Jonah Hex #58 and #59 - DC

Most of these issues of Jonah Hex have been single issue stories. But I've noticed something happening over the last year or so. Not all of these western tales have a clean, or happy ending. Some of them don't have much of an ending at all . . things just kind of work out the way they do. Kind of like real life, in that way. But we've begun to see characters and situations creep in to current story-lines from previous ones. That's normal for any other comic book, but for this one . . that doesn't usually happen. Especially considering what a loner Jonah is. He doesn't want, or need much from anyone . . usually. But, he seems to be hedging his bets lately. Maybe it's age, but I think he's starting to realize that having an ace in the hole for a future date isn't a bad thing. It doesn't necessarily mean you're looking for help, or even asking for it. But it could mean the difference in the outcome of a situation simply because there's another option open. Anyways, in issue #58 we see some motions set into affect because of a rich man's greedy wife. He's scooping up land claims once he finds out that there's been gold discovered. Being several years younger than her husband, the wife wants the money, and property, for herself. So she manipulates one of the disgruntled land owners into killing him. Anyways, long story short . . there's an innocent woman hurt in the process. When all's said and done, everyone ends up dead except for Jonah and this woman. When she asks why he brought her along, and why he gave her the deed to the property, he replies . . ''Y're rich, ain't ya? Might be some day ah need a favor . .' It seems more and more of these stories are ending that way. The other interesting thing about this particular issue is that most of the story was told from the perspective of the bullet. I thought that was an interesting twist on things. Issue #59 is a bit more complicated. Jonah comes riding into this dust-ball town in search of a bounty. He finds out that there's a kind of feud between him and his younger brother because of a stolen love. It's not much of a town, but it seems that everyone has picked sides. When the older brother comes into town with his gang, Jonah meets them and pretty much takes them out single-handed. But then there's also someone after Jonah . . the Grey Ghost. It's a guy who feels that it's his duty to take out the southerners that betrayed the Confederacy, leading to it's downfall. To him, the war's over but the retribution isn't. Anyways, in the cross-fire, everyone else in this town ends up dead . . including the younger brother and lover, but Jonah tells him that he'll find his brother and make him pay for what he brought down on the woman. Another story-line thread left hanging out there at the end of the story. Like I said, it's becoming pretty commonplace in these issues lately. Anyways, I think Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti do a fantastic job with this series. The look and feel of it is near perfect. And the stories are fantastic. Giancarlo Canzcuzzo is the artist for #58, with Jordi Bernet doing the art for #59. Both their styles fit this book very well.

Jonah Hex #57 - DC

This was an interesting addition to the Jonah Hex archives. This issue we're treated to some 'tall-tales', as told by a couple of brothers while they're out fishing. I'm not sure if each is trying to impress the other with their knowledge of this larger-than-life man, or . . they're just trying to scare the crap out of each other. But it's typical boyish behaviour on a lazy afternoon. That is until their father shows up and rushes them back to the house. It appears that Jonah Hex has indeed shown up in their town, and they're recommending that anybody that doesn't have any business being there . . stay in their homes. But the temptation is to much for the boys to resist. So they leave the house in the middle of the night to try and get a glimpse of the man they've heard so much about. When they get home they're going to be tanned something fierce. But . . they end up with a story that they'll carry with them for the rest of their lives. They do indeed run into Jonah, as well as Bat Lash, the Trigger Twins, Scalphunter, Nighthawk and Cinnamon. But it's what they watch Jonah do that'll be ingrained in their brains forever. I really enjoy this book. I finally went to see the movie. I thought it was ok. I thought they did a decent job paying homage to the character. But the books are just fun to read. The deviation from the traditional super-hero stories is a much needed relief. And Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti do a great job with these stories. Jordi Bernet once again does the art.

