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Merlin Fanshaw #1
The Bodacious Kid
The adventures of The Bodacious Kid begin during the last months of 1882 in Progress County‚ Montana Territory. With humor‚ suspense and authentic frontier atmosphere gained through a lifetime of living‚ researching and depicting the West‚ Lynde tells a story of adventure‚ romance and greed as Merlin Fanshaw‚ a.k.a. The Bodacious Kid‚ finds himself caught between the competing agendas of an outlaw band‚ two very different lawmen and one pretty girl.
- GenresWesterns
244 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1996
9 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Stan Lynde
30 books8 followersAuthor of eight novels featuring the adventures of Deputy U.S. Marshal Merlin Fanshaw, Stan Lynde is a fourth-generation native Montanan and the creator, author, and artist of two highly acclaimed syndicated cartoon strips, Rick O'Shay and Latigo.
Stan passed away in his beloved Montana on August 6th, 2013. He was a great talent and beloved by all that new him. He was a master story teller both in his story strip cartoons Rick O’shay, and Latigo and through his western novels, the Merlin Fanshaw series. His work speaks for the values he and his fans held so dear. As in his most famous syndicated cartoon strip Rick O’Shay “Happy Birthday Boss” Stan has gone on to be with the boss. His death is grieved by his wife Lynda, family, friends and fans.
Born in Billings, Montana, he was raised on a sheep ranch near Lodge Grass. He attended the University of Montana in Missoula and later lived in Helena.
In 1958, Lynde created the comic strip Rick O'Shay, a critical and commercial success. Like most of his work, it was set in the West and mixed humor with strong storytelling. After a dispute with the syndicate, Lynde left the strip in 1977. The strip continued, drawn by Alfredo Alcala.
In 1979, Lynde launched another strip, Latigo, starring Cole "Latigo" Cantrell, a.k.a. "Two Trails". His father was a mountain man and his mother a Crow Indian. After serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, Latigo returned to the West and became a federal marshal. The daily strip was launched on June 25, 1979, joined by a Sunday strip, best seen in the half page format, on 1 July 1979. It was not a great commercial success and ended in 1983, the daily on May 7, the Sunday on 5 June.
From 1984 to 1985, Lynde produced the weekly panel Grass Roots, which was revived in 1998. In the late 1980s, the Swedish financial newspaper Dagens Industri commissioned a comic strip from Lynde. It became "Chief Plenty Bucks", set in the West and starring a capitalistic Native American chief. Lynde drew ten pages, but the project was shelved and never published in Dagens Industri. In 1997, the strip was revived for the Swedish Fantomen magazine (and its Norwegian and Finnish counterparts). The title was changed to Chief Sly Fox and a total of 86 pages (including the original from the 1980s) were published from 1997 to 2000. They have never been published in English.
In 2002, Lynde returned with another exclusive comic for Fantomen; Bad Bob about a hopeless Wild West criminal. This strip is still running in reprint.
He died of cancer on August 6, 2013.
Stan passed away in his beloved Montana on August 6th, 2013. He was a great talent and beloved by all that new him. He was a master story teller both in his story strip cartoons Rick O’shay, and Latigo and through his western novels, the Merlin Fanshaw series. His work speaks for the values he and his fans held so dear. As in his most famous syndicated cartoon strip Rick O’Shay “Happy Birthday Boss” Stan has gone on to be with the boss. His death is grieved by his wife Lynda, family, friends and fans.
Born in Billings, Montana, he was raised on a sheep ranch near Lodge Grass. He attended the University of Montana in Missoula and later lived in Helena.
In 1958, Lynde created the comic strip Rick O'Shay, a critical and commercial success. Like most of his work, it was set in the West and mixed humor with strong storytelling. After a dispute with the syndicate, Lynde left the strip in 1977. The strip continued, drawn by Alfredo Alcala.
In 1979, Lynde launched another strip, Latigo, starring Cole "Latigo" Cantrell, a.k.a. "Two Trails". His father was a mountain man and his mother a Crow Indian. After serving in the Union Army during the Civil War, Latigo returned to the West and became a federal marshal. The daily strip was launched on June 25, 1979, joined by a Sunday strip, best seen in the half page format, on 1 July 1979. It was not a great commercial success and ended in 1983, the daily on May 7, the Sunday on 5 June.
From 1984 to 1985, Lynde produced the weekly panel Grass Roots, which was revived in 1998. In the late 1980s, the Swedish financial newspaper Dagens Industri commissioned a comic strip from Lynde. It became "Chief Plenty Bucks", set in the West and starring a capitalistic Native American chief. Lynde drew ten pages, but the project was shelved and never published in Dagens Industri. In 1997, the strip was revived for the Swedish Fantomen magazine (and its Norwegian and Finnish counterparts). The title was changed to Chief Sly Fox and a total of 86 pages (including the original from the 1980s) were published from 1997 to 2000. They have never been published in English.
In 2002, Lynde returned with another exclusive comic for Fantomen; Bad Bob about a hopeless Wild West criminal. This strip is still running in reprint.
He died of cancer on August 6, 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 25, 2018
This was a lot of fun, but I'm glad I read the abridged version. Lynde managed to take every country saying & pack them into this narrative in completely believable ways. It was a fairly typical western in most ways, but with a better plot overall. Quite funny. Excellent narration & characters.
July 21, 2011
I loved this book written by the artist and writer of one of my favorite comic strips, Rick O'Shay. In particular, the characterization was wonderful. I'll give it 4 stars and I will gladly bet that the books get even better!
October 11, 2012
Not world-shaking, just fun listening for a long drive. It's a western with some unethical characters.
November 17, 2014
A fine western, and a good start to the adventures of Merlin Fanshaw. Stan Lynde wrote and drew a comic strip for many years, his skills translated well.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews