“Taking more than three decades of trials and unimaginable suffering as evidence, he could say with every measure of confidence that God hated him. And to his credit, Jonah Hex returned the favor as often as he could.”
“When a man knows there’s no place in Heaven waiting on him, then he’d best be wise to cozy up to the Devil. And so, Jonah took it upon himself to dispatch as many sinners as hell could accommodate… and never look back.”
It is with those words that scribes Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmotti commence with telling the adventures and trials of one Jonah Hex. Set back in the late 1800’s this most recent series of tales is thankfully spared the tedium and annoyance of being involved in DC Comics’ multi-part crossovers. There are no superheroes in tights, no magic, and no superpowers to be found. No sir, this title is 100% pure western in all its brutal and heartbreaking glory.
Like the character of Paladin from “Have Gun – Will Travel”, Hex rides all over the frontier, helping honorable and decent folk while doing everything he can to capture, kill, or otherwise disrupt the lives of the greedy and malicious. Some of the scenes from the comic look and feel like they were lifted straight out of a Sergio Leone film. And amusingly, Luke Ross even draws Hex to look like a scarred Clint Eastwood.
While we’re on the subject, I have to say that Luke Ross is an amazing artist. Not only does he clearly illustrate the facial expressions of the characters and give readers some excellent action sequences, but he also brings the landscape of the old west to life beautifully. And the colorists are not to be dismissed lightly. Jason Keith and Rob Schwager have done a phenomenal job with their work on this title. They give the comic a gritty look and a beautiful yet natural tone to the images (especially the landscapes). That, alone, is worth taking the time to flip through an issue.
Getting back to the stories, Palmotti and Gray have crafted several rough and tumble tales that have really put Hex to the test. Thus far, Jonah Hex has taken on nuns with guns, destroyed a dog-fighting company (and its ringmaster), ruined an oil baron, exposed a gang of outlaws while clearing the Apache of any wrongdoing, as well as his usual business of bounty hunting. Most times, his missions succeed. Sometimes they don’t, but even the successful ones almost always exact a toll (usually on an innocent). At times, it’s a tough read, but the creators never weaken the quality of the story. Hex is a hard man dealing with difficult problems in a tough time. And that makes the comic all the more compelling to read.
Now in the event that I haven’t made it abundantly clear, I’ll tell you in no uncertain terms: This comic is NOT suitable for children. I’m honestly surprised that DC hasn’t put a warning tag on the cover. If you’re looking for a fun western comic for your kid to read, look elsewhere. I would say that 13 should be the minimum age to read this title.
As of this writing (May 24, 2006), the series is at seven issues but for those that would rather not hunt around for individual issues, a trade of the first six issues will be released in August of 2006. Now the good thing for those of you that are interested is that each issue has been a stand-alone tale. Just like the classic western serials of yesteryear, each new tale would begin, develop and conclude, telling you what you needed to know in just twenty-two pages. The writers have said that that may change in the next few issues and they may start telling a few multi-issue tales, but for now each issue is on its own.
The bottom line is that this is a great comic. It’s not suitable for all ages, but it’s an excellent read. So if you’re looking for some hard-hitting action stories set in the old west, you owe it to yourself to give this title a read. Who knows? You might be like it.