Jonah Hex #56 - DC

This was a pretty cool issue. With the celebration of the movie coming out, this one has a variant cover also. The only problem is . . I can't figure out who did it. Darwyn Cooke does the cover at the left here. But I don't see the credit for the color cover listed anywhere. I'm guessing it's Phil Winslade, who also does the first story of the book, but . . I'm just not sure. Either way, they both look pretty cool. In Phil's story, Jonah helps out a 90 year old Indian woman who is trying to protect her land. The railroad will be coming through, soon, and with them buying up all the land in their path, some other shysters are looking to buy her off cheap. I thought she was going to have Jonah scare them off, but it turns out she just wants him to listen, in the other room, to the verbal exchange when the men show up. She then gives him a horse as payment and he's on his way. He catches up to the men, not far away, when they camp for the night. They find out he's a hired gun and offer him money to take out the woman. Instead, he takes the money and takes out them. Phil did a fantastic job with the art on this chapter. I really loved it. In the second story, we get a little bit of the background on Jonah when he grew up as an indentured slave of the Apache. His father had bartered him as trade to pass through their land. Anyways, as he grows up he experiences his first love with White Fawn. Of course it's not going to work out, because they come from different worlds. But after she died, he buried her on his land and comes by every year to pay his respects. It's another rather touching story with CP Smith doing the art. Of course Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti wrote both the stories. And finally in the back there's a little question and answer section with Jimmy Hayward, the director of the film, and Justin and Jimmy. It was interesting. With some cool pictures from the movie. Oh yeah, I almost forgot . . the regular cover comes poly-bagged with a movie poster also. And on top of all of that . . as usual, it was just a fun read. It's hard to believe that we're on issue #56 already. Where does the time go?

Jonah Hex #55 - DC

This story was interesting, although . . a little confusing at first. It's starts out 5 years ago when this little town is bullied by a gang of outlaws. Or course Jonah shows up shortly after the festivities begin, but he's not in time to save a saloon owner and his wife. It turns out that their 5 year old son is also there at the time and witness' everything. The funny part is . .this kid is every bit as lethal and dangerous as is Jonah. In his rage he kicks one of the gang to death. And then he steals Jonah's gun and shoots 3 more. The story then picks up 5 years later when we find that Billy has remained as the proprietor of his family's saloon, and is using his fierce reputation to keep the town safe and clean. But it's only a matter of time before someone bigger, and stronger, and meaner comes after him. And when they do they tie up Billy with dynamite and throw him into the burning building. When this happens, one of the townsfolk comes after Jonah. It seems that one of the women remember Jonah saying, the first time, that he was a little late arriving. She surmises that he was drunk and was waiting to sober up before engaging the gang. She uses this guilt that she assumes that he feels to goad him into a response. Which he does. I thought it was an interesting story by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti showing a hard lesson for Jonah to learn. His actions always have consequences. Even something as silly as being drunk and late to a gun-fight. But I'm sure Jonah feels all the guilt from these various encounters with the nefarious people that he always seems to be running in to. And I'm sure he feels the weight of all his actions. It's probably why he drinks so much. He's probably just trying to dull the roar that's been building in his head over the years. And even when he does get payback, it has to weigh on him because of the extent and extreme measures that he sometimes has to go to when exacting that retribution. Anyways, enough heavy stuff. It was an interesting tail about a short lived western personality . . Billy Dynamite. After I understood the jumping around in the time-line, I thought the story was interesting and come together nicely. I also enjoyed Vicente Alcazar's art. It was actually pretty cool looking. Also, there's some other Jonah Hex news. As well as the movie due out this summer, it appears that there's some stop-motion comics out there on the web. They're at the WB website. It says to go to www.theWB.com/JonahHex. It's 3 new tales told in 7 episodes. I'm sorry . . the trailer is on the WB. You have to download the episodes from iTunes. Anyways, if somebody checks them out, let me know if they're any good. Ok? Also . . this is the shortcut for the movie trailer http://thewb.com/shows/jonahhex/jonah-hex-theatrical-trailer/0c1bc479-502d-4601-ba0d-f4e04223a070. Enjoy!

Jonah Hex #54 - DC

I really like this book. I'm not a huge fan of Jordi Bernet's art, but . . I think the book has a really good look and feel to it. Jordi's style definitely gives it the right look for the era. And Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have done a great job of keeping the tone and feel of the stories consistent with the time they're writing about. And . . Jonah is a fantastic character. Now that we've got 50 or so issues behind us, we're starting to see some of the periphery characters carry over from issue to issue . . or from previous stories. Yes the 'west' was a vast area, but . . if you think about it, there really wasn't near the amount of people living out there then, as there is now. The odds of them running into each other more than once were much higher than they would be now. Anyways, the story this issue is about some guy who's trying to swindle this town and it's bank. He get's his brother hired as the sheriff, and then he sets up for the bank to be robbed. His plan for for his brother to catch the robbers. Since he hired them, he'd know where they'd be holed up. Then when he save the town and recovered the loot, they'd get a percentage from the bank . . free and clear. But, you know what they say about the best laid plans. Jonah shows up, looking for the bounty, and . . everything falls apart from there. Jonah hadn't even put it all together, but then the Sheriff-killer shows up. He knows Jonah from when Jonah saved his life as a kid. He's put the thing together, and he slips into town and takes out the Sheriff. You know, because of his name . . 'Sheriff-killer'. Anyways, things get all turned around and basically everything gets blamed on Jonah. I thought it was an interesting story. With a couple of twists. And I still can't believe that I enjoy reading a 'western' this much.

