The Lone Ranger Omnibus Volume 1

Dynamite's The Lone Ranger #1-4

by Brett Matthews, Sergio Cariello (Illustrator), Paul Pope (Illustrator)

The complete story of how fallen lawman John Reid was transformed into the Lone Ranger! Alongside his partner Tonto, the West's quintessential masked man sets a new standard of justice in this character-defining origin story, a collection of twenty-five epic issues by the all-star creative team Brett Matthews, Sergio Cariello, Paul Pope, and John Cassaday! With over 600 pages (including the bonus story "Creed"), this must-have omnibus showcases the Lone Ranger's entire struggle against the unrivaled evil of outlaw Butch Cavendish.

Genres: Comics, Westerns, Graphic Novels, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

632 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2013

Reviews

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wonderful artwork, fun characters brimming with nostalgia, and very sloppy writing. How you rate this book will depend on which of those elements is the most important to you. For me, it's always the writing, thus the two stars. Now, you might assume that the writing falls short because it's The Lone Ranger and therefore geared toward kids, but the sheer amount of blood and wanton violence throughout would indicate otherwise.

[DJ Dycus · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would have been great if they hadn’t attempted a 624-page story. The first 1/3 was very enjoyable. Honestly, I was thinking this was a solid 4… and it dropped the more that I read. At the end I struggled between 3 and 2 — I’d say it’s a 2.5, but forced to choose, I feel better about a 2.

And then there’s the art. It was a distracting part of the reading experience. For example, it’s clear that Cariello isn’t very comfortable depicting the LR from any other angle except straight on. And then, in every single straight-on depiction his mask is flat black — no indication of a nose. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely amazing retelling of a classic. I was so sad when this series came to an end.

[Octavio Aragao · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uma baita recriação das origens do Lone Ranger, com roteiro muito bem construído e arte funcional.
Destaque pra as capas do saudoso John Cassaday.

[Milo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read The Original Review: http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/04/....

An awesome western tale that was very entertaining to read, with spectacular artwork.” ~The Founding Fields

Writer: Brett Matthews | Art: Sergio Cariello, Paul Pope | Cover: John Cassiday | Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment | Collects: The Lone Ranger #1-25, FCBD #0.

A FIERY HORSE WITH THE SPEED OF LIGHT, A CLOUD OF DUST AND A HEARTY HI-YO SILVER. THE LONE RANGER! With those words, fans young and old grew to love the Lone Ranger and now, Dynamite proudly presents their Eisner nominated take on the beloved character! Featuring the all-star creative team of Brett Matthews, Sergio Cariello, Paul Pope and John Cassaday, this is a must-read for long-time fans of America’s favorite hero of the Wild West! And now, for the first time ever, all 25 issues plus The Lone Ranger: Creed #0 FCBD story are available in one amazing, 632 page collection! Read the complete story of how John Reid was transformed into the Lone Ranger, and, along with his partner Tonto, set a new standard of justice in the Old West!!

I love a good old Western drama, yet it’s probably the genre that I read/watch the least of, in fact – my Western on the big screen doesn’t stretch beyond The Magnificent Seven and its subsequent sequels, and Back to the Future III if that counts. My family have a copy of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid though, so I guess I’ll have to check that out at some point. Oh, and the Red Dead Redemption game. Novel wise, it’s probably only Lee Collins’ Cora Oglesby novels that I’ve read in this genre, and that was mainly due to their supernatural bent.

However, the first volume of The Lone Ranger series was an absolute cracker to read, and I found it very entertaining, and it was great fun to read even if my review copy didn’t collect the whole 25 issues. It’s certainly got me interested to check out more, especially with the excellent artwork provided by Sergio Cariello and Paul Pope which really enhances the story provided by Brett Matthews. It’s also important to note that there are a lot of similarities with Batman as well, despite the fact that the setting is not in the DC Universe. It isn’t connected in the way that All Star Western shared a similarity with Scott Snyder’s Batman from the New 52, but you can spot certain elements – the cave, the disguise adopted to strike fear into man, you get the picture.

