History
Whirlwind was the faithful Lone-Star Stallion[1] of Tex Dawson also known as the Western Kid and the Gun-Slinger. Whirlwind was a highly intelligent horse who not only rode Tex across the American Frontier, but also came to his aid whenever he was in danger and also followed his master's direct orders[2].
There are conflicting accounts to the origins of Whirlwind. In the first account, it is stated that Whirlwind was wild horse that lived in Thunder Canyon, and that his sire was killed by a rival horse in the herd known as the Wild One[3]. The other states that Whirlwind lived in Wild Horse Canyon and that the killer of his sire was a horse known as the White King[4]. In yet another account it was said that Whirlwind's entire herd, including his sire, were slaughtered by rodeo owner Sime Walker and that Whirlwind was the sole survivor[5]. The Western Kid first encountered Whirlwind as he was on the run after being framed for stealing the payroll from the Bar-T ranch. He saved Whirlwind as the black Lone-Star Stallion was being attacked by a herd of wild horses, Tex scared the attackers off by shooting his gun into the air. The horse became loyal to Tex and he took it as his steed, naming it Whirlwind. Shortly thereafter he also adopted his dog Lightning and the both animals were integral in helping Tex capture Jonas, the man who framed him and made him confess his crimes. Tex then left the Bar-T ranch to travel the west helping those in need, earning the name the Western Kid[6].
Whirlwind was not merely a means of transportation for the hero, the horse was highly intelligent and often came to his master's aid in battle, or often helped him break free from captivity by chewing through his bonds often working with the aid of Lightning. Whirlwind and Lightning helped their master capture the likes of the trigger happy Lawkins[7], Ridge Blackwell and Brand Krug. When Tex returned to Thunder Canyon, Whirlwind broke away from his master in order to get revenge against the Wild One, who had now been trained by a horse rustler to assist him in stealing other horses. While Tex and Lightning dealt with the rustler, Whirlwind clashed with the Wild One, the battle ending when the Wild One ran off a cliff to his death[3]. Whirlwind returned to his master and later assisted him in capturing other criminals such as Diamond Dave Harper. When Tex was captured by the female outlaw known as "The Boss" in the so-called Bad Lands, Whirlwind and Lightning fled the scene and returns with officers of the law that captured the Boss, her minions and freed Tex. Later when the Western Kid clashed with ruthless outlaw Hank Morgan, Whirlwind saved Tex's life by stepping into the path of Morgan's horse before it could trample Tex to death[8].
Whirlwind also played a part in the capture of Bart Carter, stopping a range war between Bud Wayne and Jake Turner, capturing outlaws Verne Carter[9], and Bo Powers. In a seeming contradiction to the incident at Thunder Canyon, Whirlwind abandoned the Western Kid at Wild Horse Canyon to avenge the death of his sire at the hands of the White King. In this incident, Whirlwind was initially defeated in combat by the White King and was then forced to join his herd of outlaw horses, raiding farms in the area. The White King's herd was soon hunted by a posse which included Tex and Lightning. However Whirlwind suddenly turned on the White King and defeated him in combat, then returned to his master[4]. Whirlwind also assisted the Western Kid in apprehending Gar Phillips, Black Bard Dongan, Hal North, the Waynes brothers, and in the town of Long Horn helped stop Bull Mason[10].
Later, Whirlwind was ordered not to go after the the White Fury, or White King, so Lightning lured the rival horse close enough for Whirlwind to attack him and win the battle[11]. Whirlwind was also integral in convincing the wife of one of the Western Kid's many friends in law enforcement not to fear Lone-Star Stallions. Whirlwind was later accused of assisting the Western Kid in stealing horses, but the Kid exposed Mr. Osborne -- a local blacksmith -- as the real thief[12]. After helping the Western Kid win a rodeo, Whirlwind was targeted by Sime Walker, who captured the horse unaware of their shared past. This was also a trap set by the Western Kid who was familiar with Walker's crooked ways. Whirlwind overcame the urge to kill Walker, chasing him around his secret hideout until Tex and the sheriff arrived to arrest him[5].
Sometime after this, while the Western Kid was on the trail of escaped convict Bart Homber, Whirlwind saved both the lives of his master and the escaped con by diverting a herd of stampeding horses spooked by the gunfire exchanged in their conflict[13]. Whirlwind was again targeted for theft by Mick Connors, who blamed the Western Kid for his recent gambling losses in a horse race as well as believing that the Kid framed him for a past crime. When Lightning tries to prevent the theft as the Kid slept, Connors threatened to shoot Whirlwind forcing the faithful dog to stand down. When the Kid woke to find Whirlwind missing, he blamed Lightning and sent the dog away before searching for his horse. When confronting Connors he learned the truth, and reunited with Lightning in the clash with Connors, rescued Whirlwind reuniting the trio[6].Attributes
Abilities
See Also
- 17 appearance(s) of Whirlwind (Horse) (Earth-616)
- 1 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Whirlwind (Horse) (Earth-616)
- 18 image(s) of Whirlwind (Horse) (Earth-616)