Showing posts sorted by relevance for query hart. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query hart. Sort by date Show all posts

Monday, April 14, 2008

Jonah Hex #43 "Death by Fire!"


Jonah Hex #43 Dec 1980
"Death by Fire!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Gerald Forton, art - Joe Kubert, cover

Part 2 of our 3 part epic opens with Marshall Hart looking at the body of Banker Jeffries while the murderers explain that Jonah Hex is the man that robbed the bank and killed Jeffries. Hart makes special note of the bullet wounds and then heads over to the jail to check in on the killer, Spast, that he caught last issue.

While at the jail, Spast tells Hart that his three brothers will be gunning for Hart. Hart shrugs it off and leaves the jail, only to find the aforementioned brothers waiting outside for him. They draw on him and Hart shoots all three of them in their gun hands and then loads them up in the jail.

Meanwhile, Jonah has taken the doc to the house where Mei Ling is. The doc announces that Mei Ling is only suffering from a sprain and bruise and that she'll need to use crutches for a few days.
Once the doc leaves, Jonah goes in and he and Mei Ling talk about their love for each other. Mei says that she will stay with Jonah forever, only if he gives up a life of violence. Jonah agrees but he says that he has a commitment to hunt down the killer of banker Jeffries.

Hours later, Jonah is searching for tracks but can't find any (probably because there are none, since the killers are still in town). Suddenly he has a lariat thrown over him and he is pulled off his horse. Marshall Hart got the drop on Hex and makes him drop his gunbelt and inspects his pistols. Seeing that Jonah only has his .44 Dragoons and his rifle, Hart mentions that the bullet wounds were of a smaller caliber. Jonah states that it's obvious that someone is trying to frame him. Hart decides to take Jonah in anyway to sort things out.

Meanwhile back in the jail with the Spast brothers one of them reveals a hollow heel in his boots and shows his brothers that he had gunpowder. They put the gunpowder in a cigar, tie the cigar to the bars in the window and manage to blow a hole big enough for them to squeeze through.


Back to Hart & Hex. Jonah is handcuffed and he and the Marshall stop at a river to get some water for themselves and the horses. They are suddenly set upon by several Apache. hart ends up shooting one in the head and Jonah battles one in the river, drowning him. Hart & Hex are overpowered and the Apache recognize the Mark of the Demon that Jonah bears. There is a three page recap of issue 7 and issue 8 covering Jonah's past and his scarring.

When they arrive in the Apache camp, the chief orders them tied up and burned at the stake. The Indians club the two men unconscious and tie them to a stake. Hex and Hart come to when the fire is blazing pretty well . Hart comes up with a way for them to escape. They gouge each others wrists until they bleed and the blood causes their rawhide bonds to stretch. Suddenly freed, Jonah & Hart beat the living tar outta the Indians with Jonah saving Hart's life.

The two run from the camp and jump off a cliff into the river below. Jonah ends up hitting his head on a rock, knocking himself out. Hart pulls him to shore and the issue ends with the Spast brothers drawing a bead on Hart & Hex.

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - 2 Indians
Running Total - 299
Jonah's Injuries - Knocked out 3 times. ouch!
Timeline - Well, it is right after the prior issue, so until we can determine when that was exactly, I'll have to leave this one blank.

Once again, Forton's artwork is so jarring that I have not been able to get into this book at all. The character of Hart hasn't aged well either. Hart is the stereotype of the TV cowboy hero, he only shoots the gunhand, he has a sweet aunt, he has some sort of younger brother. I'm convinced that the man doesn't have blood, he's so sweet he has syrup in his veins! I'm guessing that he was supposed to be a polar opposite of Hex, but fans wanted Jonah Hex,, the hideous bounty hunter. If they wanted J. D. Hart they could have picked up old copies of Gold Key westerns for crying out loud.

Boy, I'm liking this story arc less and less.

Next Issue: Jonah's dead, Hart's dead, Mei Ling is crying on a saloon floor and the Booth brothers (John Wilkes & Junius Brutus) get involved. Oh, and DeZungia is back. YAY!

