Lone Ranger #23
Written by Brett Matthews
Art by Sergio Cariello
Cover Art By John Cassaday
Colors: Marcelo Pinto
Lettered by Simon Bowland
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 18, 2010

Dynamite’s The Lone Ranger #23 is Part 7 of a storyline entitled “Resolve.” The first thing that catches your eye is the awesome John Cassaday artwork on the front cover. From page one, the story picks up as we see the Lone Ranger’s foe Butch Cavendish torturing a sheriff that he has kidnapped. The sheriff’s ordeal is shown throughout much of the book as the story alternates between those scenes and Lone Ranger and Tonto preparing themselves for a final showdown.

We also see a young Lone Ranger in this book, still a bit unsure of himself. Refreshingly, Tonto is portrayed as very capable and not constantly needing to be rescued by his “Kemo Sabe.” This is clearly not your father’s Lone Ranger and Tonto. Also, we see that the Lone Ranger has the potential for a romantic interest with a character named Linda. Brett Matthews has truly scripted a very unique interpretation of the Lone Ranger mythos.

Sergio Cariello‘s interior art is also excellent, particularly in the scenes between the Lone Ranger and Linda when she’s telling him that he can’t truly be the Lone Ranger with her and her son hanging around. Even through the mask, you can see the anguish on the Lone Ranger’s face. Cariello also did a good job in conveying the ruthless villainy of Butch Cavendish. I have never seen Cavendish portrayed as so vicious and evil. I always thought of him as a one-note “Snidely Whiplash” villain, but in this story, he is an extremely worthy adversary for the Lone Ranger.

This is my first time ever reading a Lone Ranger comic, and I was glad to see that this universe is nothing like the old-time TV show. The characters are three-dimensional, and the danger seems more pressing. Matthews is in the middle of an interesting revitalization of the Lone Ranger and Tonto, and hopefully his take on these iconic characters will inspire future generations. This Lone Ranger is vulnerable, imperfect, and flawed, and I look forward to reading more of his adventures.