I’m guessing The Lone Ranger is a character that’s more widely known in America than England, as before this and the Johnny Depp upcoming film I’d never heard of him. However, this is a strong comic installment nonetheless, with some pretty heavy stuff included alongside some nice action scenes. The lack of info-dumping and texts allow room for the artwork, which is where this book really shines. Seriously, the best part of The Lone Ranger is the artwork. It’s very atmospheric, nice and entertaining. The story is familiar, one of revenge, but that doesn’t make it any less compelling and engaging, and the copy that I received ended on a pretty awesome cliffhanger as well so I am fairly certain that I will be checking out the entire collection when I can if this is anything to go by. I initially gave this collection a 3/5 star on Goodreads when I reviewed it, but on reflection, I’ll probably have to bump it up to a 4.

VERDICT: 4/5

[Anna Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have heard of Lone Ranger before and know about the T.V. show from the 50s, the comic books and even the racist stereotypes of the character Tonto, his Native American companion. Never have I experience any of these things firsthand before now. What the hell took me so long??? Seeing as this was a review copy, only the first hundred pages or so was collected in it, instead of the 600 and some in the full volume that will be released in July. But the first hundred pages held more than enough adventure, tragic backstory and hero origins to make any comic book proud. I loved the balance between dark and light in the artwork. It had splashes of major color, like the real Old West but also represented the darkness in Lone Ranger's life and it's evolution while dealing with the massacre of his family, all the while not trivializing it or making it into 'statement' art like so many graphic novels become. I loved the depiction of Tonto as his friend, equal and mentor in revenge, avoiding stereotypes for the most part except for a depiction of him carrying come scalps, but to say that no Native American ever scalped anyone would be PC rewriting history, so it didn't bother me all that much as a reader. This comic managed to represent copious amounts of violence without becoming an exercise in unnecessary gore like another I read fairly recently, a retelling of Sleepy Hollow which could have taken lessons in tasteful violence from the newest incarnation of the Ranger. As a fan of Westerns such as Young Guns, The Angel and the Badman, Dances With Wolves, Lonesome Dove (book and film), and the miniseries Into The West, this had an apprehensive start for me. I knew I would enjoy it in some capacity, but was unsure quite how much - I was rewarded for my faith with a comic that I really loved. My copy left off with a cliffhanger and I want to know if the Lone Ranger ever has a showdown with Butch Cavendish, the main villain of this rebooted series! :) I guess I will have to get my hands on a full copy when it's published. All I can say is that this comic managed to avoid some of the traps that comics trying TOO hard often fall into - lurid or sparse artwork, too much text, clichéd action sequences - and it definitely impressed me as a reader. I don't know if I'll be seeing the upcoming film, but I'm a definite fan of the upcoming graphic novel! Recommended for fans of Western novels and films, who like the tragic hero stories and have a thirst for justice. I don't know how fans of the original comics will feel, but I'd like to think they'll enjoy it.

VERDICT: 5/5 Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via Netgalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is July 9th, 2013.*

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up to reacquaint myself with the Lone Ranger in preparation for the new movie, but I had no idea I would consume this hefty volume so rapidly or enjoy it as much as I ultimately did.

This book comprises the first 25 issues of the Dynamite comic series, plus a Free Comic Book Day story. The story is one continuous arc as John Reid evolves into the hero known as the Lone Ranger in order to exact vengeance on Butch Cavendish, the man responsible for the murder of Reid's brother.

Writer Brett Matthews does a wonderful job here molding the Ranger's origins. The tale is told briskly and with a minimum of dialog. It's amazing how much emotional and psychological depth Matthews gives the story and its characters in so few words.

Reid is a complex character here, unsure of his path but determined to see events through to their conclusion. But the big tweaks in character come in regards to Tonto; who is portrayed as both a mentor and an equal to the Ranger. I also liked that Matthews throws in a nice love triangle to complicate their relationship a bit more.

But the big plus character-wise is Butch Cavendish. This is one of the best villains I've seen in ages. He is dripping with menace and evil, but by giving him a compelling back story, Matthews makes him a fascinating, complex and even relatable bad guy.