Jonah Hex #53 - DC

This was a great issue. I know I've raved about this book and it's neat, fascinating stories, but . . I loved this issue. On the original run of this character, they had a habit of having a colorful guest artist in every few issues or so. That's what this issue kind of reminded me of. It featured some great art, and cover, by Billy Tucci. Plus, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti's story was equal to the usual standards that I've come to expect here. Jonah shows up in a dance hall looking for a partner in his current bounty hunter mission. He hires one of the girls to play a grieving widow on a train that's about to get robbed. The guys he's after are Jeb and Walt Hager. They rob banks and trains and have a gang. But what's not revealed until later is that they're also part of a much larger family. A family that includes many members just like them, but . . not as well known. Anyways, long story short . . Jonah hides on the train, and from his vantage point ends up taking out most of the gang. However, when the Rangers show up, Jonah finds out the hard way that they're actually extended family. And while they weren't big fans of Walt or Jeb's . . they're still family. And the woman that Jonah hired from the dance hall is actually married to one of them. So when they show up, she feels more confident and clocks Jonah on the back of the head. But . . she doesn't finish the job. When Jonah wakes up . . he does to the rest of the family what he did to their errant siblings and gang. It's a simple tale. Yes. With a few interesting twists and turns, but . . this time I really think it was Billy's art that made the book exceptionally enjoyable. I've said this before, but it just amazes me that it's 2010 and one of my favorite books is a western. Whodathunkit?

Jonah Hex #52 - DC

I enjoy this book. The stories, for the most part, are pretty simple, but . . these are different times than what we're used to. The stories that Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti script here are perfect for this book. In this issue Jonah runs across some low-life thieves. They live in this swamp, and basically they try to rob whoever happens to pass through it. They even have one of their kids doing it. Anyways, this kid tricks Jonah into stopping and getting off his horse, and when he does . . he shoots him. But Jonah is ornery. He doesn't go down that easily. And in order to save himself, he kills the kid. Well, even though these schmucks are thieves, they believe in an eye for an eye. So they come after him. Jonah evades them, and they head back home, and he finds a shack with a widow and baby in it. He talks to Maisy Rae and tells her his story, and she removes his bullet and stitches him up. But it turns out that she's kin to these murderers, and she knows that they'll come looking for her. Anyways, long story short . . Jonah ends up killing them all, and she ends up alone. Actually . . more alone than she was before. Like I said . . pretty simple story. But . . it was entertaining. And I have to admit . . although I'm not a huge fan of Jordi Bernet's art . . it is perfect for this book. Plus . . I think I like this series because it's a good escape from all the other stuff that I read.

Jonah Hex #51 - DC

This story had a nice little twist to it, but . . to me . . the best part of the book was seeing Dick Giordano's artwork. We haven't seen his stuff in a long time and it was nice to see him doing a full book again. He's been in the business a long, long time. Seeing his art kind of gave me some fond memories of the 70's. You know . . some warm fuzzies. Plus you could always see the Neal Adams influence in his work. Also, if I'm remembering correctly, I think Dick did some work in the original Jonah Hex series. Anyways, the whole book had a great feel to it. As far as the story goes . . this preacher from this small town has hired Jonah to find the killers of thier town founder, and take them out. Jonah is a bounty hunter, but this guy saw him as a hired gun. However, right from the 'get-go' Jonah knows that something is not right. The town was founded where this guy had found a water table. He claimed to have done it with a divining rod. Later, he claimed that he could use the same rod to find iron ore, and then gold & silver. When he started making those claims, that's when he was murdered . . for the stick. But there was deceit all around on this one. The guy was actually a geologist, and that's how he found the water. The claim for the ore and minerals were so that he could drive up the price on the land surrounding the town, which he owned, when he created a gold-rush. Meanwhile, the preacher, who was in love with the man's wife, hired these guys to kill him and take the rod hoping that he could console the wife, which would hopefully transform into love. And then, to tie up loose ends, he hired Jonah to take out the first guys that he hired. It was all a bit convoluted, but . . I thought it kept well with the spirit and deception of the time. These seemed like things that people would actually do. Anyways, in the end . . it's this woman, who was loved by both these men, who ends up being alone when she kills the preacher out of rage. She knew what her husband was up to, but . . she loved him just the same. And now? Now she's left with no one and nothing . . completely alone. Everyone ends up dead except for her and Jonah. 'Th' only reason yore alive an' they're dead is that those men had bounties on 'em. You don't. Not yet.' I thought it was another good story by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti. I really enjoy the work they're doing on this book. And like I said, with Dick's art . . it just made it all that much better for me.

Weird Western Tales #71 - DC

In the Six Gun War story-line that just ran through Jonah Hex, Jonah was chasing after a guy that was just a real SOB . . Quentin Turnbull. Well . . apparently his family has been cursed because even with Jonah dead . . and many years removed . . Quentin's great-great-grandson, Joshua just can't seem to get away from him. Joshua runs a facility for Simon Stagg that's supposed to be developing alternate fuels. Well . . Simon shows up one day with a Black Lantern ring that he found near Don Hall's grave . . Dove. Somehow he got connected with the Ray, and together they've brought the Black Ring to this facility for examination. The problem is, even though the ring appears to be dormant . . apparently it's still on the radar of the other Black Lanterns. And since this facility is located in the heart of the south, there ton's of graves nearby. Cowboys . . Soldiers . . Indians . . you name it, they all have come to retrieve their ring. But like Quentin, Joshua is just stubborn enough that all he can think about is the money and adulation that he'll obtain if he can just unlock the secrets of this ring. All the stars of Weird Western Tales show up also . . Scalphunter . . the Trigger Twins . . Super-Chief . . Bat-Lash, and Jonah Hex himself. Or rather a kind of pasty, ghoulish, 'Night of the Living Dead' version. In the end though . . it's Joshua own kin that ends up taking him out . . Quentin. Quentin argues with Jonah, but in the end . . he shoots Joshua himself. The Ray fights the Black Lanterns the best he can. He sends out this big beam that seems to knock most of them out. But . . we don't really know what happened. We're not sure if he made it out or not. Hopefully that question will be answered in a different part of this story-line . . one of the other cross-overs. I would think that the Ray would be brought into play sometime, seeing as how the nature of his abilities is light. Anyways, This book revived some of DC's western heroes. Dan Didio wrote the book, with Renato Arlem on the art. Overall, I thought it was ok. It was kind of a throw-away issue though. If you didn't read it, you didn't really miss anything. And it really didn't add that much to the overall story. Like I said, the main question is . . what happened to the Ray. But . . the answers not here. So I guess we'll just have to move on to the next chapter. It was an interesting concept though.

Jonah Hex #50 - DC

They really brought us something special for this book. This is an extra large book, since it's the 50th issue . . 38 pages of art. As usual, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti do the scripts. But for this issue, Darwyn Cooke fills in on the pencils. The story this time around is about Jonah and Tallulah Black. Together they bring in some bounties, and then they spend the night celebrating. However, by the time Jonah gets up the next day, Tallulah has already taken off. She says it's because she wants to get away from everything. She wants to leave all the remnants of her old life behind. But actually . . she's pregnant with Jonah's child. She ends up in a little town called Silver Springs. She makes nice with the sheriff, and with his help she settles in and makes a home. Meanwhile Jonah has taken interest in another bounty . . a rather large one . . 50 men. He starts running around the territories picking them off one by one until there's only about 2 dozen left. They all get together and decide to lay a trap for Jonah. They're hoping there's strength in numbers. They decide to pick some out of the way town, they're going to spread the word that there's 4 or 5 of them living there, and then . . they're going to sit there until Jonah shows up. Unfortunately right about the time they show up is when Tallulah goes into labor. They end up killing the sheriff, and then this gospel-preaching wack-a-do woman steals her baby. Jonah saves Tallulah, as she was about to die also, and then he goes after the baby. However, by the time he catches up with the woman, the baby has died. He takes the child back to Tallulah, but tells her that he's through with her, as a friend and a lover, because she didn't tell him what was going on. He's so upset that he takes out the rest of the men in town single-handedly. I thought it was a great issue. I really liked both the story and the art. And . . Jonah can put all this romance stuff behind him. He's a loner, and he'll always be a loner. Justin, Jimmy and Darwyn brought us a fantastic 50th issue. Thanks!!

