John Reid, the character behind the ranger, was the only survivor from a squad of Texas rangers who fell into a villainous ambush. From then on Reid vowed to fight crime and he hid behind a mask to mystify and scare his opponents. Reid is accompanied by Tonto, an Indian who often rescues his masked friend. The ranger always travels on his clever white horse Silver.

Both Tonto and Silver have had shortlived comic book series of their own.