"Purcell is writing and illustrating the 1930s-contemporary western series, which embraces the adventurous world of pulp publishing while also saluting the great western movie serials of that era." ?Paul Green, author, The Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns.
The Hollywood Cowboy Detectives ride again as Hoot Gibson, who has walked away from his western movie career, prepares a wild-west show for the circus. The Hooter invites Republic Pictures flack Sean "Curly" Woods and studio chauffeur Nick Danby for a few days of "rest and relaxation" at a Southern California ranch while he gets his act together. Unfortunately, they find out the historic ranch house is known locally as Demon House. Built by Confederate Col. Jeb Reynolds following the Civil War, it has a history of death and evil.
Curly, Hoot and Nick are joined by legendary western star William S. Hart and 10-year-old stunt-rider Dick Jones as they battle a ghostly band of Confederate soldiers and a scaly green Banshee that appears out of an electrified, flying white cloud. The cowboys are unsure whether they're dealing with an international, supernatural or extraterrestrial enemy as they encounter the ghostly images, flying saucers and two strange beings with unearthly powers. G-man Big Jim Webber joins the wild-west performers as the Hollywood Cowboy Detectives ride head-on into the Valley of the Banshee with gun-blazing action, amazing horsemanship and the knowledge that the survival of the civilized world hangs in the balance.
Contains the bonus Hollywood Cowboy Detectives adventure, "Mystery of the Kidnapped Cowboy."
It's winter in 1938 and Republic Pictures has sent studio PR flack Sean "Curly" Woods to Iverson Ranch where the B-Western, The Lone Ranger Rides Again, is being filmed. The star of that 15-chapter serial, Bob Livingston, is unhappy that the studio replaced him with John Wayne on his long-running series, The Three Mesquiteers. And his unhappiness has led to disruptive behavior.
Curly's assignment is to rein in the disgruntled star so the production can stay on budget, while keeping all negative news away from the press. "Piece of cake," Woods said. But then he finds Livingston's hotel room trashed, blood on the floor, and a ransom note that states if the police become involved, the star of The Lone Ranger Rides Again will bite the dust.
Veteran western-film villain Glenn Strange joins Woods and studio chauffeur Nick Danby in investigating the "Mystery of the Kidnapped Cowboy" at Iverson Ranch. An old friend of Curly has taken a job at the ranch only to become a victim of a pitchfork-wielding villain. As time is running out for Livingston, the Hollywood Cowboy Detectives ride the range of the San Fernando Valley while tracking the kidnappers. Once again, the cowboy investigators discover gun-blazing action is the only way to bring justice to the old west of the 1930s.
Author and former editorial cartoonist Darryle Purcell illustrates this short story adventure in the style of the pulp publications of the 1930s and '40s.