Monday, April 28, 2008

Jonah Hex #44 "Showdown of the Century"


Jonah Hex #44 Jan. 1981
"Showdown of the Century"
Michael Fleisher, story - Dick Ayers & Tony DeZuniga, art - Joe Kubert, cover

Part 3 of our epic (and the start of basically an almost 50 issue run) has Jonah Hex and Marshall J.D. Hart pulling themselves out of the river and the Spast boys are drawing a bead on them. Hart is hit first and Jonah runs over to him, throws him over his shoulder and heads back to the river. Before Jonah can make it to the safety of the water, he too, is hit and crashing through the cat-tails before they both sink below the surface.

The Spast boys search for the bodies which never surface so the brothers leave, convinced they have killed both the lawman & the bounty hunter. However, Hex and Hart have both survived by breathing through the broken cat-tails that Hex grabbed as they went down. Hart, with a head wound ends up getting carried by Jonah for several miles before they can find a farmhouse.

The farmer treats Hart's head wound and Jonah's shoulder wound. He also tells Hex that both of their horses showed up a couple of hours earlier. Probably because the Apache thinks it is bad medicine to keep belongings of those that escape. Jonah writes a note and tells the farmer to give it to Hart when he comes to. Jonah then mounts up and heads for Feldon's Gap.

Meanwhile, Mei Ling is leaving the farmhouse where she has been recovering and she is heading for Feldon's Gap as well to check on Jonah. Her leg, badly sprained and not broken, is only slightly bothering her to the point where she has to use crutches to get around. She drives a buggy into town and hobbles into the saloon asking about the whereabouts of Jonah Hex.

Sadly, the Spast brothers are at the saloon and they inform her that Jonah Hex is dead and that they are supposed to 'take care' of any women that come asking about Hex. Mei Ling starts crying and demanding that they release her when Jonah walks into the saloon. The Spast brothers grab Mei Ling, using her as a shield but she ends up biting the hand of the brother holding her. Jonah shouts for Mei Ling to hit the floor. She hits the floor, crying "Jonah, please".

Jonah opens fire, shooting over Mei Lings body and killing all four of the Spasts. Jonah tells Mei Ling that he has to clear himself of the murder charge and then he'll be done with the gunfighting.

J.D. Hart has come to and is having dinner with the farmer and his family. Suddenly a lit lantern comes crashing through the window and sets the cabin on fire. Hart tells them to smother the flames and the farmer explains that he is being run off of his property. Hart has the farmer help him up the chimney with a rifle.

Outside, several men on horseback are firing into the house, waiting for the family to come out. Hart makes it to the roof and jumps off the roof, knocking out two of the men. He punches out another one, clubs a fourth on the head with the rifle, knocks out a fifth and shoots the rifle out of the hands of the last man. he takes them all into custody and they head off for Feldon's Gap.

Back in town, Mayor Bilgewater is worrying. Worrying about the plan to run people off their land before word leaks out about the railroad coming through, worrying about getting rid of Jonah Hex, worrying about J.D. Hart possibly learning about everything. His cohort walks in and tells him that Hart is in town and is gunning for Hex, so all of their worries may be over.

Out in the street, Hart has called Hex out and is arresting him. Hex protests that he has been framed but Hart is having none of it. Hart pulls his gun and Jonah pumps three quick rounds into him. A doctor runs out into the street, leans over Hart and announces that he is still breathing. Hex kicks the doc in the ribs, stands over Hart and coldly plants another slug into the downed lawman.

Bilgewater's cohort, having witnessed the entire thing, runs back to the mayor and explains that everything has gone to hell. Just then Hex walks in and sits down. Jonah tells them that he is on to them and since he is getting married, he wants whatever cut that Sugar Wallace was getting, plus a third of the bank loot. They tell Jonah their entire plan, including killing Jeffries and that's when Jonah asks if J.D. heard everything.

Hart walks in and Jonah states that they have just done the greatest performance since the Booth brothers played Hamlet. The entire shootout was a ruse to make the banker and his bunch think that Hart was dead and then confess to framing Jonah. Hart arrests the men and takes them to jail.