As for the art, Sergio Cariello gives the whole enterprise the feel of a classic spaghetti western. The book is often bathed in gold tones, alternating impressive vistas with tight facial close-ups. In short, this is a very beautifully drawn book.

I expect the Johnny Depp movie to be fun and action-packed but I doubt it will come anywhere close to the emotional depth and overall quality of this book, which turned out to be one of the best graphic novels I've read all year. This volume is very pricey, but if you are a fan of the Lone Ranger, or quality Western comics in general, it is worth the cost.

[Marcelo Soares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estou surpreendido e impressionado.
Achei que ia ser uma merda, mas devorei as 700 páginas ontem de noite ao som do Country Rock.
Basicamente é uma história de vingança, numa emboscada, John Reid perde o pai, o irmão e os amigos, todos Rangers; John é salvo pelo nativo Tonto, obviamente um selvagem com um passado misterioso; e juntos eles saem em busca de justiça e vingança pelo faroeste americano.
Primeiro, a arte é espetacular, mas é o Cassaday é o que a gente espera; depois o Sergio Carriello assume e continua espetacular; tem algumas edições do Paul Pope que mudam muito o estilo e eu não gostei.
Segundo, a história é muito bem feita; os personagens são bem desenvolvidos; todo mundo parece gente de verdade com ilusões, sonhos, vontades, medos, ansiedades, dúvidas; há explicações muito boas para a máscara, as balas de prata, o senso de justiça do Caveliro, o amoralidade do vilão, o Tonto, o cavalo, o grito, o nome e até quem vai pegar a cunhada; tudo faz sentido.
É uma adaptação muito boa de um conteúdo infantil misturado com boas doses de violência e depravação e deveria ser de exemplo para adaptações de vários outros personagens que estão trancados no porão das editoras; com ajustes poderia ser o Space Ghost.
Eu não sou fã dos fumettis italianos, mas quem curte Tex poderia dar uma chance ao Cavaleiro Solitário, assim como quem curte os Criminals e histórias de vingança em geral.
Aiô, Silver e aquela coisa toda.

[Billy Martel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unquestionably, the best Lone Ranger related piece of material I’ve experienced that’s been made since the 1950’s. It’s not perfect. The writing is somewhat clumsy, the artwork is only ok, and the continuity in the fight scenes is baffling. But what makes it sing is how much the creators clearly cared about the source material. You can tell that they steeped themselves in Lone Ranger lore and had a full understanding of who the character was before they started messing with it.

Is this a gritty reboot? Yes. But unlike many gritty reboots, this one understands what made the original character beloved in the first place and is attempting to use the grittiness to highlight that, rather than change or take away from it.

That being said the grittiness did become too much for me at a couple of times. Especially at the end when the writers turn Butch Cavendish into the Joker.

In fact a major complaint i have is with the handling of the character of Butch Cavendish. It felt like they had too many ideas about what to do with him and just ended up doing them all. It was kind of exhausting.

Over all a mixed bag of a book. But one I’m glad I read.

[Arun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good orgin story, great art everything else is just forgettable with this book. For lack of emotions or for trying too hard, the writing wasn't anything worth mentioning in my personal opinion. The art was pretty good, the colors really popped and the overall rendering and tone really brought out the old wild west, the ones we grew up seeing in those Clint Eastwood movies. I felt the pace was a bit too fast , even though it's a 600+ page book. The character of Cavendish was well written, I thought. More so than the lone ranger himself. It's definitely a one time read if you love westerns and to those people this book is definetly worth it's weight in (hi-yo) silver.

[Steven Jorgenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This omnibus is massive and the Lone Ranger here is not your dad's Lone Ranger. Tonto is different too. Overall, I liked this tome. The story had many layers and there were a few spots in the story that left me wondering...What the ?? The Lone Ranger/Tonto/Butch Cavendish extended fight climax was "Wow!" and look at the look in the eyes of The Lone Ranger.

[Fact100 · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10

[David Shultz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is a little confusing at times but the art is great. Also cowboys are just cool and I can’t resist a masked vigilante.

[Jason Tanner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect out of a Lone Ranger comic. But what I got was pretty great.

