THE TRAIL OF WHITENED SKULLS is a collection of five stories that all star one of Tom W. Blackburn’s forgotten characters, Cole Lavery. I have to admit I was never familiar with the work of Blackburn, except for the theme song of DAVY CROCKETT that he wrote for Disney. After a lengthy forward detailing Blackburn’s pulp days and his process of getting published, we are treated to some old-school Western action and fun.
Blackburn’s is more of the straightforward type of storytelling, with no unexpected events or out-of-the-blue character changes. All five stories are pretty much black-and-white, where the good guys truly deserve to win in the end, and Cole is a likable character – an Everyman trying to make his way across to California. His tales pretty much build upon one another into one continuing storyline.
In “River Raiders,” he’s a passenger on a ship carrying a large payroll for delivery to a bank. The captain asks Cole for his assistance in defense of the ship, should such time occur. We’re also introduced to a woman named Marta, who will figure into Cole’s life in later stories. She’s a singer traveling west to make a name for herself. The story moves along quickly with some nice action at the end. I won’t ruin it, but again, this is not some revisionist take on the genre.
Next, in “Commission Man,” Cole sets up shop in a town where it one of the big-time locals is also a bandit. Cole is set up to take a fall while Marta makes a return into his life, working in a saloon, yet desperate to escape her surroundings. As expected, the story builds up to its purely logical conclusion.
“Wagon Boss” and “Trail of Whitened Skulls” follow. They pretty much tell the same story, except with some key differences. When the first one was originally published, the editor changed the characters’ names of Cole and Marta, since he did not want to confuse his readers. So in the second story, Blackburn reworks the earlier one with some changes.
In the first, Cole and Marta take a wagon train to the West Coast. The problem is that smallpox has taken hold of some of the travelers, causing a rift, ending with Cole and Marta making their home at the halfway mark. In the second, Cole and Marta make it all to California this time, but along the way, they have to deal with some unscrupulous types.
Closing out the collection is the “The Curse of San Stefan,” which deals with an evil land baron who has taken over the whole area where Cole has finally settled. A group of men give our couple an ultimatum to leave or else. This is a no-nonsense tale of good vs. evil; you feel as though Gene Autry will at any moment pop up to help out. The story shows great character growth with Cole, that he’s a man of strong volition and character.
All of these hark back to the good ol’ Western tales of yore, where no matter what happens, the good guys will prevail. SKULLS is a fine diversion, spotlighting a writer deserving of gaining a greater audience. –Bruce Grossman
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- DC Universe: Trail of Time
- The Book of Skulls
- Showcase Presents Jonah Hex: Volume 1
- The Wicked West II: Abomination & Other Tales
- Big Ike
