Real
Name: perhaps Ruby (surname unrevealed - see comments)
RUBY
Real
Name: perhaps Ruby (surname unrevealed - see comments)
Identity/Class: Human (Old West era), circa 1866
Occupation: Unrevealed (see comments)
Group Membership: The other women in her wagon train (see comments)
Affiliations: Rachel Brown
Enemies: None
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Mobile, heading towards San Francisco to set up home there
First
Appearance: Gunhawks I#6 (August 1973)
Powers/Abilities: Ruby could drive a horse-drawn conestoga wagon.
Height: Unrevealed
Weight: Unrevealed
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Blonde
History:
(Gunhawks I#6) - Ruby was a
member of a (mostly/all?) female wagon traveling solo to San Francisco
intending to forge new lives there. While passing through Cheyenne
territory (see comments) Ruby's attention was drawn by cries for
help to a black woman, Rachel Brown, who had been left in the wilderness
tied to a stake. Unimpressed by what she rightly suspected was the work
of a man trying to make sure a woman couldn't get away, Ruby ordered the
others to cut Rachel loose, and gave her a ride, offering to take her to
San Francisco with them and promising to help Rachel forget her
troubles.
(Gunhawk I#7
- BTS) - Some time later as the wagon traversed New Mexico they were
attacked by Native Americans. The women returned fire, but might have
fared the worse for things had their plight not been witnessed by
gunslinger Reno Jones, Rachel's long lost love, who was out searching
for her. Unaware Rachel was in the wagon, Reno came to their aid, and
while he kept the assailants busy the women's wagon made its escape,
with neither Reno nor Rachel spotting the other.
(Gunhawk I#7) - Soon after the wagon reached Cayuse, New
Mexico, and the women moved into the Cayuse Hotel for the night. The
next day they set off again on their journey.
Comments: Created by Gary Friedrich, Dick Ayers and Vince Colletta.
We don't get told Ruby's occupation but...
she's traveling with a group of young, pretty women, wears (for the 19th
century) fairly revealing outfits that show off her bosom (see top
image), and promises Rachel work that would include her "own room" and
"short hours." So while a 1970s Marvel comic published under the comic
code couldn't say it explicitly, it's pretty likely she was a
prostitute. In fact, since she seems to be in charge and to offer Rachel
a job with them, she's likely to be the madam of the group. An
alternative, favored by the Appendix's own Prime Eternal, is that they
might be showgirls, although that wouldn't explain the "own room"
comment. Regardless, whether a lady of the night or performer, Ruby
might be a stage name rather than her given one.RUBY
Where did Ruby first encounter Rachel? The
relevant issues don't say, nor do we know where Ruby had started her
journey. We do know that whatever state they were in was also home to
some Cheyenne, that they were heading to San Francisco and that the next
issue, a few weeks later, they were in New Mexico. The logical options
would this be that Ruby was traversing either Texas or Oklahoma when she
met Rachel. While the Cheyenne were more commonly to be found in the
states immediately north of these (if Google is to be trusted), they
were also present in both those more southerly states in the 1860s
(again, per Google).
It's not certain that the blonde woman in
Gunhawks I#8 is Ruby, as her name is never mentioned, but given we only
see one blonde woman in the wagon train in #6, it's not a huge leap. If
Ruby isn't the woman seen in #7, then she would still have been present
off panel unless something had befallen her between issues. The
cancellation of Gunhawk meant we never got a resolution to Rachel's
travels with Ruby, nor ever saw Ruby again, though we do know from the
Blaze of Glory miniseries that Rachel and Reno did eventually reunite.
This profile was completed on 07/19/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary's celebratory event to represent Gunhawks.
Profile by Loki.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Ruby has no known connections to:
images: (without ads)
Gunhawks I#7, p9, pan7 (main image)
Gunhawks I#6, p13, pan7 (driving the wagon)
Appearances:
Gunhawks I#6 (August 1973) - Gary Friedrich (writer), Dick Ayers
(pencils), V. Colletta (inks), Roy Thomas (editor)
Gunhawk I#7 (October 1973) - Gardner
Fox (writer), Dick Ayers (pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks), Roy Thomas
(editor)
First Posted: 09/02/2026
Last updated: 07/19/2026
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
Special Thanks to www.g-mart.com for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!