CROSS-DRAW JOE

Real Name: Unrevealed (first name is probably Joe)

Identity/Class: Human (Old West Era)

Occupation: Outlaw

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Tommy and his father, a sheriff and his posse

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Mobile in the American west

First Appearance: Western Gunfighters I#20 (June, 1956)

Powers/Abilities: Cross-Draw Joe was an able horse rider. He was a fast draw and a terrific marksman, able to snuff out the wick from a candle. He carried two six-gun revolvers with pearl handles, notched for each man he'd killed.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'11")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 165 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Light brown

History:
(Western Gunfighters I#20/5 (fb) - BTS) - The outlaw known as Cross-Draw Joe established a reputation for himself as a gunfighter, becoming a notorious wanted man.

(Western Gunfighters I#20/5) - One day, Cross-Draw Joe rode up to the ranch where a boy named Tommy lived with his father. Joe asked Tommy's father if they could stake him to a meal. Tommy's father agreed and welcomed Joe into his home. Tommy noticed Joe's guns were pearl-handled and had notches for the men he'd killed. Fascinated, Tommy asked Joe if he were a gunfighter and if he'd killed anyone. Joe responded by showing off his marksmanship, shooting a lit wick off a candle. Tommy enthused that was "as good as Wild Bill Hickok himself could do!"

    When Tommy's father objected to Joe shooting his gun indoors, Joe insisted he meant no harm and only wanted to entertain Tommy. Tommy asked Joe if he could teach him to shoot. Joe was willing but Tommy's father objected, not wanting his son to become a gunfighter. Tommy's father asked Joe to leave but Joe said he found the ranch comfortable and he intended to stay until it was healthier for him to travel.

    Tommy's father wondered who he was and so Joe finally introduced himself as Cross-Draw Joe. Tommy and his father both recognized his name. Tommy enthused that the other kids would be jealous when he told them he'd seen the famous outlaw. That outraged Tommy's father, who dismissed Joe as a "yella, bullyin' outlaw." Joe took his gun and clubbed Tommy's father on the jaw, telling him to watch his language. When Tommy begged his father to get up and hit Joe, Joe mocked him for not fighting back. Tommy's father noted that if Joe didn't have a gun, he would have fought back.

    Just then, Joe heard hoofbeats and, checking through a window, saw a sheriff and his posse were riding by, no doubt searching for him. This made Joe nervous. Tommy's father realized that Joe couldn't risk shooting his gun for fear of drawing the posse indoors. He charged at Joe and beat him in hand-to-hand combat, humiliating Cross-Draw Joe. The father turned Joe over to the sheriff and his posse to be escorted to prison.

Comments: Created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan.

    This was a stock plot, repeated in many other Marvel western stories.

    Where did you come from? Where did you go? Where did you come from, Cross-Draw Joe?

    This profile was completed 07/21/2025 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Cross-Draw Joe should not be confused with:

Tommy and his father

Tommy was a young boy who lived with his father on their ranch. When Cross-Draw Joe visited the ranch for a meal, Tommy was fascinated by Joe and the exceptional sharpshooting abilities he demonstrated. When they learned Joe's identity, Tommy enthused over him, eager to tell other kids he'd met a famous outlaw. Tommy's father was infuriated by his son's hero worship of Cross-Draw Joe but couldn't fight back against Joe because of his guns. However, when a sheriff and his posse rode near the ranch house, the father realized Joe couldn't shoot at him for fear of summoning the posse. The father beat Joe with his bare hands then turned him over to the posse. Tommy realized that his father was a true hero.





--Western Gunfighters I#20/5

images: (without ads)
Western Gunfighters I#20/5, page 1 (Cross-Draw Joe, main)
Western Gunfighters I#20/5, page 4, panel 4 (Cross-Draw Joe, face)
Western Gunfighters I#20/5, page 3, panel 4 (Tommy/Pa)

Appearances:
Western Gunfighters I#20/5 (June, 1956) - Stan Lee (writer, editor), Gene Colan (artist)

First posted: 09/13/2026
Last updated: 07/21/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

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