COVER GALLERY: WILD BILL

WILD BILL

By Judd Cole

A series of eight books published by Leisure Books from February 1999 to May 2001. Judd Cole is a pseudonym used by John Edward Ames. The books weren't numbered, but are shown in the correct order. 

Marshal, gunfighter, stage driver, and scout, Wild Bill Hickok had a legend as big and untamed as the West itself. No man was as good with a gun as Wild Bill, and few men used one as often. From Abilene to Deadwood, his name was known by all – and feared by many. That’s why he was hired by Allan Pinkerton’s new detective agency to protect an eccentric inventor on a train ride through the worst badlands of the West. With hired thugs out to kill him and angry Sioux out for his scalp, Bill knew he had his work cut out for him. But even if he survived that, he still had a worse danger to face – a jealous Calamity Jane.

Wild Bill Hickok was a legend in his own lifetime. Wherever he went his reputation with a gun proceeded him – along with an open bounty for $10,000 for his arrest. But Wild Bill was working for the law when he went to Kincaid County, Wyoming. Hundreds of prime longhorn cattle had been poisoned, and Bill was sent by the Pinkerton Agency to get to the bottom of it. He didn’t expect to land smack dab in the middle of an all-out range war, but that’s exactly what happened. With the powerful Cattleman’s Association on one side and land-grant settlers on the other, Wild Bill knew that before this war was over, he’d be testing his gun skills to the limit if he hoped to get out alive.

Even among the toughest hardcases in the West, Abilene, Kansas, was known as pure hell on earth, a wide-open wild town that was reined in only briefly – when Wild Bill Hickok was its sheriff. Ever since he rode out of Abilene, Wild Bill had never wanted to go back. But now he had to. A lot of people were dying there. The Kansas Pacific Railroad was laying track where somebody obviously didn’t want it, and bullets were flying thick and furious. The Pinkerton Agency needed their best operative to get to the bottom of it and that meant only one man – Wild Bill. But as hard as it was for Wild Bill to go back, he knew there was a bigger challenge ahead of him – staying alive once he got there.

When the Danford Gang terrorized Arizona, no one – not the U.S. Marshals or the Army – could bring them in. It took Wild Bill Hickok to do that. Only Wild Bill was able to put them in the Yuma Territorial Prison, where they belonged. But the prison couldn’t hold them. The venomous gang escaped and took the Governor’s wife and her sister as hostages. So, it was up to Wild Bill to track them down and do the impossible – capture the Danford Gang a second time. Only this time, the gang’s ruthless leader, Fargo Danford, had a burning need for revenge against the one man who had put him and the gang in prison in the first place, a need as hot as the scorching Sonora sun . . . and as deadly as the desert trap he had set for Bill. 

All Wild Bill Hickok wanted as he set out for Santa Fe was a place to lie low for a while, to get away from the fame and notoriety that followed him wherever he went. But fame wasn’t the only thing that stuck to Wild Bill like glue. He’d made a lot of enemies over the years. And one of them, Frank Tutt, has waited a good long time to taste sweet revenge. He knew he was ready for him . . . ready and eager to make him pay. But he was in no hurry. After all these years he could wait a bit longer, long enough to play a little game with his legendary target. Oh, he would kill Wild Bill, all right – but first he wanted Bill to know what it was like to live in Hell.

Deadwood, South Dakota, held a special place in the pantheon of frontier hellholes. Even to a man like Wild Bill Hickok, that was the toughest town in the West, a town where only the strongest and most daring could survive. But that’s exactly where Wild Bill had to go, whether he liked it or not. He was sent there by the Pinkerton Agency to investigate reports of stealing at a particularly dangerous mine, dangerous even by Deadwood standards. The mine guarded by Regulators, vicious hardcases who made sure no one interfered with their plans. Three Pinkerton men had already been killed when they went up against the Regulators – and Bill was determined not to be the fourth.

The U.S. Army needed help. Someone seemed intent on driving the Sioux off their reservation. Someone was slaughtering their animals and poisoning their water. Were these the acts of renegades, like some thought, or something far worse? Whoever was responsible, the army knew it wouldn’t be long before the Sioux fought back and left the reservation for the war path. The army also knew there was only one man who could restore peace before all hell broke loose – Wild Bill Hickok. Bill had to ride point on a dangerous trail drive to bring cattle to the reservation before the simmering Sioux were pushed too far. But this was no ordinary cattle drive – it was a trip through pure hell, with enemies on every side.