Jonah Hex #49 - DC

This book isn't usually so close to the top of my weekly stack, but . . this issue is the conclusion of Six-Gun War, so . . I thought I'd get it done with. Plus . . that leaves us ready for next issue . . #50. Whodathunkit? A cowboy comic doing this well in the year 2010? Simply amazing. Anyways, next issue is a double sized issue and will be drawn by Darwyn Cooke. It features a story about Jonah and Tallulah. Even though she's such and interesting character, I know that she won't be around in this book forever. It'll be interesting to see how their relationship, or time together, will end. As I'm sure it will. Anyways, I think Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are doing a fantastic job here. This 6 part story was a neat experiment, but I think I like the shorter individual stories. Plus I like that way that even though the stories are separate, they're still all connected. It's kind of up to the reader to fill in some of the blank spaces. And now that we've got nearly 50 issues under our belts, we can kind of see how everything is all connected. Maybe not always chronologically, but . . as far as Jonah, his life and experiences are concerned . . one thing leads to another. Basically this story has been about Turnbull, a man who lost his son during the war. For this he blames Jonah. So he's sent all manner of assassin after him. When Jonah had enough, he decided to take the fight to Turnbull. The problem is, he's got an army of his own. Shortly after arriving, Jonah realizes that Turnbull's compound is atop a gold mine. He's got more disgruntled slaves than he does hired hands. The challenge lies in giving them the opportunity and means to rise up against their oppressor. Fortunately, Jonah also has Lazarus in his entourage . . or, when he's asleep, he's better known as El Diablo. Everything pretty much goes as expected . . right up to the ending. It seems the the Mexican government has gotten wind of Turnbull's exploitation of their people. So they've come to escort him back to the states. Unless Jonah wants to face the Mexican army . . he's got to let him go. So, even though this little escapade is over . . I'm sure this isn't the last we've seen of Turnbull. And now he's got another reason to be mad at Jonah . . he's cost him his gold mine. It was a neat story, and I enjoyed the inclusion of the other characters . . Lazarus, Bat Lash, Talluluah. Cristiano Cucina did the art for this entire arc. Now? Now I can't wait to see what happens between Tallulah and Jonah next issue. And . . Darwyn's interpretation of these characters.

Jonah Hex #48 - DC

Well it looks like next issue, Hex is going to have to take the fight to Turnbull himself. This issue he finds out that his little amigo, Chako, has betrayed him. He sold him out to Turnbull and shows up with all sorts of assassins to take down Jonah. The problem is . . Jonah doesn't give up easily. And rather than wake Bat Lash and Lazarus, not to mention Tallulah, he decides to take them all on himself. I'm sure he wouldn't mind the help, but . . he leaves a couple of the women alive so they can go back to Turnbull and tell him what he's done. I'm sure the story will grow by the time they get there. And after he takes out the assassins . . he shoots Chako in the head for betraying him. This is part 5 of 6 Gun War, so like I said . . next issue will wrap this up, so I'm sure Jonah will be going straight to Turnbull's door. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are doing a great job with this story. I'm guessing that this was kind of an experiment for them, because every issue leading up to this were single issue stories. I mean . . if you're unlucky enough to meet up with Jonah . . there's not much of a story to tell. You either end up dead, or run out of town. But I think they had some fun with this one. And it shows. Cristiano Cucina does the art. So next issue . . you know that Turnbull's going to end up dead. The question is . . will Jonah do it quick . . or drag it out? Hmmm!

