From the exhibition
Beadle's New York Dime Library No. 150
· September 7, 1881

El Rubio Bravo, King of the Swordsmen; or, The Terrible Brothers of Tabasco
By Col. Thomas Hoyer Monstery, author of adventure and swordplay tales. This illustrated serial adventure follows Olaf Svenson, a fair-haired Swedish swordmaster, imprisoned in the Honduran fortress of Truxillo. When guards attempt his escape, his superior bayonet skills—disarming three soldiers simultaneously without killing them—impress the garrison commander, Major Don Rafael Balderamos. Svenson reveals credentials as former Instructor-General of Arms to Russia and Spain, earning the title "El Rubio Bravo" (The Brave Blonde). Offered a military commission he deems poorly paid, Svenson instead asks about Tegucigalpa and a Spanish merchant recently arrived from Spain with his daughter. His interest shifts from Honduras's political affairs to personal pursuit, suggesting romantic entanglement as the serial's driving force alongside martial adventure.
Public domain (pre-1929), restored and presented by comicbooks.com public-domain