Written by: Justin Gray
Art by: Rey Villegas
Publisher: Dynamite
The Lone Ranger was originally conceived in 1933 as a radio drama, and this character quickly grew in popularity. The Lone Ranger has been the subject of movies, radio dramas, books, and comics with the most notable being a Disney movie released in 2013. However, this Johnny Depp/Armen Hammer film wasn’t particularly well received, which hurt the character’s value. Thankfully, Justin Gray created a new series to bring the Lone Ranger back to relevance.
The Lone Ranger: Vindicated #1 is the first issue in a new series following the Lone Ranger and his trusty companion, Tonto, in their quest to provide justice throughout the country. This particular issue follows the duo as they travel to the town of Red River on the request of a rancher named Coolidge. A group of bandits has been hijacking all of the stagecoaches traveling near Red River and stealing all of the money. This obviously angers the townspeople, so Coolidge sends word to the Lone Ranger, much to the sheriff’s chagrin. For some reason, the town’s sheriff has a strange hatred towards the Lone Ranger, which will probably come into play in later issues.
The Lone Ranger and Tonto spend most of the issue trying to figure out the identity of the mysterious raiders, with some help from a robbery victim. This investigation leads to a discovery of a hand-rolled bullet and some clues hinting about the ethnicity of the bandits. Of course, the sheriff doesn’t give a darn about this investigation (also suspicious), so the duo decides to travel to Coolidge’s house to discuss the case while also avoiding the sheriff. Unfortunately, trouble follows the Lone Ranger so he isn’t allowed to enjoy a relaxing evening.
The Lone Ranger: Vindicated #1 is a fantastic start to a new series of comics. Justin Gray does a fantastic job writing these beloved characters in a way that makes them fun to read about while creating an interesting surrounding world. Gray also starts the issue in a great way by creating an early scene that introduces the Lone Ranger and Tonto during a fight against some banditos. The opening scene was shorter, but it was definitely worth including.
I would definitely recommend picking up The Lone Ranger: Vindicated #1. Rey Villegas has an art style that is very detailed while still appearing to be dirty (it totally fits the Old West theme). The combination of this art style and Gray’s story make for a fantastic first issue.
This issue seems to be leading to an entertaining series that will be worth reading, and I can’t wait for the rest to be released.