Jonah Hex #47 - DC

There's a couple of things to note with this issue. First of all . . and unexplained, is that Hex hasn't killed El Papagayo yet. By the way . . El Papagayo means 'the parrot'. That doesn't seem like the name a ruthless criminal would take to strike fear in his enemies. Does it? Anyways, Mr Turnbull isn't taking any more chances and has hired 6 mercenaries, or assassins to go after Hex for him. He knows that Jonah is coming after him, and he also knows the probably path he'll take. There's a small town about 6 miles north of his location that has a Mescal saloon. Turnbull knows that they'll stop there on thier way to him. That's where he wants his hired guns to wait. But, what they don't count on is that Jonah 'knows' people everywhere. They may not all like him, but . . they do fear him. A little weasel that bothers him from time to time warns him that there's some people waiting for him in the jungle. They're waiting for him and his cohorts to get drunk, and then they plan on killing them. So Jonah plays along, and lets everybody else have a good time. Then when everybody else is passed-out, he goes to the front door to see if he can find these killers location. On the final page of the issue, he looks out the door and sees everyone else in the town lying dead in the street. This may turn out to be a little more than he can handle . . alone. I thought Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti did a great job with this story. The dialogue between Jonah, Tallulah and Bat Lash was hilarious . . and ruthless. Some of the jabs they take at each other were crippling. And I have to say . . Cristiano Cucina's art gets better and better with every issue. I wasn't to thrilled about it at first, but this issue really had some great looking pages. It'll be interesting to see how this Six-Gun War plays itself out over the next 2 issues. So far . . I like it.

Jonah Hex #46 - DC

Jonah and Tallulah barely escape death in the beginning of this issue. Last issue El Papagayo had them facing the firing-squad at the end. Then at the last minute . . Bat-Lash comes riding in with guns blazing. El Diablo joins the mix when Jonah and he are trying to torture Turnbull's location out of El Papagayo. But the real meat of this story was in Jonah's flashback to the war. Tallulah is questioning him on his hatred for this Turnbull fella', and he thinks back to when he decided that the war wasn't for him anymore. He had gone to Fort Charlotte to turn himself in, but then Commander Tennison wanted information on his division. "Ah ain't a traitor, suh. Ah'm here fer me an' me only." However, Tennison did end up getting the information because of the mud on Jonah's boots. It came from a nearby swamp, which is where the boys were resting. But when Tennison brings then in as prisoners, he makes it a point to say . . "As much as it turns my stomach, the Union owes you a debt of gratitude for helping us round up your outfit, Hex . . . we couldn't have done it without you." Of course that just starts infighting within the group, and no one knows who to trust. Overcompensating, Jonah decides that he's going to get everyone out, and comes up with an escape plan. Unfortunately they make to much noise or something, and everyone is shot down . . except for Jonah, who escapes. Well, it turns out that Turnbull's son was one of the boys in that unfortunate group. So now he blames Jonah for his son's death. I think Jonah's frustration comes from the way he was shanghaied into being branded a traitor. This is part 3 of a 6 part story, so we don't have all the information yet, but . . we did get a big chunk of it this issue. As always Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are writing the stories, and Cristiano Cucina is doing the art. It's amazing to me how much the interest in this book has gone up just because of the movie. We don't even know if it's going to be a good movie. Also, the book really hasn't changed any . . it's just selling more. Huh? Go figger'.

Jonah Hex #45 - DC

I'm not sure when this movie is coming out, but . . I love this book. It's a great escape from the usual genre of books that I read. To be honest with you, there's no real 'good-guys' or 'bad-guys' here. They're all pretty much bad. Just different shades of gray. Most of this series has been single issue stories . . a few double issues here and there, but this story-arc, 6 Gun War is a kind of mini-series within the series. It brings together some of our favorite characters . . Bat Lash, Tallulah Black, Lazarus and El Diablo . . against some of the worst desperadoes the West can spit up . . El Papagoyo and his gang, and Quentin Turnbull and his. All of them . . both sides of the coin . . claim that they're out for revenge or justice. It's funny how that can be a motivator for both sides. And, how much it can be twisted . . twisted until it's barely recognizable. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have been doing a great job with this series. Their stories have really captured the essence of this era and it's dubious characters. We've also seen a stream of great artists over these last 45 issues. Currently Cristiano Cucina is providing the visuals for this story. Overall I think it's a great story. But don't worry, I'm sure it'll be out in TPB within a couple of months. On a different note, through my E-Bay searching, I've gathered up about half of this original series, and most of the Weird Western Tales. It's always fun trying to piece series together like that. It takes some time, and patience, but . . I like it when you can start to see your hard work all coming together. I think part of the reason I like this series so much is because it's stayed true to that one. Anyways, this is a fantastic series. I guess I'm just a cowboy fan at heart. Who knew?

