K-Bar Kate is a Western heroine from The Interregnum, created by Rex Mason and published by Trojan Comics in Western Crime Busters #1-8.
Kate Slocum is a rancher's daughter who's just come back from college. She's a strong, independent woman, which ends up getting her into trouble. However, she's able to get out of harm's way with her quick wits and resourcefulness. The revolver on her hip doesn't hurt, either.
This comic contains examples of:
- And Now You Must Marry Me: Hinson tries to convince Kate to let him destroy her pa's ranch and marry him, but she refuses, so he ties her to the dynamite he was gonna use for his crime.
- Arch-Enemy: Kate's is 3-Finger Jake, a fugitive bank robber who almost killed her father and is her only recurring villain.
- Breaking Out the Boss: Western Crime Busters #6 has 3-Finger Jake's gang break him out of jail before his trial.
- Damsel in Distress: Western Crime Busters #2 features Kate defending her college buddy Jane from bank robbers who want her cash.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Western Crime Busters #4 has as its seeming Big Bad Mr. Slade, a rancher who tries to murder Mr. Slocum to get the K-Bar. However, the climax reveals that his foreman is 3-Finger Jake, a wanted bank robber who ends up killing him and becoming the true threat.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Hinson joins a conspiracy to ruin a ranch's financial prospects because a friend of the family stopped him from sexually harassing Kate.
- Inheritance Murder:
- Western Crime Busters #3 has Kate dealing with her best friend's cousin trying this on her.
- Western Crime Busters #6 has Kate defending a girl she recently met from her stepfather's attempts at this.
- Western Crime Busters #7 has its Big Bad task a wanted murderer with killing his boss so he can take her ranch.
- Ms. Fanservice: Kate is very attractive, and likes to wear very tight clothing. She also gets a Skinny Dipping scene.
- New Old West: The stories are textbook Western, but set in the early 1950's.
- Price on Their Head: The bank robbers in Western Crime Busters #2 have a $5,000 price on their heads, dead or alive.
- Protagonist Title
- The Sociopath: "Handsome" Hinson, a ranch hand who sexually harasses his boss's daughter and then decides to ruin the ranch when he's fired for his won actions.
- Starter Villain: The first Big Bad Duumvirate are Shorne and Hinson, who are plotting to divert water away from the Slocum ranch to Shorne's.
- Thematic Rogues Gallery: Kate usually fought corrupt ranchers out to squeeze in on her father's territory.
- Wife-Basher Basher: Deputy Don beats up any man he sees harass a woman.