The next day, Jonah and Mei Ling are strolling and talking with Hart. Hart says that he's glad the shootout was fake since he didn't want to go up against Jonah. Jonah states that there will be no question as to who will be the fastest gun since he will be hanging his pistols up. Mei asks Hart to stay for the wedding, but J.D. has trouble up in Lincoln county that he has to handle. Jonah mentions that they may settle here since Mei Ling has a brother in the area.

Jonah and Mei Ling ride off in a buckboard and J.D. Hart, watching them leave, ponders at the strangeness of Jonah hanging up his guns. He knows that some men get settled down "but other men, and I think Jonah is one of them, well, it seems like the good Lord above just did not mean for them to be happy."

More ominous words were never written.

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - 4
Running total - 303
Jonah's Injuries - Shot in left shoulder
Timeline - This one spans two days with the bulk of the action taking place in the first day and then the next day Jonah & Mei Ling riding off. What year does it happen? No clues here but we'll probably have to come back and retrofit a year in here somewhere.

Of the three issues in this arc, I enjoyed this one the best. The art was better and we didn't see so much of Hart's homelife, so it wasn't so sappy goody goody where he was concerned. I do wonder about the fake shootout that has no blood. How believable could that have been, especially since Jonah shot Hart at point blank range after he kicked the doctor outta the way?

Next Issue: "Blood Wedding"! What else do I hafta say?

Friday, July 10, 2009

Jonah Hex #80 "Day of the Rattler!"


Jonah Hex #80 Jan. 84
"Day of the Rattler!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Dick Ayers & Tony DeZuniga, art - Ross Andru, cover

JD Hart runs across the desert sands, sixguns blazing, frightening off the vultures that have started pecking at Jonah Hex's prone form. Hart reaches Jonah and detects a very faint heartbeat. He forces some water down Jonah and after a few minutes manages to get Jonah to his feet and they start heading towards Harts horse. They are suddenly interrupted by the local sheriff and his posse.

Hart identifies himself as a U.S. Marshall but the sheriff says it doesn't matter who brings Jonah Hex in, but Hex will be spending time in his jail.

The next morning, in the aforementioned jail, the local doctor pronounces that Jonah will be a lot better with a few days of rest. Once the doctor leaves, Hart asks the sheriff if he can speak with Jonah. The sheriff allows it.

Hart tells Jonah that he gathered all of Hex's gear but Jonah tells him it ain't that important, he needs Hart to fetch the letter from the Governor. Hart agrees to it and heads out at once. However, Hart doesn't know that he is being watched by Quentin Turnbull, who send out three of his goons to follow Hart and return with that letter.

Emmy Lou Hartley, meanwhile, is mulling over her love for Jonah Hex while she waits at the blacksmith for her horse to get new shoes.

Elsewhere, Mei Ling is leaving Jason Hex with her brother's family as she mounts her horse and rides off to find Jonah Hex herself.

Turnbull's goons lose sight of Hart but they come over a ridge to find his horse alone, grazing in a clearing. As they get closer, Hart suddenly drops from a tree and commences with the severe kicks to the head and the punches to the jaw. One goon manages to pull a pistol, but Hart shoots it from his hand and shoot the weapon four more times before the pistol drops from the sky square onto the head of the goon.

Sadly, Hart was unaware of the third goon, who rides up and pulls a rifle on Hart.

Emmy Lou rides into town and meets Jonah in jail. Jonah tells her not to worry, because Hart is getting the letter and everything will be fine. Emmy says that she loves Jonah and Jonah tells her that he loves her as well. The sheriff is sitting in his chair, eavesdropping and chuckling to himself when through the door walks Mei Ling.

Mei Ling asks if she can see Jonah Hex and the sheriff points her toward the cells, mentally making a note that all the hot blooded women go after the bad men.

Mei Ling walks in just in time to see Emmy & Jonah in a jail embrace. In an awkward moment, Mei Ling starts to leave, Jonah begs her to stay, and Emmy tells her not to go, she will leave, for Jonah has always loved Mei Ling more than herself. As she walks out crying, the sheriff thinks that he might be able to get lucky by picking up Jonah's castoff on the rebound.

Meanwhile, JD Hart is tied up in a cabin and is having to listen to the rants of Quentin Turnbull. Turnbull gives Hart until sundown to divulge the location of the Governor's letter or else.. On that note, Turnbull leaves.