Jonah Hex #44 - DC

It appears that this issue is the beginning of a multi-part epic for Jonah. It's call the Six-gun War. A lot of the old favorites from this series are back for a visit also. It starts out with a trap that's been set for Jonah. It appears that Quentin Turnbull, whom Jonah killed his brother, has teamed up with El Papagayo in their attempt to extinguish Jonah's life. And to get a little retribution. They beat the crap out of him and then bury him in an unmarked grave in El Paso. Meanwhile, in Chihuahua Mexico, Tallulah Black and Bat Lash have come together under difficult circumstances. It starts around a fight in the bar over a poker game . . doesn't it always, but they find themselves equally in trouble as they're leaving town just as El Papagayo and his gang are returning. El Papagayo had told Bat Lash to stay out of Mexico, and he remembers a gun running operation that was broken up by Jonah and Tallulah. As their part of the story end, they're being dragged through the streets of the city by horses. As the recent weeks have passed though, Jonah was dug up, almost immediately, by grave-robbers. Afterwards he stumbles towards to closest town. In it he finds that El Papagayo and his gang have murdered practically everyone. The only person he finds alive is Lazarus in the local jail cell. But before he can tell him what's happened, or how he got there, he passes out from exhaustion. I really like the way Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti have handled this series. I've enjoyed the entire thing. It seems that this story-line is going to connect a lot of the seemingly unconnected stories that we've read so far. That should be interesting. Cristiano Cucina does the art and cover for this issue. It's ok. It fits in well with the theme and the time of the book. So far I think there's only been one multi-part story through these first 44 issues. It turned out well, so . . I expect good things from this one.

Jonah Hex #43 - DC

First of all, I have to say that Paul Gulacy did a tremendous job on the art of this issue. I love Paul's work. But usually we see him in the 'cloak & dagger', 'spy' type stories. Or, he used to be on Batman for a long time. But I thought it was interesting to see him on this 'western'. It looked really good. This was one of the first issues I've seen in this series that didn't really have an ending that wrapped things up all neat and tidy. Basically, this local gang has taken, I assume, a wealthy man and his daughter hostage in a fancy hotel outside of town. The Sheriff doesn't know what to do because he know that if they pay the ransom, the gang will just end up killing them anyways. So . . he calls in Jonah. He's offered him $1000 each if he can get the man and his daughter out of there alive. Which he spends the first 14 pages of this issue doing so. However, these are bad men. So . . they fight back. In the process, they burn the hotel to the ground, and even though Hex does get both of them out . . the gang had beaten the man and he was already half-dead by the time that Jonah got to him. The daughter doesn't blame Jonah, however . . the bank does. They're the ones that pushed the Sheriff to get the issue resolved, and were putting up the money. So now . . they don't want to pay him. They say that by the time the money that's left pays off the lean on the Hotel . . there's nothing really left. Even for the daughter. In a twist, the daughter decides that she owes Jonah a debt and signs over the land in payment for that. The whole bank thing . . their concerns and motivations, had me a little confused. I'm not sure what they were trying to accomplish here. I'm also not sure if she signed the land over to Jonah for the reasons she stated, or . . to spite the bank. A lot of the motivations here were a little confusing and blurred. And at the end of the story, when she questions Jonah about his intentions for the land, as he rides off he tells her . . "It's currency. With the railroads and towns popping up, it's getting so a person can't keep to themselves. Best thing to do is leave it clear and free." Don't get me wrong. I like this series. I think Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray are doing a fantastic job here. And those first 14 pages, as Jonah silently works his way through the house trying to take out the gang members one by one . . those 14 pages were brilliant. The scene couldn't have played out better if it was in a movie. It was fantastic. It just seems that this one left us with more questions than answers. I'm not used to that with this book. But overall . . I thought it was a great issue. If you have any interest at all with the 'western' theme . . this is the book to pick up. You're gonna love it!

Jonah Hex #42 - DC

I don't always like Jordi Bernet's art. The art itself is ok. It's just not my style. It doesn't really do anything for me. And sometimes I think Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti's stories here are a little . . simple. But, that being said . . I like this book. I like this character. And I like this genre. Actually . . I guess it would be more appropriate to say that I like this genre because it's a distraction from the regular super-hero fare that I read in about 95% of my books. It's a nice change of pace. This issue we learn a little bit about Jonah when he was a kid. We learn that he had a dad a little more than just a mean son of a bitch. This guy was an ornery cuss. And he made Jonah's life hell as a child, under the guise of trying to toughen him up. Well, apparently it worked, and apparently the apple doesn't fall to far from the tree. Because now . . Jonah and ornery cuss. Just like his pa. When Jonah was a child some boys in town beat him up. For which Jonah's father beat them up. Now her it is some 30 odd years later, and the 'boys' set up a ruse to draw the great bounty-hunter Jonah Hex back in to town. This time they aim to take him down. With Jonah though . . that's easier said than done. They chain him up with irons, and then expect him to draw on them. He does . . and he still takes them out. And than, he beats them to a pulp with the irons. As he's walking out of town, and old cuss with a bottle of whiskey sums it up best . . "That boy is a bean son of a bitch." Like I said, it's a nice distraction from what I normally read.

