New Stuff Reviewed: Jonah Hex #56, plus Rawhide Kid - The Sensational Seven

As some of you already know, I don't read much in the way of new comics lately. However, today when I made the rounds at my local comics shops, I picked up a couple.

First off, I picked up the latest issue of Jonah Hex. I had had this comic in my monthly pull, back before I lost my job 16 months ago (I've finally reentered the workforce and have been back to work for almost a month) and was sad to drop it. I thought today was as good a day as any to re-acquaint myself with Mr. Hex.

Of course, this month's issue proudly announces that Jonah Hex is "Now A Major Motion Picture", came sealed in a polybag with a miniature movie poster and contains two short Jonah Hex stories and a four page interview with movie director Jimmy Hayward and comics writing team Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti (Who I am glad to see have stuck around) .

The cover is a nice piece by Darwyn Cooke. My wife and I chuckled as we observed that Warner Bros. can cast Josh Brolin if they like, but all the DC artists have cast a 70's Clint Eastwood since this series relaunched nearly five years ago.



Shortly after I picked up my Jonah Hex, I looked up to see a brand new Rawhide Kid sitting proudly on the shelf. Clearly, the good folks at Marvel were not going to pass up the potential Western market created by the release of a Jonah Hex movie and have swooped in (in true Marvel fashion) for the kill.



Now I don't know about y'all, but for years I've daydreamed of how great it would be if either DC or Marvel finally got it into their heads to do a full-out "Magnificent Seven"-style story featuring their stable of Western heroes. And this mini-series promises to deliver just that. I can't say as how I ever pictured that the posse of seven gunslingers would be recruited by Marvel's newly gay version of Rawhide.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not anti gay or anything. I just never, in all my years of reading Rawhide Kid, would have pictured a scene like this one where he's a-doin' Annie Oakley's hair:



He's still just as tough and just a quick on the draw, only now he's a little more "Queer Eye for the Cow Guy".

Anyway, the plotline centers around an old enemy with his own private army having kidnapped Wyatt and Morgan Earp. RK and Annie decide to round up some help and go rescue the Earps.

There's also a cameo by a new, scary version of the old West Ghost Rider.

I don't know how this will pan out, but I was fairly entertained and look forward to part two.