Definitely worth picking up While I was never a dedicated fan of the Jonah Hex / Weird Western Tales series DC put out in the 70s and 80s, I definitely liked the reincarnation of Jonah Hex in 1993's `Two Gun Mojo'. Freed from Comics Code constraints, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Truman, and Sam Glanzman put together a blood-splattered storyline with plenty of eerie goings-on, pathos, and Lansdale's unique sense of warped humor. "Riders of the Worm and Such", the 1994 follow-up, went more for humor than horror, but was still an entertaining read. Lansdale was going through a burst of productivity in the Western genre at this time (his coeval title for Dark Horse, `Dead in the West', is worth searching out, but be advised it goes a bit too over the top with the grue).
Jonah Hex now has his own ongoing series, up to issue #33 as of early July 2008. It continues to be one of the few Western titles with any kind of staying power on the comic store shelves. Compilations of earlier issues in this series are now seeing distribution as softcover graphic novels, hence `Guns of Vengeance', which features issues #7 - #12.
In this series, Hex occupies a Wild West where homicidal behavior and moral depravity are steeped into every nuance of daily life. This is the perfect setup for lots of violence, and `Guns' - or rather, Jonah and his trigger-happy compatriots - delivers. Every bullet strike calls forth a detailed, over-the-top spurt of gore, and in some stories the body count gets high enough to carpet the streets with corpses.
The stories in `Guns', which are written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, are all standalones rather than multi-chapter stories, and center less on the horror or supernatural themes that are the bread and butter of the `Weird Western' titles. `Jonah Hex' focuses more on Spaghetti Western-inspired plots revolving around revenge and retribution. Gray and Palmiotti occasionally provide moments of black humor, but only the `Gator Bait' tale (i.e, Jonah Hex issue # 10) comes close to a Lansdale-style grotesquerie. Featuring a family of inbred backwoods types who enjoy feeding the occasional trespasser to their pet alligators, `Gator Bait' is simultaneously funny and grisly and one of the better stories in the compilation.
Overall, the artwork in the `Jonah Hex' series is good, and the issues compiled in `Guns' don't disappoint in this regard. The artwork by David Michael Beck, Paul Gulacy, Luke Ross, and Dylan Teague has an appropriately realistic style with lots of washed browns, grays, and blues. Moebius set a high standard for modern Western comic art with his famous `Lieutenant Blueberry' series, and DC's editorial staff seem to recognize this in assigning artists to `Hex'.
While the long-term fate of the `Jonah Hex' series is never secure in this superhero-focused world of comics retailing, I'll be looking for more compilations to appear on the store shelves and I'll be picking them up. If you feel some nostalgia for the Old School titles like Marvel's `Two Gun Kid' or `Rawhide Kid', the old Weird Western Tales series, or Lt. Blueberry, treat yourself and grab a copy.
Jonah Hex is still making a killing I'm a long time reader of Jonah Hex from years ago when it first came out. I was very disappointed with the way the artwork in the Hex series basically ruined a fantastic character and comic series. I was NOT disappointed by Face Full of Violence. It is 100% pure Jonah Hex all the way and the artwork is great just like the original series was. Great stories, great artwork and inking, I hope they make a hundred of them because I would buy them all. If you've read any of the original series, this is a must buy.
Clint Eastwood in Graphic Novel form I remember Hex from the day, this Hex looks a lot like Eastwood...but still has (some of) the spirit of the original HEX. I wish they would bring the old back in a colour compilation.
Just plain awesome One of the most underappreciated characters in one of the most underappreciated genres in comics gets resurrected and reinvigorated thanks to the writing tandem of inker Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray. A duo who worked together on a series of holiday-themed Punisher one-shots (none of which were anything if at all to write home about mind you), both writers are firing on all cylinders with Jonah Hex: Face Full of Violence, which collects the first six issues of the revamped series. Instead of focusing on one continuing storyline, Face Full of Violence contains six seperate stories all involving our favorite scarred outlaw, as he pursues kidnappers, has run-ins with those from his past, and generally takes on all comers without blinking an eye. The stories themselves are gritty and violent without going over the top in terms of gore and profanity (this isn't a Vertigo title, it's under the DC banner), but it retains plenty of attitude and a mature tone that isn't seen in mainstream comics too often these days. The art by Luke Ross and original Jonah Hex artist Tony Dezuniga is nothing short of great, making an already sweet package even, well, sweeter. All in all, if you dig old western comics or have fond memories of a man named Hex, this is a must own.
A trade that stands out from the rest In a comic medium of decompressed stories and multi-part crossovers, Jonah Hex completely exposes an old school tradition by crafting clever, witty and meaningful stories in stand alone issues. Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and Luke Ross are able to take a classic DC character, in a under appreciated genre, and captivate the audience. This collection offers readers a little taste of what the monthly title has been able to deliver on a monthly basis. Very happy that I've been getting the monthly title but this trade will sit on the bookshelf with some of my other titles.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
