First
Appearance: Wild Western #4 (November 1948).
Appearances.
All-Western Winners #2-4, Best Western
#58-59, Black Rider #26-27,
Ghost Rider v1 #1-6,
Gunsmoke
Western #32-72, Kid Colt Outlaw #1-229, Mighty Marvel Western
#1-24, Rawhide Kid #50, 64, 67, Two-Gun Kid #13-14, 16-21,
Two
Gun Western v1 #8-14,
Western Winners #5-6, Wild Western
#4-6, 9-11, 20-47, 52, 54-56, Blaze of Glory #1-4, Black Panther
v2 #46.
Years Active: 1870s-1885.
Dan Colt is the owner of the Flying-C Ranch outside of Abiline, Wyoming. Like many another rancher and former cowboy, Dan wants his son, Blaine, to be courageous and true, and says as much to Gabby, the senior hand on the Flying-C. Blaine trains himself from childhood to become an expert with his namesake gun, but he never uses it. Dan thinks that this is because Blaine is soft, and a coward. There's another reason, however--Blaine's temper:
Gabby: Why won't yuh tell him the REAL reason, Blaine?Blaine: I can't, Gabby! He'd worry more than ever! I've kept it to myself all these months...he wouldn't sleep nights, knowing I might turn into a killer! It first happened a year ago...I started practicing with a Colt! I was fast--TOO fast! I could draw afore you could blink yore eye! You know my temper, Gabby! If I carried a Colt, I might shoot the first jasper who said somethin' I didn't like! Sure, I'm scared to wear a gun! But not scared the way Dad thinks I'm scared...I'm scared of HURTIN' SOMEONE!
This all changes
one day when Dan tries to oppose Lash Larribee, the head of the "Ranchers
Protection Association." Larribee cowardly guns Dan down. Blaine, furious,
straps on his Colts, stalks into town, outdraws Larribee and kills him.
Larribee's men then accuse Blaine of murdering Larribee, which forces Blaine
to go on the run. He becomes the itinerant cowboy do-gooder known as Kid
Colt, wandering the Western frontier with his horse Steel.
On occasion Blaine crosses over and teams up with various other Atlas cowboy heroes, like the Rawhide Kid and the Two-Gun Kid. In the modern era it was revealed that Kid Colt was one of those cowboy heroes who helped the Avengers when they traveled back in time to the Old West.
In Blaze of Glory it was revealed that as of 1885 Kid Colt was still on the run from the law, being pursued by the likes of the Pinkertons, Caleb Hammer and the Gunhawk (II); at some point before the events of Blaze of Glory Colt had shot a sheriff, thus earning him the attention of high-profile bounty hunters.
Blaze of Glory further revealed that Colt's origin was somewhat more complicated than had previously been revealed. Blaine Colt, in the newly-revealed/revised/retconned origin, knew that Larribee and his men had swindled Dan Colt out of his land. Blaine suspected Larribee and his men of having killed Dan Colt, but Blaine did not know this for a fact when he killed Larribee and his men. Nor did Blaine give Larribee et al a chance to draw on him; in his own words,
I just got mad and shot them down. They weren't even armed. That's why my Pa didn't want me messing around with guns--he knew my anger and what I might do.In the denouement of Blaze of Glory Colt helps save the town of Wonderment from the evil Night Riders but is backshot and killed by Gunhawk (II).