Back at the jail, there is a traveling salesman who is about to unveil his wares. This salesman specializes in selling an electric chair. You merely strap the condemned into the chair and wait for a storm to come up and for lightning to strike the lightning rod that will zap the skull of the prisoner.

Inside the jail, Jonah is starting to get worried about how long it is taking Hart to return with the letter. Suddenly he hears a sound outside the jail. It is Man of Two Bloods. Man of Two Bloods states that a blood brother of a chief cannot possibly be guilty of murder so Man of Two Bloods honor demands that he free Jonah Hex. He quickly pulls several sticks of lit dynamite from behind his back and blows up the entire back wall of the jail.

Inside, the sheriff is rudely startled out of his daydreams about night things in the middle of the afternoon. He runs back into the jail to see the carnage and he unlocks the cell door to view the he in the wall. Just then Jonah steps out and clubs the sheriff over the head. Jonah wasn't going to leave without his pistols, hat & coat.

Jonah runs out and jumps onto a spare horse that Man of Two Bloods has provided and as he rides off, he is spied by none other than Quentn Turnbull. Turnbull gets into his buggy and decides that he shall have to handle this circumstance himself.

Meanwhile, back at the cabin where Hart is being held. hart manages to kick over the stove in the cabin. As the cabin starts to fill with smoke, one goon runs out to get water while the other two attempt to right the stove. During this time, Hart holds his wrists over some coals and manages to burn himself free. He launches into the two remaining goons like a rocket and grabbing a gun from one goon, he shoots the pistol from the hand of the returning goon.

Some time later, Jonah rides up to a stand of rocks. As he advances towards them, Turnbull shows up with a pistol, demanding that Hex stand back. Turnbull reaches into a hole in the rocks to retrieve the letter, but ends up getting bitten by a rattler.

Jonah says that is to be expected when you stick your hand in a snake's nest. He breaks off a forked stick, uses it to hold down the snake's head and gets the letter. Turnbull, his heart racing the venom through his system, begs Jonah not to let him die. Jonah replies that is exactly what he is going to do. As Jonah walks off, Turnbull falls to the ground, clawing at his pistol, his shaking hands taking aim at Jonah's back.....

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - none
Running total - 408
Jonah's Injuries - none
Timeline - This appears to be the same day as last issue. A few of the panels seem to indicate that it is nighttime, but there is nothing in the text to support it.

This issue is rocking with action and drama and has more supporting characters than any issue yet. I have to give this issue a thumbs up. It keeps the current arc clipping along nicely and has a great cliffhanger.

The only sour note was an artistic one regarding Hart's ropes. In one panel the ropes are near his elbows and two panels later, his wrists are tied.

Next Issue: Turnbull's final fate, and the return of.......

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Jonah Hex #42 "Wanted for Murder!"


Jonah Hex #42 Nov. 1980
"Wanted for Murder!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Gerald Forton, art & cover

Our 3-part epic tale starts with a band of outlaws stealing sheep and Bart wearing Jonah's hat and coat. They are gloating about how great it was to see Jonah swinging from that cottonwood tree after they clobbered him in the head. As they continue to gloat, a noose is lowered from a tree and snags the outlaw in the back of the pack. The rest of the bandits hear their compatriot choking and they turn just in time to see Jonah jumping out of a tree above them.

He knocks out Bart and stabs him then grabs a rifle to face off with the remaining two outlaws. However the rifle is out of shells and Jonah has to use it like a baseball bat. The last outlaw, "Sugar" Wallace turns tail and runs. Jonah packs up the three that he caught and heads into town to get his bounty.

In town, Jonah meets up with Mayor Bilgewater and two other business men, John & banker Bill Jeffries. The mayor explains that it was their good fortune that Jonah happened by after the sheriff was gunned down by Wallace. Jonah decides to drop the bodies off at the undertaker and get himself some breakfast. Jonah leaves and the three men go inside.

Once inside they encounter Sugar Wallace himself. They rant at Wallace saying that they hired him to run off sheepherders so they can buy up the land cheap. The discussion escalates into a verbal fight while the Chinese man servant serves drinks. Wallace says that he didn't hire on to go up against Jonah Hex, but he can find some more men so the Mayor and the others can buy the land to sell to the railroad when the new spur comes into town.