Jonah Hex #40 & #41 - DC

There hasn't been to many times with this title that a story has crossed-over into more than 1 issue. However, this is one of those instances. And, I have to say, in my eyes, this was one of the best stories I've seen in this book in the couple of years since it's return. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti did a fantastic job with these 2 issues. Of course it didn't hurt that we got some incredible art by David Michael Beck. The work you see on these covers is exactly what we get on the inside also. It really is incredible to look at. I think what I liked about this story so much was that it showed the extent of what the people of this time were truly capable of. I know that we've all seen shows or movies of the 'wild-wild west', but . . in all that time, I think, the truly heinous nature and remorseless convictions of some of the characters of that time has been down-played so as to not upset our delicate natures. I'm sure there are some horror-stories from this time that would make even Clive Barker or Stephen King tremble in fear. Anyways, this story could be the opening of that Pandora's box. What we have here is a left-over from the Civil war. Although, I have to ask, is any war Civil? There's this doctor that learned his trade through necessity after having treated many of the Confederate's dying soldiers. He also began to use that knowledge to torture and maim many of their Union brothers. This practice then segued into a depraved thirst for knowledge and then, I believe, a remorseless liking of his acquired profession. What started out of necessity because of a war, awoke a deep desire to continue his practices simply because he got-off on it. Jonah has known of this man since the war, but when he takes out a family in a small town through rather brutish means there's a witness. When a composite is drawn a $3000 reward is put on his head. Which brings Jonah back up to speed as to this madman's whereabouts. In their first encounter though, Jonah underestimates the man's resourcefulness or tenacity. Jonah is quickly captured and started to be tortured. However, this meeting wasn't planned by the doctor so . . . he has other pressing concerns. While away, of course, Jonah does whatever he needs to escape. Ironically inflicting more damage to himself than the doctor did. And as he escapes to the nearest creek-bed, lying at death's door, he comes across another person from his past . . . Tallulah. If you've been following this book, that's the whore that was being tortured and he helped to escape, thereby getting her retribution on her would be captures. To say the least, she's the female counter to Jonah's character. Anyways, long story short the doctor is in the process of training others to expand upon his learnings and search out their own depravity. But Jonah puts a stop to that. With Tallulah's help of course. And in the end he takes no small pleasure in finding his own ways to torture the doctor before killing him. Jonah warns Tallulah not to watch. "If it's all the same, I'd like ta stay. Watchin' you work makes my blood hot." I'd say these 2 were a match made in . . . well, Texas I guess. Like I said, I thought this was a great 2 issue story-arc, and arguably the best of this series' run. Don't hold back boys. Lets see this type of story again in the future.

Jonah Hex #39 - DC

Another great Western tale to take my mind off all of these super-hero books. Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, I think, do a great job with this series. Jimmy seems to have a more positive influence on Justin than Bill Willingham does. I'm just sayin'. Anyways Rafa Garres does the art for this issue. It's not great, but . . it's not bad. I think it fits in quite nicely with the theme and story in this book. He does the cover also, so . . that's basically what you get on the inside. I like this story. It's basically about a man who was made a Deputy out of desperation. Well . . when the Sheriff and the rest of his family is killed . . it's time for him to step up to the plate. But he never really wanted the job. Jonah kind of pushes him into making a couple of tough decisions, and . . when some outlaws step into the local saloon . . he steps up to ask them to leave, not knowing that they see Jonah sitting in the crowd. They don't stick around long, and the sheriff . . ends up growing a pair. I think it just shows us that cowardice, or heroism, isn't necessarily a trait we can claim . . it's essentially the result of our actions in a given situation. Are you going to step up and do what's right, or . . are you going to stand back and watch what's happening. It's really up to you. But enough of the soap-box. I like this book because it's different. None of the other western books out there seem to be lasting long, so . . I'm glad to see this one. I think the theme and direction they've taken with it is perfect. Keep up the good work, guys!