Red Ryder Daily 12/24/45 by Fred Harmon

I love learning about comic art and history. This is my first Red Ryder and so it prompted me to do a bit research. I have always known Red Ryder to be among the most popular and sought after among the pantheon of Western strips. The exact reason eluded me until I started digging. Very interesting and relevant in this age of big Marvel movies and comics being more an almost money losing venture in order to fuel the entertainment, marketing and merchandising machine. It appears that the strips creator, Stephen Siesinger had the concept in mind of a huge franchise centered around the character and strip. He found the artist, Fred Harman to bring the character to life. Through carefully orchestrated and simultaneous development of radio series, films, novels, big-little books, events, rodeos, promotions and merchandising he developed a huge franchise. Products were licensed including BB guns for Daisy, clothing, sporting goods, toys, novelties and gifts. In addition, alliances were set up with JC Penny where they had Red Ryder Corrals that claimed to be"outposts for dependable American quality and value". They would sell clothes and run educational and sports contests. Red Ryder and Little Beaver merchandising went international too as did the comics. Siesinger is credited with being a pioneer in using this planned, cross media marketing and promotional blitz approach to creating something out of nothing.

I have not even talked about the art or strip yet! I think it is a dandy, perhaps among the best I have seen. It features Red Ryder and Little Beaver prominently with a girl and a horse chase. Given that is from 1945, it is not uncommon for racial depiction and speech to be approached in a way that we would now consider offensive and insensitive.