Later that night, Jonah is washing up before turning in for the night. There is a knock at the door. It's Caroline, a saloon-girl that Jonah met earlier and she is wondering if she can come in. Jonah suspects a trap and rightly so. Wallace is outside the door with three other men. Jonah props a chair against the door and blows out the lamp and then tells Caroline to come in.

When Wallace's men try to open the door they find it blocked. Wallace blasts the door open and they find the window wide open. Just then, Jonah, standing on the porch roof outside the window, tosses in several sticks of lit dynamite, blowing Wallace and the three men clear to hell.

Outside, three more of Wallace's men are standing guard but they are surprised by Hex when he jumps off the roof, boot smacking one and gunning down the other two. Personally, I think the frame with Jonah jumping off the roof looks like he is actually flying upwards, propelled by the his pistols, not unlike early steampunk hand-rockets. Turn the page and the caption reads:

"And the following..."

Following what? Minute, day, hour, week? Heck, let's go with day.

Our trio of terror are lamenting the loss of Wallace but they have a backup plan. A U.S.Marshall named Jeremiah Hart is probably the only man that can kill Jonah Hex and they plan to get him.

We then cut to Jeremiah Hart hiding behind an ore cart, trying to flush out a killer holed up in a mine. The killer is holding a woman hostage after murdering her husband. Hart starts pushing the ore cart towards the mine, using it for cover. The killer grabs some handy dynamite, slaps the crap outta his hostage, lights the boomstick and throws it at the cart. The cart explodes and Hart jumps out from alongside the mine and shoots the gun out of the killer's hand. The woman hostage asks why Hart doesn't kill the man and Hart explains that it the hangman's job, his is to bring the killer in. The woman starts crying about her poor husband and Hart rides off with the killer in tow, leaving her at the mine.

Three days later Hart is coming home to his Aunt Gerry and Petey. It isn't clear if Petey is his son or his younger brother since Petey always calls Hart "J.D.". Anyway, Hart has the killer in tow and locks him up in the woodshed while they all have dinner. After dinner, Hart takes food out to the killer and then Petey asks to have Hart do a trick for him. Petey takes four silver dollars and throws them in the air. Before they hit the ground Hart manages to shoot all three of them dead center. Petey exclaims that nobody else in the whole world coulda done that, but Hart says that there is one other man, a bounty hunter.

Meanwhile, Jonah is riding is horse along, wondering why Sugar Wallace, normally a bank robber, started stealing sheep. Suddenly he hears a loud cry for help and he spots a wagon, minus a wheel, being dragged by two runaway horses. The woman in the wagon can't control them and Jonah manages to leap onto the horses and pull the whole shooting match to a halt just before they all tumble off a cliff. Jonah dismounts and starts to read the woman the riot act when he realizes....

it is Mei Ling!

Jonah helps her down from the wagon but she has broken her leg when the wagon threw the wheel. Jonah carries her to a nearby farmhouse while they recap their failed relationship. Mei explains that she is going to visit her brother who lives in Feldon's Gap.

Once at the farmhouse, they are invited in and Jonah lays Mei Ling onto a bed. Jonah starts to tell her that he loves her but she says that he actually loves the tenderness that is hidden deep within himself that he doesn't want to see there. Jonah says he knows that is what she said last time, but he truly loves her. Mei Ling reminds him that she could never love him as long as Jonah follows this life of violence and Jonah says that he will quit bounty hunting if only to have Mei Ling be his wife. She says that she will think about it.



Meanwhile, the trio of evil business men in Feldon's Gap are still working on their scheme to get Hart to hunt down Hex. Their plan involves framing Hex for murder (because that has been so successful in the past) and they pull pistols out and shoot banker Jeffries, thus having a crime to frame Hex for and allowing for a profit split of two ways rather than three.

Several hours later, Jonah rides into town to fetch a doc for Mei Ling when the Mayor runs out and explains that one of Wallace's men rode into town, robbed the bank and killed Jeffries.. Jonah says he'll drop the doc off and then hunt down the killer.

