COLEY WELCH

Real Name: Coley Welch

Identity/Class: Human (post-World War II era) (alternate Earth? see comments)

Occupation: Robber

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: None

Enemies: Sam Bender, Sheriff Tom Crowley, Texas Kid (Lance Temple)

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Impersonated the Texas Kid

Base of Operations: Indian Wells, Texas, USA

First Appearance: Texas Kid I#5 (September, 1951)

Powers/Abilities: Coley Welch was a good horse rider. He carried two six-guns. For one robbery, he wore a replica of the Texas Kid's costume.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'11")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 160 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown

History:
(Texas Kid I#5 (fb) - BTS) - Coley Welch was planning to rob the express office in the town of Larabee. Knowing the masked gunfighter the Texas Kid was a renowned figure in the area, Welch had a replica made of the Texas Kid's costume so that the Kid would be blamed for the robbery. Welch set up a camp for his gang in nearby Indian Wells and sent his subordinate Sam Bender into Larabee to scout the express office. However, a town deputy recognized Bender and shot him. Bender escaped town but failed to report back to Welch.

(Texas Kid I#5) - Donning his Texas Kid costume, Welch rode into Larabee and robbed the express office. When a posse formed to chase him, Welch rode out of town. By a remarkable coincidence, Welch rode into Lance Temple and knocked him off his horse. Unaware Lance was the real Texas Kid, Welch decided to plant his costume on Lance then complete his escape while wearing Lance's clothes.

    Welch returned to Indian Wells to find all of his men were dead, unaware they'd been killed by the Texas Kid. When Sam Bender returned to camp, having had his life saved by the Texas Kid, Welch assumed Bender had returned to divvy up the spoils from the robbery. However, indebted to the Texas Kid, Bender drew his gun and shot Welch. Bender then dressed himself up as the Texas Kid and forced the dying Welch back to Larabee, where Lance Temple was about to be hanged. Bender forced Welch to admit he had been the one impersonating the Texas Kid who robbed the express office. Lance was set free and Welch expired from his gunshot wounds.

Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Ed Moline.

    The Texas Kid was renovated into an entirely different western hero, the Outlaw Kid, who had the same name, home and supporting cast (although some stories he was called "Lance Templeton"). About the only difference is the timeline, as the Texas Kid's adventures seemed to be taking place in the 1950s, not in the 19th century (there are appearances by contemporary vehicles in some stories). Regardless, it seems likely the Texas Kid isn't on Earth-616 but is rather the Outlaw Kid's alternate Earth counterpart.
    The Texas Kid entry in Marvel Westerns Outlaw Files confirms that the Texas Kid (Lancelot Temple) was indeed -616, as it mentions that the Texas Kid that the Texas Kid being profiled in the in-universe text within the issue was thus far unconnected to other western heroes with similar names, including Lancelot "Texas Kid" Temple. Thanks to Loki for catching that -616 reference to the Lance Temple Texas Kid! With that in mind, it's also worth noting that the Outlaw Kid's origin story was somewhat retconned in Outlaw Kid II#10 (1972) and none of the original info that was part of the Texas Kid's origin story was referenced in the Outlaw Kid's modern OHotMU entry (that I'm aware of, anyway). Perhaps the stories where the origin is shared with Texas Kid are a fictionalized account of what had happened, made for dime-store novels like other western heroes whose stories had conflicting continuity or much like how early Patsy Walker comics were fictionalized accounts of the -616 Patsy Walker in comic book form. --Proto-Man

    In terms of origins, I'd concur the obvious explanation is that people heard the name Lance Temple and mixed up Outlaw Kid for Texas Kid, ascribing the latter's origin to the former, and Lance Temple isn't such an unusual name that two different people couldn't both share it--just ask Eliot Franklin. [As for the odd timeline issues noted by Prime Eternal]: Scooting through the issues, the first anachronistic bit to my eyes in Texas Kid I#6, where some gangsters from NYC take a train to Texas. Their outfits look a bit too modern. In terms of the train, a quick Google search shows that the train from NYC to Texas was apparently completed in 1853, so that's feasible (Texas Kid's origin explicitly states it is 1846, so I guess he was a masked gunfighter for several years). As for the suits, I think we could put it down to artistic license.., especially as it's not too far off from what someone could have worn, based on some Old West-era photos. So yes, it's a bit too early for that style, but not so much that it would pose a problem IMO. After going through Texas Kid's appearances, at least those published in the US, the above mentioned issue looks to me to be the only one with potentially anachronistic stuff if he's set circa the 1850s. I saw zero automobiles or anything similarly problematic. There are stories that I don't have access to, as Texas Kid got new tales in Brazil & Australia. That may well be where the anachronistic stuff arises, added by writers who didn't realize that he's set prior to the main "Wild West" era of the 1880s. Though it took to the early 20th century for cars as we know them to start to proliferate, precursors were around as early as the 1870s--the first automobile race in the USA took place in 1878. Without being able to check the stories, it's hard to be certain, but I'd suggest that if the anachronisms are purely cosmetic (e.g. cars appear but only as background objects), we write them off as artistic license--squint & we see them as actually being horse-drawn carriages, etc.--and no reason to rule the stories out of -616. --Loki

    This profile was completed 09/24/2025 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Coley Welch should not be confused with:

Sam Bender

Sam Bender was a member of Coley Welch's gang who participated in the plot to rob the Larabee express office. When Welch sent Sam to scout Larabee, a deputy recognized Bender and shot him. Bender escaped the town but collapsed in the wilderness, where he was found by the Texas Kid. The Kid brought him to Hidden Valley and Welch saw him remove his mask, learning the Kid was Lance Temple. While Lance and his father Zane tended to Bender's wound, Bender felted indebted to Lance and told him Welch was planning to rob Larabee while disguised as his alter ego. When Bender heard that Welch had set up Lance to take the fall for the Larabee robbery and Lance was about to be hanged to death, Bender dragged himself from his bed and returned to the camp at Indian Wells. Bender shot Welch then put on the Texas Kid's costume. Riding into Larabee, Bender posed as the Texas Kid and forced Welch to confess how he'd impersonated the Texas Kid and implicated Lance for his crimes. Welch died from his gunshot wounds and Bender rode back to Hidden Valley, still dressed as the Texas Kid. When Lance returned to Hidden Valley, he found Bender was dying, having exhausted his remaining strength in order to impersonate the Texas Kid. Bender explained he had repaid his debt to Lance then expired. Lance buried Bender in Hidden Valley and honored him for his sacrifice.




--Texas Kid I#5

images: (without ads)
Texas Kid I#5, page 6, panel 6 (Welch, main)
Texas Kid I#5, page 5, panel 2 (Welch as the Texas Kid)
Texas Kid I#5, page 6, panel 6 (Sam)

Appearances:
Texas Kid I#5 (September, 1951) - unidentified writer, Ed Moline (artist), Stan Lee (editor)

First posted: 09/13/2026
Last updated: 09/24/2025

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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