Number 1149: The Lone Ranger is pure gold

You've probably seen this picture of Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp (as Tonto, no less) from a revisionist movie version of the Lone Ranger legend.

I have mixed feelings. My Lone Ranger is the Lone Ranger of the Baby Boomers, growing up with the television show starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels. But the Lone Ranger franchise has been lying dormant for a while, and some movie people are betting it's ready for a reboot and new look. I might not like it, but who knows? I'm not the target audience, and for those at whom it's aimed it might be good. (I'm a bit concerned about a white guy, Depp, playing a Native American. Even in the era of white people playing ethnic minorities, at least Jay Silverheels was a Navajo.)

This story, "Gold Coin Fraud," is from The Lone Ranger Western Treasury #1 (1953). It's a thick 25¢ annual, drawn by Tom Gill and his studio staff. "Gold Coin Fraud" has an educational slant to it. I've included two text pages showing different types of gold coins of the era.

I showed you the origin of the Lone Ranger from this issue in Pappy's #1046.