Back at J.D. Hart's place he receives a telegram from Feldon's Gap saying that they need him to hunt down the man that just robbed the bank and killed banker Jeffries. They want Hart to bring in Jonah Hex.

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - 10
Running Total - 297
Jonah's Injuries - Prior to the start of the story he was clubbed and hung.
Timeline - This obviously takes place "more than a year" (according to Mei Ling) after issue #23, but there is no date given. Until we can backtrack a date, we'll just say this one is about 1874 or 1876. One of those. I know it's not 1875, because nothing happened to Jonah Hex during 1875, right?

This is the start of a three part story and the beginning of a story arc that lasts almost 50 issues! From here on out, each story builds on the one prior to it (except for a filler issue or two) and this can be a good thing or a bad thing. Ongoing stories are something I enjoy but at times throughout the remainder of the series it almost got way too much like a soap opera. But it also allowed for growth in Jonah's character that couldn't have been done without it. So was Mei Ling the best thing to happen to Hex or the worst? I'm divided on the whole topic and I'll recount the whole thing as we go along and let you decide for yourselves. Of course, the next several issues is going to drive some people nuts.

On a side note, I do not enjoy Forton's work. Jonah looks waaay too scrawny and the quality in the panels isn't very consistent. It looks too much like artwork in the old Charlton westerns from the 60's.

Next Issue: Captured by Hart, burned at the stake, and almost drowned!! Oh, and a Kubert cover to boot.

Friday, July 31, 2009

Jonah Hex #82 "Mortal Enemies - Mortal Friends!"


Jonah Hex #82 Mar 1984
"Mortal Enemies - Mortal Friends!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Dick Ayers & Tony DeZuniga, art - Ross Andru, cover

This issue starts a few seconds prior to last issue ending. El Papagayo is standing atop a cliff overlooking a buggy below, racing away. The buggy carries Jonah Hex and Quentin Turnbull as they try to escape from the Mexican bandit. A henchman hands a pair of binoculars to Papagayo, but they are so out of focus that Papagayo is seeing double when he looks through them.

Meanwhil in the buggy, Turnbull has located a note that Papagayo left in the buggy. It reads "Jonah Hex, my good friend, Adios." Jonah orders Turnbull to jump and forces him and their captured Mexican bandit out of the buggy.

Up above, Papagayo has focused on the dynamite strapped to the bottom of the buggy and sees the buggy blown to smithereens. The henchman starts celebrating that they have killed the "horse-faced" bounty hunter. Papagayo pulls a pistol and sticks it in the man's face, warning him not to speak ill of Jonah Hex.

Luckily, down below, Jonah Hex, Turnbull and their captive have landed on a narrow ledge that they landed on over the edge of the cliff. They successfully escaped the blast, but the ledge gives way underneath the prisoner. He falls and Jonah grabs the man's sleeve, but he is wearing cheap bandit clothing and the sleeve rips, dropping the bandit to his death. Turnbull is aghast at the man's death and Jonah comments on how squeamish Turnbull is for a villain.

Papagayo and his men have come down to gloat over the smoldering wreckage of the burning buggy. The henchman notices Hex & Turnbull climbing down the cliff face and pulls his rifle. He takes a bead on them and El Papagayo shoots the henchman in the back. Papagayo shouts over the cliff edge that Hex has escaped fair and square and that he will have to kill Hex the next time they meet.

Meanwhile on a stagecoach several hundred miles away, Emmy Lou Hartley is on her way to St. Louis. She let's her mind wander back in time, when her family left St. Louis only to end up captured and slaughtered by the Crow Indians. Emmy did what she had to do to survive "Wapati notoma tahani" is Crow for "Bow-chicky-bow-wow!"
and eventually escapes, only to be rescued by Jonah Hex. She and Jonah fell in love but now she is running away in order to save some small part of her heart.

Back at the base of the cliff, Turnbull and Hex have climbed completely down the side of the cliff and start making their way to a nearby farm.

In town, J.D. Hart and Mei Ling have returned from their ride. Hart comments that Mei Ling seems to be hundred miles away but she needs to stop blaming herself for something that wasn't her fault. Hart continues to tell her that folks get into bad marriages all the time. She needs to turn her back on Jonah and continue on with her life. However...



