Firehair!

Firehair!, or Lynn Cabot if you're nasty, made her debut in Rangers Comics #21 (Feb. 1945). The comic was published by one of Fiction House's many subsidiaries. Rangers Comics was an anthology that featured the U.S. Rangers, a ragtag group of "best specimens of American youths" recruited by the FBI.

Firehair was created by John Starr, a pen name for John Mitchell (1900-?), who wrote many western-themed comics during the Golden Age, and Lee Elias (1920-1998) who was a stalwart artist for Fiction House, Harvey, and DC from 1943 until 1980, mainly focusing on western, war, and horror comics.

Firehair was originally Princess Smith. I'm not positive if she was a princess or if Princess is her name. I think it's her name. It doesn't matter because she would be renamed to the aforementioned Lynn Cabot in issue #24.

Firehair would make her last appearance in Rangers Comics #65 in 1952. Ironically, her last appearance would feature art taken from Rangers Comics #30 from 1946 being reused to tell an all new story.

Did wealthy people really arrive in the West looking like this? "I'm here to start a new life! Where's the rich neighborhood? I brought a pan, where's the gold to scoop up?"

You at least don't stand out or draw attention to yourself.

I know she's using 'queer' in the 'weird' sense but I could see Firehair being a bisexual icon.

A new name? A new country? Are they running from something? That's the only reason you'd move out West and change your name. What crimes were committed in Boston?

I don't think the mules are going to help you find a man. That's not really their thing.

🎵Mule train, mule train

Clippity clopping over hill and plain

Seems as how they'll never stop

Clippity clop, clippity clop

Clippity, clippity, clippity, clippity

Clippity clopping along

There's a plug of chaw tobaccy for a rancher in Corona

A guitar for a cowboy way out in Arizona

A dress of calico for a pretty Navajo

Get along mule, get along🎶

What the hell does that mean?

Hey, Dad, watch the hands.

Wait. You brought what you are running from with you? I'm sure this will be explained later...

What's this guy smoking? I think I know what he's saying, but I'm being more than generous.

The writer is trying to be artistic with his words, but it's really just coming off as weird.

It's one thing to paint stuff on your face trying to look like a Native American, but it's really another level to paint your entire body to look like a Native. That's commitment. Commitment to the bit and to the outstanding amount of racism.

"We haven't had any trouble on this trip, have we?" "No. That's never happened before." Cool. That's what I want to hear when I'm travelling.

I don't like that the local Natives are helping these white people with this. But I guess if the other option is being slaughtered, then I understand.

Sure, your dad can help you. Let him just pull that arrow out of his chest, fix his bones that were crushed by the mules and wagon, and climb back into the wagon.

Everyone had to die so that Firehair could live.

Ok. That's enough. Just pillage the wagon and move on. You don't need to comment on her looks.

"...a hidden watcher comes alive..." "I'm going to be blamed for this, aren't I?" he asks himself.

"I walked through the desert with a girl-with-no-name..."

I would've brought her with me, too. It's not a good look to just leave a dying person if you truly have the ability to save them.

Oh, hey. He really does have two horns.

"The mules...The mules! Daddy! Bones breaking. Flesh tearing...!"

Judgement drums? That sounds made up. Haunting, but made up.

"We are going to be blamed for the slaughter of these white people so we should kill this other white person." I don't think that's a good idea. She's here and alive so is proof that maybe you didn't do those crimes.

What the hell is going on? "My knife defends the claim!"? Ok.

"His knife has spoken..." as he casually gestures to the knife thrown into the ground. I'm going to start doing this at meetings. I'm going to make a passionate declaration and then throw a knife in the ground and walk off like this with my arms raised to the heavens.

This kind of ended abruptly. Let's see how Rangers Comics no. 22 starts out.

Ok. Now Firehair looks younger. I thought she was in her 20s but is she a teenager?

"Babble like a fat papoose"? Don't all papooses babble? Because they are babies/children?

The white person has saved the tribe. It's a tale as old as time. And let me guess, she is better at being a Native American than the Native Americans, right?

Is this how Firehair (and the other women of the tribe) spend their day? Fighting with each other? Ladies, ladies. You're both good archers.

This white woman is far better than any of our women. She should beat all of them up.

Blaze-Face? You mean a bear? Does she not know what a bear is? Do these Natives not know what a bear is? I get they'd have their own name for it, more than likely, but Little Ax is acting like he's never seen a bear before.

What? They were looking at horses? I thought she thought a bear was just a big, furry horse.

You can't tame him! He's wild!

Is she going to tackle and fight a bear now?

Okay...

You've been calling this horse Blaze-Face for how long, but now you're going to call him Devil-Eye?

You'll never tame him. He's wild. (She's totally going to tame him, right?)

I'm growing bored by this. Firehair essentially trains Devil-Eye by the next full moon, whenever that's supposed to be. Meanwhile, the group of men who slaughtered the mule train she was with are planning another raid.

It's not really clear what the white men are trying to do. They mention all the stuff the various tribes have made and the large collection of horses. The tribes are apparently all getting together for their warrior races or whatever because it means no one will be guarding anything and all the good fighters will be distracted. Easy pickens.

Firehair has to stay back with the other women so she is able to fight back, but most of the marauders are able to escape.

Blackie...I think that's his name... is clearly plotting revenge because as long as Firehair is alive, Blackie and his gang are in danger.

Maybe his name is Fingers...

I appreciate the soap opera like continuity, but this is where I'm stopping. If you would like to read more Firehair, you can at the Digital Comics Museum.