. The civilian name of the Black rider was translated as "Heron Robledo" from Matthew Masters and his horse was called "Molenga" instead of "Ichabod".

When the American material from Marvel ended, Rio Grafica began to created original stories produced by Brazilian authors (since issue #79). Later in the line, (issue #198) they began to adapt stories from the Western hero "Gringo" (From Spain group "Selecciones Ilustradas"). In those later stories, the blonde cowboy Gringo was replaced by the brunette Black Rider, but the art and many of dialogue was left the same, with additional changes in names and story.

Previously, a few American stories of Durango kid were also adapted to be of Black Rider, because of the physical similarity of both heroes.

Other versions
A modern-day version of the character stars in the five-issue ensemble miniseries Six Guns (#1-4 cover-dated January–March 2012), by writer Andy Diggle and artist Davide Gianfelice, and also starring the extant female mercenary Tarantula and new contemporary versions of the Marvel Old West heroes Tex Dawson a.k.a. the Western Kid; Matt Slade; and the Two-Gun Kid.