History
Alkali Ike was a gold prospector who travelled around the state of Texas during the days of the American Frontier. He knew much about the area and local politics and was well travelled. He got along on his donkey named Jenny.
He eventually found himself in the town of Gloryville which was being terrorized by a masked outlaw calling himself the Roadrunner, who unknown to all was the local sheriff. Alkali heard of the abandoned Mystery Mine and heard stories about how it was reportedly haunted. Unafraid of these wild stories, Ike travelled up to the mine to search for gold. Finding phosphorescent dust, Ike covered himself and Jenny in it and used the legends of the ghost to scare anyone that might steal any gold. However, at the same time, the Roadrunner was using it to hide his loot.
The sheriff crossed paths with famous cowboy Tex Taylor and accused the stranger of being the Roadrunner and ran him out of town, knocking Tex out in the process. Tex came around just as his horse Fury rode him near the Mystery Mine and he decided to investigate the supposed haunting. Detecting the intruder in the mine, Ike tried to frighten Tex off. But Tex was stopped by the sheriff who revealed he was the Roadrunner and tried to kill Taylor. Unable to watch an innocent man be shot dead, Ike used his ghost trick to spook the sheriff long enough for Tex to knock him out. Ike then revealed the truth to Tex and offered to ride with him as his sidekick from then on. Tex gladly accepted.[1]
Tex and Ike were regular travelling companions, with Ike offering his advice and knowledge of the west. He was regularly absent, likely continuing his search for gold prospects in the region.
Alkali and Tex rode into the town of Yellow Valley where they stopped the Juggler from murdering his former mine partners for double crossing him years ago. Once more apart from Alkali, Tex helped his old friend Bax Jeffrey rescue his kidnapped daughter from outlaws.[2] Later, the pair were hired by Professor Correl and his daughter Mavis to help search ancient Mayan ruins which they believed were home of a species of Mole People who evolved from the Mayan people. Instead they found outlaws who were posing as Mayans while on the run from the law after a robbery in Fargo City. Tex and Alkali defended the Correl's and fled the collapsing temple. Upon escape, they were convinced that the Mole People were a myth until Tex discovered strange talons caught in his clothing.[3] In Eagle City, the pair helped defend the retirement village for reformed outlaws from the machinations of Cat Thomas who was using it as a hideout. Even though the founder, former outlaw Doc Garde, was crippled in the process, Tex and Alkali helped wipe out Thomas and his gang.[4]
In one of their more bizarre adventures, Tex and Alkali came across a cavern with a rich vein of gold. When making their discovery, Alkali confided in Tex that he believed Taylor to be the most honest man he knew and if that trust was ever betrayed he would have no will to live. When Tex went off to the nearest town to register their claim he was observed by two outlaws named Dandy Sawtell and Creepy. They both followed after Tex to tried to take the claim from him and ended up creasing Tex's head with a bullet. They then convinced Tex that he was their ally and that Alkali was trying to claim "their" mine for himself. Tex was then sent to kill Alkali. When confronted with his greatest fear, Alkali was driven to suicidal action and then set off TNT to bring the cave down and kill them both. The blast had two unexpected and unforeseen results: first, the blast restored Tex's memories, and second it uncovered a tunnel to an underground jungle where Dinosaurs still roamed. With the situation cleared up and Sawtell and his posse closing in on them, Tex and Alkali fled into the prehistoric jungle. The pair then lured their attackers into the path of a hungry Dinosaur and then fled and blew up the cavern, burying the gold and the lost valley beneath.[5] In Mesquite Valley, the pair got involved in a murder mystery involving three outlaws and hidden loot. In investigating the circumstances they came to the aid of Beth Seton, whose father John was one of the original outlaws. John, remorseful of his involvement in the robbery, had re-mortgaged his ranch and paid back his share of the stolen money before being murdered. Tex and Alkali helped Beth recover the rest of the loot and gunned down the last surviving outlaw, now the sheriff, so that they could recover the money and save the ranch.[6]
Once more Tex and Alkali were thrust into a strange adventure when they were hired by an explorer named Quentein who was searching for his lost fiancée Jessica Sturgis and her father. They were last seen around Devil-Tree Plateau searching for a previously undiscovered race of dwarf horses. Climbing the Plateau, they were taken prisoner by the Dwarf Men of Devil-Tree Plateau, barbarians who lived at the top. They soon learned that Jessica suffered a blow to the head and was struck with amnesia. The locals, thinking she was a goddess, began arranging for her to be married by the lone "giant" of their tribe, offering Tex and the others as a sacrifice and Tex's horse Fury as a gift. Tex and the others broke free and restored Jessica's memory before slaying the "giant" and fleeing back down the pass, which was then sealed up by an avalanche preventing further trespasses in the future.[7]
While riding with Tex along the Rio Grande, the duo were mistaken for members of a human trafficking outfit smuggling illegal Mexican immigrants into the Untied States. Ike and Tex were hired by the US Army to infiltrate the smugglers and expose their leader. The pair soon learned that US Army Captain Dustin was the ring leader and helped the Army shut down the operation.[8] Ike ceased travelling with Tex after this adventure for reasons that remain unexplained.