Aventuras de Tom Mix and Tom Tyler: Heroes of the Prairie

Having completed three silent film reconstructions here at Aventuras de Tom Tyler - “Red Hot Hoofs” (1926), “When the Law Rides” (1928), and “Tyrant of Red Gulch” (1928) - I felt it was time for a translation project although one of a different kind: from the Spanish comic book Boy, issue number 2 in the series. A copy of this particular comic book was first acquired by me in August 2021.

What makes the Tom Mix and Tom Tyler adventure-seeking team unique is that each story is a complete adventure in its own, with a major comic-book sketch on the cover of Boy, while on the inside of the cover is the story, accompanied by a second comics panel inside the front cover. The comic illustrations for this the translated story of “Dos Colossos en el Aire”, or “Two Western Heroes in the Air” starring these two heroes of the western film genre are posted below.

Please note that this translation is the property of Aventuras de Tom Tyler. If you would like to link to this translation of “Dos Colossos en el Aire” from your website, please contact me first at Aventurasdetomtyler_at_triggertom.com. Thank you! -Mary

TWO WESTERN HEROES IN THE AIR

On a midwestern hacienda during a wedding ceremony, the small group of guests dispersed quickly as gunshots were heard by them in the distance. The only people who remained present were a handful of young men on horseback, galloping while firing their guns at a group of unshakable pursuers, a tribe seeking to avenge a wrong committed against them by a member of the bride’s family.

“Arise!” Tom Mix roared at the young men who came within sight. “Turn around so I can see you. Your pursuers may have rifles, but we have the intent to win this fight!”

Suddenly there was a violent clash between Tom Mix and Tom Tyler with the natives riding Appaloosa horses, the white stallions the two heroes rode on blending in with the ones they fought. Some of the wounded natives fell from their horses to the ground. In the fray of this incident, the courage of the local cowboys who fought alongside Mix and Tyler was stimulated, which in turn allowed them to defeat the natives who put up a good fight.

Finally, the last of the Natives fled, beaten down by the cowboys, heading quickly down the road which led to the Black Hills mountains. At that moment, Tom Tyler and Tom Mix were praised by the local cowboys for their successful fight against the natives, but it was not long before the mood changed to one of anxiety. As both Toms looked around at everyone, they discovered that Miss Margaret, the bride of the wedding, was not present. What happened to her? the two men thought to themselves. Soon they figured out that she was kidnapped by one of the natives.

Tom Mix spoke to the men who were present: “These natives come from a nomadic tribe that lives in the Valley of Souls, where it is very difficult to penetrate, except by air. For some time they have lived in that place, making it difficult to expel them.” He was one of the wedding guests as was Tom Tyler, and was still wearing his standard Hudson’s Bay blanket coast along with his white cowboy hat. Upon hearing Mix speak, an aviator who was also a wedding guest stepped forward. He flew all the way from Los Angeles to South Dakota, landing on the plains near Villa de Oro. Mix looked at Tom Tyler standing by his side.  The aviator said to them:

“I can lower you from my plane into the valley.” 

Both Mix and Tyler nodded. The flight was arranged. Tom Tyler would accompany Mix on the plane with a third man who knew about the situation in the valley and find out if a daring rescue was possible. The man accompanied Mix on horseback, while Tyler rode his horse alongside them, in the direction of where the Waco UIC cabin biplane was parked.

The three men boarded the biplane and the engine snored as the plane took out quickly, emitting the barest line of smoke through the exhaust valve in the air. Only a few moments later it approached the mountains, flying directly over the Valley of Souls.

In the valley was the village where the Natives lived. Finally home, they dismounted their horses and one of them led Margarita to the chief of their tribe. The sudden appearance of the biplane caused fear in the Natives, who looked at it suspiciously, aiming their weapons at it due to the plane dive bombing them. Positioned on the lower wing, one man on each side of the plane, Tom Tyler and Tom Mix swooped down, observing the village. Margarita was temporarily left alone when the Natives fled to a temporary camp after giving their attention to the biplane. She heard Tom Tyler call her name. She looked up at the biplane, which started to gain air height once again after Tyler threw a small rock wrapped with paper on the ground in front of her. Margaret picked up the rock and unwrapped it. On the paper was written a message for her rescue. It read:

“Miss Margarita: We will fly through the valley again, lowering the plane to your height. Raise your arms and we will rescue you.” 

A feeling of gratitude came over her. She smiled up at the Waco UIC cabin biplane which turned around and started to descend once again in the valley, as if to taxi, when Tom Tyler crawled out onto the rear of the biplane near the tail, and as the Natives approached once again, swiftly lifted Margarita off the ground. All risk of panic left her as she guided by Tom Tyler to the rear seat of the plane, while Tom Mix fired shots at the Natives who kidnapped her. As the biplane lifted into the air, the Natives became enraged, but were finally defeated.