Appearing in "The Spider Strikes"
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- The Spider (First appearance)
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Synopsis for "The Spider Strikes"
In Mexico, the Black Rider has assisted in the capture of the notorious criminal known as the Spider and is overseeing his execution by firing squad. Spider is seemingly shot dead and the Black Rider returns to the United States. However, when the local law prepares to bury the Spider, he seemingly comes back to life and shoots them all dead. He then finds his old gang and informs them that he is going to leave his mark across the west so that everyone will remember his name. Riding into Leadville, the Spider rustles Jim Lathrop's herd and brands the long ranch hand with the mark of the Spider and send him back to the Lathrop ranch as a message to others that the Spider is back.
When Jim, Marie and Bobby Lathrop find their ranch hand they call on Dr. Matthew Masters for help and he brings the injured man back to his medical practice. There he finds the brand of the Spider on the mans back. This shocks Masters as he was there when the Spider was executed. Changing back into the Black Rider he rides back into Mexico and questions the captain of the guard who was present during the execution. The pair then go to the grave where the Spider was supposed to be buried and find that the grave instead holds the three men charged with burying the criminal. The Black Rider deduces that one of the Spider's men was among the firing squad and replaced his live round with a blank.
While back in Texas, the Spider has his men set up a flaming signal of his brand as a warning to the people of Leadville that he is about to attack. The Black Rider arrives and mobilizes the people of Leadville to set up barrels of explosives around the town. When the Spider and his men rush in the Black Rider detonates the explosives killing off most of his gang, leaving the rest easy pickings for the townspeople. As the Black Rider picks off the last of the gang, he shoots the fleeing Spider in the back and he falls into the wall of flames surrounding the town. While the people of Leadville rejoice that the Spider is now dead, the Black Rider has his doubts.
Appearing in "Rustler's Moon!"
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- Lobo
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Synopsis for "Rustler's Moon!"
The Black Rider is patrolling the range around Leadville when he spots a strange sight: cattle being driven by a pack of wolves. The Black Rider then goes down and shoots at the wolves killing them but is shot at by someone hiding out in the woods nearby. The Black Rider sends them fleeing but finds no trace of them and retires back to his home where he changes back into his alter ego of Matthew Masters to ponder over the strange encounter. Examining one of the wolves he killed, Masters finds that it has signs of human handling, making him realize that the wolves had been trained to rustle cattle.
Meanwhile, at the hidden hideout of the outlaw named Lobo, he learns about the failure of his recent attempt to steal cattle and how the Black Rider interfered with the operation. Furious at this, Lobo orders his men to let loose the most savage of their trained wolves on the town of Leadville in revenge. When news of wolf attacks get to Doc Masters, he changes into the Black Rider once more and fends off the wolves, killing all but one which he wounds in the hopes that it will lead him back to the outlaws hideout.
Sure enough the wolf does just that and the Black Rider faces Lobo and his minions. After gunning down Lobo's men, the Black Rider fights it out with Lobo, knocking the outlaw off a cliff and into the wolf pen. Lobo is mauled by his own wolves until the Black Rider frees him from the pen and Lobo quickly surrenders.
Appearing in "Kid Colt Outlaw"
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- Kali
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Synopsis for "Kid Colt Outlaw"
Kid Colt is attacked by a group of Native American warriors who back him into a corner to defend himself. Doing well to fend off his attackers the Kid is suddenly attacked from behind and knocked out. However instead of killing the famous outlaw hero, the warriors instead take him back to their tribe as per their instructions.
Reviving there Kid Colt finds himself a prisoner of a renegade Native American known as Kali who has convinced this tribe that he a great medicine man and that they must sacrifice a white man in order to drive the rest from their lands. Kid Colt is then put through a number of grueling tortures but survives them all and refuses to cry out in pain, frustrating Kali with each success and causing the other Natives to doubt Kali's words.
Eventually, Kid Colt challenges Kali to a one-on-one battle, and overhearing this, the chief of the tribe orders Kali to accept the tribe. The two fight it out on a greased log suspended over a pit of snakes with nothing but a rope suspended across to keep them steady. There the pair fight it out and Kid Colt proves to be the victor. In the aftermath of the battle, the tribe allows Kid Colt to go free.
Appearing in "The Sheriff's Secret!"
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- Hutch
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Synopsis for "The Sheriff's Secret!"
The Black Rider is pursuing Nick Pace and his gang and witnesses as they cross over an old rope bridge. It gives way and sends the entire gang falling to their deaths, all except their youngest member who manages to use a lasso to grab onto one of the bridge posts but is knocked out when he slams into the side of the gorge.
The Black Rider takes the boy to Leadville where he gives him medical attention in his alter ego of Dr. Matthew Masters. Masters hold the boy until the sheriff comes to pick the boy up, but finds the sheriffs reaction to seeing the lad very odd. That night, Masters spots the boy and another gang running out of town when he is confronted by the sheriff. The sheriff confides in Masters that the boy is really his son, who ran off years ago and has been getting involved with outlaws. Masters tells the sheriff to go back home while he finds some way to help.
With the sheriff away, Masters changes back into the Black Rider and follows after the outlaw gang that the boy went along with. Spying from the window, he overhears the gangs leader -- Hutch -- plot a robbery of the Driftwood Bank, telling the boy to wait for them outside and help them make their escape. When the boy leaves to do so, the Black Rider then overhears Hutch and his men plotting to betray the boy so he gets captured while they get away.
Riding into Driftwood, the Black Rider stops the boy just moments before the robbery and explains their plan. This is verified when Hutch and his men come out of the bank and shoot the boys horse, stranding him there. The Black Rider and the boy then rush Hutch and his men and gun them down together. Realizing the errors of his ways, the boy decides to go straight and goes back to Leadville with the Black Rider. The following day, Matthew Masters is out on the town and is happy to see that the boy is now the sheriff's deputy.