Fratello bianco

Subject and script: Claudio Nizzi
Artwork: Giovanni Ticci
Cover: Claudio Villa

A stagecoach is proceeding at a fair clip along the Arizona trails, escorted by numerous armed men. Inside the carriage there is a bunch of Apaches in shackles who have to be taken to the court-house in town, where they will undergo a summary trial and end up with a greased rope around their necks. This is because they are accused of the massacre of miners that was carried out in San Cristòbal, a bloodbath that appears to have been perpetrated by a group of men whose ringleader is depicted as a ruthless condottiero, Taiga. But actually, it is no less than Taiga himself who, with a wily ruse, manages to free the prisoners, thereby avoiding bloodshed. The mind behind his plan is that of Tex, who is determined to rehabilitate Taiga and his men, clearing him of the weight of an unjust accusation. The group headed by the gallant warrior promised General Crook he would not take up arms against the white man, and an Apache’s promise is sacred!