The life of Jesse James, as depicted by Kubert and Infantino in these issues, was exciting. Around each corner lay the possibility of a posse out for the numerous rewards. In each town, was the risk that Jesse might be caught and brought to justice for the bank robberies he and his companions committed.
The atmosphere of the stories is that the real crooks were the banks and railroads, not the 'neighborly' Jesse. In the "Liberty Bank Robbery", Jesse robs the Liberty Bank to pay the final installment on his mother's land. "The Disaster at Savannah" tells of Jesse's efforts to free 2 innocent men from a robbery charge. In "Texas Killer", Jesse undoes the robbery of an Indian treasure horde that has been pinned on him unjustly. In "Helltown Holdups", Jesse helps a widow pay her mortgage, only to discover that the banker planned to take the money and still take the land. The banker is jailed, and Jesse runs free again. The rest of the stories in this volume deal with the efforts of Jesse James to undo unjustices, whether against him or someone close to him.
Jesse James, from these stories, was an outlaw by circumstance. Just as we have "The Sopranos" today, the youth of the 1950s had Jesse James. Willing to accept responsibility for his own actions, willing to kill those who 'deserved' death, willing to punish those who darkened his name, and willing to help those who helped him, Jesse was a man trying to live his life as normally as possible. He courted Zee Zimms, he toiled on the land, but he also was an accomplished bank robber when necessary. Presented in black and white, the art is simple but effective. Without the distraction of colour, the story is allowed to shine through. The short 5-6 page stories convey the contradiction of Jesse James, yet at the same time highlights the violence that marred his life. The glossy cover is a good teaser for the reader, but at the same time makes you hope that at least ONE story would be presented in colour.
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