Stan Lynde
Encyclopedia
Stan Lynde is an American
comic artist, painter and novelist. Born in Billings, Montana
, he was raised on a sheep ranch near Lodge Grass
. He attended the University of Montana in Missoula
and now lives in Helena
.
In 1958, Lynde created the comic strip
Rick O'Shay
, a critical and commercial success. Like most of his work, it was set in the West and mixed humor with strong storytelling. After a dispute with the syndicate
, Lynde left the strip in 1977. The strip continued, drawn by Alfredo Alcala
.
In 1979, Lynde launched another strip, Latigo, starring Cole "Latigo" Cantrell, aka "Two Trails". His father was a mountain man
and his mother a Crow Indian. After serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, Latigo returned to the West and became a federal marshal. The daily strip was launched on June 25, 1979, joined by a Sunday strip
, best seen in the half page format, on 1 July 1979. It was not a great commercial success and ended in 1983, the daily on May 7, the Sunday on 5 June.
In 1984-85, Lynde produced the weekly panel Grass Roots, which was revived in 1998. In the late 1980s, the Swedish
financial newspaper Dagens Industri commissioned a comic strip from Lynde. It became "Chief Plenty Bucks", set in the West and starring a capitalistic Native American
chief. Lynde drew ten pages, but the project was shelved and never published in Dagens Industri. In 1997, the strip was revived for the Swedish Fantomen
magazine (and its Norwegian
and Finnish
counterparts). The title was changed to Chief Sly Fox and a total of 86 pages (including the original from the 1980s) were published from 1997 to 2000. They have never been published in English.
In 2002, Lynde returned with another exclusive comic for Fantomen
; Bad Bob about a hopeless wild West criminal. This strip is still running in reprint.
in order to publish books reprinting his comics, plus publish new material (primarily Western novels).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic artist, painter and novelist. Born in Billings, Montana
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
, he was raised on a sheep ranch near Lodge Grass
Lodge Grass, Montana
Lodge Grass is a town in Big Horn County, Montana, United States. The population was 510 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lodge Grass is located at ....
. He attended the University of Montana in Missoula
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
and now lives in Helena
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
.
In 1958, Lynde created the comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Rick O'Shay
Rick O'Shay
Rick O'Shay is a Western comic strip created by Stan Lynde in 1958. It was distributed worldwide through the Chicago Tribune Syndicate until publication ended in 1981.-Characters and story:...
, a critical and commercial success. Like most of his work, it was set in the West and mixed humor with strong storytelling. After a dispute with the syndicate
Syndicate
A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies or entities formed to transact some specific business, or to promote a common interest or in the case of criminals, to engage in organized crime...
, Lynde left the strip in 1977. The strip continued, drawn by Alfredo Alcala
Alfredo Alcala
Alfredo P. Alcala was a Filipino comic book artist, born in Talisay, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. Alcala was an established illustrator whose works appeared in the Alcala Komix Magazine. His 1963 creation Voltar introduced him to an international audience, particularly in the United...
.
In 1979, Lynde launched another strip, Latigo, starring Cole "Latigo" Cantrell, aka "Two Trails". His father was a mountain man
Mountain man
Mountain men were trappers and explorers who roamed the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through the 1880s where they were instrumental in opening up the various Emigrant Trails allowing Americans in the east to settle the new territories of the far west by organized wagon trains...
and his mother a Crow Indian. After serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, Latigo returned to the West and became a federal marshal. The daily strip was launched on June 25, 1979, joined by a Sunday strip
Sunday strip
A Sunday strip is a newspaper comic strip format, where comic strips are printed in the Sunday newspaper, usually in a special section called the Sunday comics, and virtually always in color. Some readers called these sections the Sunday funnies...
, best seen in the half page format, on 1 July 1979. It was not a great commercial success and ended in 1983, the daily on May 7, the Sunday on 5 June.
In 1984-85, Lynde produced the weekly panel Grass Roots, which was revived in 1998. In the late 1980s, the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
financial newspaper Dagens Industri commissioned a comic strip from Lynde. It became "Chief Plenty Bucks", set in the West and starring a capitalistic Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
chief. Lynde drew ten pages, but the project was shelved and never published in Dagens Industri. In 1997, the strip was revived for the Swedish Fantomen
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
magazine (and its Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
counterparts). The title was changed to Chief Sly Fox and a total of 86 pages (including the original from the 1980s) were published from 1997 to 2000. They have never been published in English.
In 2002, Lynde returned with another exclusive comic for Fantomen
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
; Bad Bob about a hopeless wild West criminal. This strip is still running in reprint.
Books
Stan Lynde and his wife Lynda founded Cottonwood PublishingCottonwood Publishing
Cottonwood Publishing is a small press publisher created in Helena, Montana by American comic artist, painter and novelist Stan Lynde and his wife Lynda to publish Western genre books and art, primarily work written and drawn by Stan Lynde...
in order to publish books reprinting his comics, plus publish new material (primarily Western novels).
Novels by Stan Lynde
- The Bodacious Kid (1996)
- Careless Creek (1998)
- Vigilante Moon (2003)
- Saving Miss Julie (2004)
- Marshal of Medicine Lodge (2005)
- Summer Snow (2006)
- Vendetta Canyon (2008)
- To Kill a Copper King (2010)
Strip reprints
- The daily Rick O'ShayRick O'ShayRick O'Shay is a Western comic strip created by Stan Lynde in 1958. It was distributed worldwide through the Chicago Tribune Syndicate until publication ended in 1981.-Characters and story:...
, from the beginning through 1964, was reprinted by Cottonwood Publishing in four volumes, except for one week, which was reprinted in Comics RevueComics RevueComics Revue is a bi-monthly small press comic book published by Manuscript Press and edited by Rick Norwood. Don Markstein edited the publication from 1984 to 1987 and 1992 to 1996....
magazine. Comics Revue is currently reprinting the daily Rick O'Shay beginning with the strips from 30 September 1968. A selection of Rick O'Shay dailies, with commentary by Stan Lynde, was reprinted in Rick, Hipshot, and Me from Cottonwood Publishing. - Grass Roots panels were reprinted in two volumes from Cottonwood Publishing.
- LatigoLatigoLatigo was a comic strip written and drawn by cartoonist Stan Lynde, who also created the Rick O'Shay comic strip. After a dispute over the ownership of Rick O'Shay with the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, Lynde left and went to Field Enterprises to launch Latigo.The daily Latigo daily strip began 25...
daily strips have all appeared in three volumes from Cottonwood Publishing.
Further reading
- "So You Want to Be Published?" by Stan Lynde (Montana, The Magazine of Western History, Winter 2007, Vol. 57, No. 4, pages 58–59)