Leland Langford, owner of the Overland Stage and Freighting Company, had a dangerous but essential job and he knew there was only one man for it, the legendary Wild Bill Hickok. Leland knew that only Wild Bill could ensure that an important gold shipment travel safely by stage from the Black Hills to the U.S. Mint in Denver. With Wild Bill as driver, the stage had to make it through. But there was an even more important part of Bill’s mission. Bill had to break up one of the cleverest and most vicious rings of thieves ever to terrorize the West, and send one message loud and clear: Steal gold from the U.S. Treasury and you’ll face the harshest law in the West . . . gun law.

Two artists fronted the books, Ken Laager’s work appeared on book one, and probably book seven – I’ve not been able to confirm the later. All the other books used paintings by Shannon Stirnweis – book eight isn’t confirmed though.

Western Fiction News

A few years ago I interviewed artist Ken Laager – which is my most viewed post of all time and can be found here – and I thought readers might be interested to know he’s produced the excellent cover art for Joe R. Lansdale’s western novella Black Hat Jack. Ken has also provided a number of superb illustrations that can be found inside the book. Check out Ken’s blog to see more.

Another artist I interviewed, Tony Masero, is busy producing the covers for many of Piccadilly Publishing’s releases, including the ebook versions of J. R. Roberts’ Giant Gunsmith books. The first one, Trouble in Tombstone, was published last month and features some very eye-catching artwork.

Ex-gunfighter Dallas Stoudenmire is now heir to a Texas border town that draws the dregs of the west like flies. In El Paso, being honest is a sure way to get yourself killed. And Dallas is smart enough to know that he needs help. 

But riding shotgun for his friend is just the beginning for Clint Adams … The Gunsmith leaves El Paso behind and teams up with the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday in a showdown against the Wild West’s most notorious killers—in a trouble spot called the O. K. Corral … 

I read this when it first came out and would highly recommended it to all Gunsmith fans and those who enjoy westerns featuring real people and events.

Sticking with Piccadilly Publishing, they seem to be going from strength to strength, putting out around eight ebooks per month, of which the majority are westerns. Their prices are extremely competitive and they specialize in bringing back series from the past as well as stand-alone titles such as Tony Masero’s The Rifleman, a review of which can be found here.

They also publish new material. Here’s a small selection of some of their recent releases:

Click on the above image to see a much larger version.

Interview: Ken Laager

Ken Laager’s artwork stood out to me the first time I saw it gracing the covers of westerns. Having an interest in art and photography I was immediately struck by his use, and understanding, of light and colour. So, for me, it was a great honour when Ken agreed to be interviewed for Western Fiction Review.

How old were you when you first decided you wanted to make painting your career?

My earliest childhood memory is of drawing pictures. There was never any doubt that I would follow the livelihood of artist. The impulse to make pictures is fundamental to my nature. This is not to say that fine picture making comes easily to me -- it does not. I struggle mightily to achieve certain standards of excellence on every picture. Tearing up failed crayon drawings in fury and frustration is something I remember from childhood, too.

Did you study art at school or is it all self taught?

I learned my craft by independent study of those artists I admired. After I completed a course of study at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, I moved to rural Pennsylvania to immerse myself in the picture making principles of Howard Pyle, the Father of American Illustration. Pyle's turn-of-the-century atelier on the banks of the Brandywine River produced many of the greatest illustrators of the Golden Age including N.C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover, Stanley Arthurs, Philip R. Goodwin and Harvey Dunn to name a few.






Have any other artists of western themed paintings been an influence on your work?

In addition to Pyle and his exponents, my chief contemporary influence has been Tom Lovell -- a brilliant and towering figure in the fields of illustration and western art. As wonderful as his western fine art painting was, the epic historical paintings he did for National Geographic magazine, and the swashbuckling adventure illustrations he painted for True and Argosy magazines in the 1960s remain unsurpassed. Don Spaulding, a masterful and under appreciated western historical painter (who actually trained under Norman Rockwell) has been a great personal friend and mentor to me. And, every western painter since Frederic Remington and Charlie Russell is indelibly marked by their influence.

Was painting book covers an area you wanted to break into?

Yes, I'd targeted the paperback book publishers and the outdoor/sporting magazines as the primary market for my illustrations. I painted westerns covers for Dell, Warner, New American Library, Bantam, Ballantine, Leisure, Penguin and Zebra. And, I enjoyed a long association with Outdoor Life magazine illustrating covers, interior stories and articles, and the monthly feature "This Happened To Me!" Later on, I furnished Guns of the Old West magazine with a lot of illustration.

