Red Mask #52

The cover story "More Magic of the Presto Kid" features a young boy who, after living as a hermit in the wilderness for three years and developing extraordinary survival skills, is discovered by an old magician named Dr. Crowell, who teaches him magic tricks. A separate story follows Red Mask, who pursues banditos that have taken ranchers hostage after an election dispute in a mountain town; when Red Mask's bronc slips on loose shale, the banditos believe they have lost him, but Red Mask eventually tracks them down and confronts them near a gathering dusk. In another subplot, a man named Sam, hardened by a lightning strike that killed him years ago, becomes an ornery hermit in the mountains and opposes voting in the town election, leading Red Mask to pursue him to prevent further trouble.