New Stuff Reviewed: Jonah Hex #57- "Tall Tales"

This month's issue of Jonah Hex is a real treat for me. The story is all told from the perspective of Nathan and Thomas, a pair of dime-novel fanboys who learn that there's a real-life bounty-killer passin' through their town- Jonah Hex!

But wait, it's not just Jonah Hex. This issue treats us to something I've been hopin' for fer ages. I believe my exact words last month were:

"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 fer those of y'all who aren't sure who these folks are, I'll let young Nathan give ya the roll call-


Of course, the rest of Dc's stable of Western heroes have formed a posse with the same aim as Jonah- to capture a wanted fugitive named Bloody Jack. But drunk and ornery as always, Jonah ain't about to stand by and watch someone else steal his bounty ...



This issue was worth the $2.99 (tarnation! can they really cost that much?). There's even a Jonah Hex / Scalphunter faceoff!

A couple of gripes :

1. What? No El Diablo or Johnny Thunder?

2. Should the Trigger Twins really count as two guys? Isn't their whole schtick pretending to be one guy who's in two places at once? It's kinda like how Marvel decided Red Wolf's wolf, Lobo could count as number seven in their "Sensational Seven".

Jonah Hex- An Origin and a Last Hurrah

When this issue of Secret Origins was published, Jonah Hex was no longer starring in his own Western. See, in 1985 someone got the bright idea to transport Jonah from the Old West to a post-apocalyptic future... yeah, I don't get it either. Everyone's favorite ornery cuss wouldn't be back in the saddle again until 1993's DC Vertigo version Jonah Hex: Two-Gun Mojo. But here, while Hex was busy shootin' up the distant future, we get a look not only at his distant past, but also a peek at the ultimate fate of Weird Western Tales' favorite son.

From Secret Origins #21, December 1987 here's "Requiem for a Gunfighter" Script by Michael Fleischer, with art by Grey Morrow.