Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Paperback 397: The Fighting Edge / William MacLeod Raine (Pocket Books 691)

Paperback 397: Pocket Books 391 (1st ptg, 1950)

Title: The Fighting Edge
Author: William MacLeod Raine
Cover artist: Frank McCarthy

Yours for: Not for sale (gift to the collection from Doug Peterson)

PB691.FightingEdge

Best things about this cover:
  • If you stare at that giant furry meaty ginger club of a hand for any length of time, it will start to look obscene. You will have nightmares. There will be blood.
  • Blood here looks fake and lipstickish, though—like the guy's fist was, just minutes earlier, engaged in a Señor Wences routine. "S'alright if I punch you in the face!? ... S'alright!"



PB691bc.FightingEdge

Best things about this back cover:
  • "You'll find a new rider in the bunkhouse!" — it unintentional gayness a requirement of all western cover copy? "I like 'em man-size" !? Come on!
  • "I'm no dry nurse to fellows shy of sand" — nice syntax, Tex. I think this is what got that guy on the front cover punched in the face by Señor Gargantufist.

Page 123~

Dillon had taken off his high-heeled boots because they were hurting his feet. He observed that Walker, lying fully dressed on the blankets, was still wearing his.
A rare glimpse backstage at an Old West drag show. Catty banter to follow, I'm sure.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter]

5 comments:

Sean Brodrick said...

That has to be the gayest back cover copy ever.

Brian Busby said...

Dylan's name is misspelled.

borky said...

'Milk' Dud Hollister declaring he likes 'em man-sized, but is no 'dry nurse', (which one's the 'wet nurse' again, the guy who hangs the handkerchief out the left back pocket?).

The Justice of the 'Piece' demanding Dud teach young 'Bob Dylan' to be a man, but Dud accusing Bob of being shy of sand, (that's probably because Bob prefers Vaseline).

And Bob coping with his bride being taken from him by proving himself a man amongst men.

Something makes me suspect the gayness ain't so unintentional - so much so I'm beginning to suspect Bob's big gingery mitt on the cover isn't dukin' out the 'sneaking coyote' but saying hello to the Invisible Man, even as the 'sneaking coyote''s pulling a train on him!

borky said...

p.s.

Anyone else notice 'sneaking coyote''s gun's back to front in his holster?

How the bleedin' hell's he supposed to shoot anything other than his foot with that?

Come on, now - that's got'o mean something really perverted!

DemetriosX said...

I have to say the punchee's face doesn't really look like he's just been nailed by a "shattering left". More like he's doing a Joe Cocker imitation, really.

Borky, the reversed grip on the pistol means he goes for a cross draw, like a sword. It's pretty silly unless he can't shoot left-handed at all and uses it as a backup weapon. (And given the discussion so far, all of that sounds rather euphemistic, doesn't it?)