[Andrei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great take on a classic story. This is a more adult rendition than the Saturday cartoons, with plenty of gritty moments. The pacing is excellent and the action just flows, making this a quick read for the page count. The art ranges from good to very good throughout.

[SBF · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am most definitely not the target audience for the Lone Ranger. I'm 50 years younger than the radio/TV fans, and a female comics reader who's never been much for Westerns, and frankly I have always thought the Lone Ranger was a bland, boring hero. I have not seen the old TV show, but I'd picked up that popular image of the Lone Ranger as a goody-two-shoes through pop culture osmosis. Well, this comic proved me wrong. I ate it up and can't wait for more. This Ranger is a human being, not an unrelatable goody-goody. He's a hero who refuses to kill, but that makes him all the more powerful in that he could kill, but chooses not to. And there's plenty of ways to mete out justice without killing. Not being familiar with the LR's origin story, I was greatly impressed. It's a good backstory that sets everything up nicely. In fact, the recent Disney movie (which was not greater than the sum of its parts, but some of those parts were good nonetheless) must have drawn some inspiration from these comics as there are just too many similarities to be coincidence. I only wish Depp's Tonto had been one-tenth as interesting as the Tonto of this story. Refusal to kill doesn't mean there's no violence; in fact, this comic gets pretty bloody and I wouldn't recommend it for readers under 13. Cavendish is a scary villain, and the bad guys have no problem killing women and children. But for older readers, this is a fantastic read and I hope they keep up the good work.

[Wayne McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Featuring all 25 issue's of the comic by Dynamite, this update by Brett Matthews is grittier than earlier versions. Excellent art by Sergio Cariello and Paul Pope add to the pleasures in reading. The publication couldn't be timelier with a new Lone Ranger movie about to open.

My review copy only included the first 100 pages, but they retell the origin of how the ranger lost his family, made a friend, and found a horse. Butch Cavendish is featured as the main villain, and we see his machinations in full swing as he plots to kill off. We also see some jabs at the way Tonto was racially stereotyped in previous versions. In this book, Tonto is not only an equal, but also a mentor.

For those looking for more after the movie ends, or anyone with a craving for the old West, the Lone Ranger Omnibus is a sure fit.

[Víctor Segovia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recuerdo que leí hasta cierto punto esta serie, recomendada por la página llamada Comic Book Orange y vaya que recomendación tan certera fue aquella.
Si hay un personaje de los mitos del western que si bien estaba arrumado en un rincón y con una película que dejo mucho pero mucho que desear (por mucho que Johnny Deep estuviese metido, fue un trago agridulce) el comic de Dynamite le dio el verdadero impulso que se merecía, una versión un poco más moderna y fuertemente inspirada por la spaghetti western y tratando de llevar la rudeza de su mito a una nueva audiencia; una que quería leer un western que regresa a su país natal, los Estados Unidos ya que los comics más legendarios en el género son de origen europeo.
Cavendish, Los Reid y esos pequeños homenajes a los mitos del Lone Ranger así como a ese personaje que tomó su manto años después, el Green Hornet.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best rendition of the Lone Ranger in graphic form that I've read and Dynamite has much to be proud of here. The story is well-written, expertly plotted and left you with a desire to read more. While the relationship between the Lone Ranger and Tonto was far frontier than we may be accustomed to, they were just getting to know each other, and I have little doubt it will grow warmer with time. Enough of the Ranger's origin was told to both hook you in and make you instantly sympathetic to the Ranger.

The art work was gorgeous and deeply evocative of the beauty of the Old West. I can't recommend this book highly enough and look forward to volume 2 with great anticipation.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

[Marc Leroux · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The collection is the first 25 comics by Dynamite. The story line remains true to Fran Strikers origins, but adds a completely new depth to the characters and makes them much grittier than I've seen before. There are the nods to parts of the mythology; the tie to the Green Hornet in particular. There are a lot of parallels to The Batman as well; the cave and the disguise to strike fear into men.
Good artwork, great story. I liked it.

[Kurt Rocourt · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to read a great Lone Ranger story this is it.