Do you find a particular medium reproduces better than another when going through the printing process, for instance oils rather than acrylics?

I've always, and only been an oil painter. I believe that by the time I began illustrating, modern graphic techniques had made such concerns a non-issue.

How do you decide on the content of the covers, do you discuss this with the author, publisher, or are you given free reign?

I read the manuscript or a comprehensive synopsis provided by the publisher, prospecting the story for concepts that might make good covers. I discuss these with the art director -- who serves as liaison between the freelance illustrator and the publishing company's editorial staff. On rare occasions a cover concept may be suggested or assigned by the client. When general agreement is reached about concept, I'll prepare some rough sketches in pencil, charcoal or ink and submit them for consideration. The art director will then present these to the editor (at this point the author may be consulted, as well). When one of the sketches is selected, I'll receive approval to go ahead and begin work on the final painting.

Do you use real models to pose for your painting, either in the studio or via photographs, or is the painting created from your minds-eye once you sit down in front of a blank canvas?

I take great pains to create compelling characters -- this is doubtlessly the Howard Plye influence -- so reference photos are crucial. It is at this stage of the process that the character is born. A suitable model will be carefully dressed in costume and equipped with the right props -- he or she may require make-up, as well. The model will be posed in correct lighting for the scene, and I will direct his or her posture and expressions. If all goes according to plan the character that had existed only in my imagination, comes to life -- it's an exciting moment! This is when we begin taking pictures. The whole production is rather like a movie set.

Most people are astonished at the amount of planning and preliminary work that goes into creating paintings of this sort -- they don't happen by chance! Fully one half of my time is spent in the reading of the manuscript, making conceptual sketches and consultation, factual research, obtaining the necessary costumes and props, booking models, reference photography of characters, animals, landscape and other pictorial elements, preparation of the canvas or board, final design of the pictorial elements, precise preliminary drawing on the canvas or board, color scheme design and color mixing... The point of all of this is to insure, to the extent possible, that painting the final art will go smoothly and efficiently -- and be completed by the publishing deadline.

Are the background locations, be they landscapes or buildings, real or from your imagination?

As with the characters, all buildings, structures, vehicles and animals require photo reference. Landscapes require photo reference as well, though some areas of the background can be successfully faked -- vegetation, rocks, etc. Often backgrounds are a composite of elements from several reference photos. When necessary, an illustrator may build a scale model or clay sculpture to substitute for the real thing. When properly lit and photographed, the results can be magically convincing.

How big is the original artwork for a paperback novel?

The front cover format measures 7 X 4 1/2 inches. I scale those dimensions up three or four times (depending on the content of the picture) resulting in an original that is 12 3/4 X 21 inches or 17 X 28 inches, respectively.

Do you find the vertical compositions needed for a book cover restricting?

On the contrary, I've always found the restricted space stimulating to my creativity, allowing me to focus on the essentials of a picture idea. The best paperback covers are strong, simple, poster-like images.

I've noticed that some of your paintings have appeared on more than one book, presumably you sell the rights of reproduction for a set period of time to one publisher and are then free to sell the painting to another publisher?

Yes, that's exactly right. The publisher who commissions the cover illustration customarily purchases first right of reproduction. When the book upon which it appears goes out of print, his right to reproduce the art expires, freeing it up for resale.

Your work first caught my eye on western books but I've recently seen your work on three of the Hard Case Crime novels. Do prefer painting any particular genre to others?

While it has been necessary to specialize, I prefer handling a wide range of subjects. The Hard Case Crime series with its dark, brooding, sexy imagery, provides me with an exciting and refreshing opportunity to satisfy my desire for artistic diversity.

Did you have an interest in westerns before you started painting western covers or was it a case of, ‘Ill paint anything as I need the money’?

Westerns were my primary interest -- making up the lion's share of a genre that one might call outdoor adventure or masculine adventure, which includes hunting/sporting, historical and perhaps some, military or law enforcement subjects... The western had matured by the time my career began in the early 1970s. A greater existential depth was evident in it's fine art, film and literature. Former illustrators like Tom Lovell, John Clymer and Frank McCarthy were exploring themes that lay much deeper in the history of the frontier, and the mythology of the western. Their work exhilarated and inspired me. I therefore resolved to follow in their footsteps.

Do you wish more book publishers would include the name of the artist whose work appears on the cover?

I can see no practical reason to deny any artist credit for his or her work.

Finally, are there any books available of your artwork, or are there any in the pipeline?

Not yet, but perhaps one day ... who knows?

If you'd like to find out more about Ken, and view more of his work, then you might like to visit his website