Writer:- The Hornet editorial team. Artist:- Felix Carrion.

Main cast:- Keeper, a young Sioux boy; Whistler, his grandfather; Ghost Lord, the white medicine bull and leader of the herd; Obadiah Pringle, Schoolmaster from the Indian Agency; Chief John.

Time period:- early 20th century, America.

It is 1903 and a young Indian Sioux boy, Keeper, in Northern Colorado, America is being told about a crucial piece of his family history and the part that the Buffalo had in saving his life and that of his Grandfather, Whistler. In return Whistler led the small herd of Buffalo to a hidden canyon, safe from hunters. The desendants of the original herd are some of the last surviving Buffalos. Whistler has shown the young boy now called Keeper, the hidden canyon and passes on the responsibility of looking after the herd to his grandson.

However, other moves are afoot in which Keeper is removed from Whistler's care by the local sheriff. The law states that the young Indian boy has to be placed with a respectable Indian family. Whistler though rescues the boy and together they seek refuge in the canyon with the Buffalo. But even here they are not safe. The canyon and the Buffalo are discovered by a railway surveyoring team. With their valley discovered, Whistler dead, Keeper must move the herd to a new safe haven. Thus begins the long journey, in which Keeper searches for a new home for the Buffalo, where they will be safe from hunters and also stay one step in front of the Indian Agency.

Read the first part of the story below from issue 436.

Essentially, this is a 'on the road' style adventure. As Keeper and the Buffalo travel they meet all kinds of people and situations. Helpful people, people who pretend to be friendly, but have their own agendas, others who are evil and those who hate Indians, but change their minds by the end of the story. In a lot of cases, the stories revolve around the people that Keeper and the herd meet.

As the journey progresses, Keeper learns of the location of the Valley of the Buffalo, where he believes the herd will be safe. But by the final issue Keeper finds that the Valley of the Buffalo is nothing more than a Buffalo burial ground. With a new safe haven located can the Indian boy and the herd reach it before the Buffalo hunters slaughter the animals and Obadiah Pringle, the Schoolmaster from the Indian Agency catch up with him? The answers to these questions can be found in the final episode 450 below.

When I first saw this series, it looked pretty boring and I quickly moved onto other stories. I had assumed it would be stories about a young boy being able to command Buffalo to do whatever was required of them for that week's story. But I was wrong. This isn't the case. (This is very much an example of the old saying that you shouldn't judge a book by its front cover). The Buffalo don't do much more than follow Keeper. This is a great series, with excellent stories and artwork by Carrion.

The following adventures of Buffalo Boy are from issues 438, 442, 446 & 450.

The Hornet also published a two page historical article about the Lords of the Plains - the story of the Buffalo. These pages appeared in issues 447 and 448. Please see below. Artwork is by Carrion.

© Adrian Banfield, 2009.