After some success taming the high seas, director Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp reunite for this new interpretation of The Lone Ranger. The meandering 149-minute tale is more than a little liberal in its depiction of the Masked Man and his faithful Indian companion. Those looking for a classic western may be disappointed as Verbinski’s The Lone Ranger is an action-adventure similar to the Pirates of the Caribbean that just happens to be set in the Old West.
After spending several issues exploring Tonto‘s past before he met the Masked Man, The Lone Ranger #11 returns to the “present” to focus on the Lone Ranger‘s struggle to get his wounded friend the medical attention he so desperately needs.
In the final issue of The Lone Ranger: Snake of Iron the role of Lassie is played by Tonto‘s faithful horse Scout who leads the Lone Ranger and soldiers to the stalled train which has been seized by not one but two tribes of Indian warriors.
The “Native Ground” storyline continues as we see further into Tonto‘s past after the death of his wife and before his days as “the Lone Ranger‘s faithful Indian companion.”
As the Lone Ranger rides into Ute territory seeking help for his dying companion we see more of Tonto‘s past including the slaughter of tribe including his wife and child and the first steps on a journey that would lead him to abandon the life he knew and eventually ride alongside the Lone Ranger.