At the farm, Jonah & Turnbull buy a couple of horses from the farmer and head for town. On the ride back Turnbull states that Hex has saved his life more than once. Turnbull is a man who pays his debts, therefore he will file a sworn affidavit exonerating Jonah of any responsibility in the death of Governor Phelps. However, there is nothing that Jonah could ever do for Turnbull to make up for the death of his son Jeb. Turnbull vows to put Hex into an early grave over that situation.

That night, J.D.Hart and Mei Ling are leaving a restaurant when they are suddenly surrounded by five men. The men plan on kidnapping Mei Ling in order to lure Jonah Hex into their trap. Hart attempts to stop them and they unload a bullet into Hart.

Shortly thereafter, Jonah & Turnbull ride into town and see the crowd in front of the hotel where Mei Ling was staying. Jonah takes off and Turnbull shouts that he will file the paperwork and then their feud will renew. Jonah sees that Hart has been shot, but only in the shoulder. Hart quickly explains what has happened and he and Jonah ride off after the men.

Hours later, they track the men to a railroad switching yard filled with train cars. Down in the rail yard, one thug is standing guard on the ground and one is atop a rail car. Jonah climbs up the side of the car and pistol whips the guard. The guard on the ground hears the sound and turns around. Hart slaps a pair of handcuffs on him and punches his lights out. Hex continues running across the rail cars and jumps down, kicking two thugs in the head. The final thug stands guard on the end of the rail car when he is suddenly splashed with... kerosene. Jonah appears next to him and lights a match. The thug starts screaming and when Jonah demands to know where Mei Ling is, the thug points to a nearby caboose.

Hart runs over to the caboose and jerks the door open. He finds Mei Ling and unties her. She jumps up and throws herself into Hart's arms, but just then Jonah walks in and sees them in an embrace. Jonah is mad as hell and starts advancing on Hart. Hex lands a right and a left to J.D.'s jaw and Mei Ling starts screaming that Hart's arm is hurt. Jonah puts his left arm behind his own back to make it even and continues to beat J.D. unconscious and then storms out of the caboose.

The next morning the stagecoach carrying Emmy Lou is stopped by three robbers. They demand that everyone disembark from the coach. The bandit leader demands that Emmy grab her luggage, cut a coach horse loose because she is coming with them!

Statistics for This Issue:
Men killed by Jonah: None
Running Total: 408
Jonah's Injuries: None
Timeline: We are still in April 1878. Just one day has passed since last issue.

Things just keep snowballing. We wrap up the short Papagayo interlude, finish up the Turnbull/prison ploy, and we get an new twist in the saga of Emmy Lou. A ton of stuff was crammed into this one, despite the two page repeat from last issue. Pro's in this issue:
  • Papagayo killing his own henchman. That turns him into a 19th century prelude of the Joker (who was always killing his own men). Loved it!
  • Turnbull commenting on the weird relationship between Hex and Papagayo and then turning around and focusing on his own obsessive compulsive unforgiveness in order to kill Hex. Dr. Phil would have a field day with these three on his show.
  • Jonah cutting loose on J.D. right in front of Mei Ling. If that doesn't drive that violence-hating woman into the arms of the Marshall, I don't know what will.
  • The cover was really good, staring out of the gun barrel at the oncoming Jonah and the lovely slanted logo.
Next Issue: The violence escalates, the truth behind Emmy's kidnapping, Jonah gets saved, and (I hate to say it, but I knew it would come to this) the end of Matching Dragoons!

Monday, February 01, 2010

Jonah Hex #90 "Starlight, Star Bright,... First Star I See Tonight!"

Jonah Hex #90 Apr 1985
"Starlight, Star Bright... First Star I See Tonight!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Gray Morrow, art - Mark Texeira, cover

Jonah Hex has had enough of Mrs. Crowley's boarding house and is saddling up his horse when Mrs. Crowley tries to stop him. Hex states that no matter what the doc has said, he needs to help a friend and he rides off.

Meanwhile, many miles away, J.D. Hart is hanging out with some kids. The kids toss coins in the air and the Marshall shoots all of them before they hit the ground. Just then a silver haired young woman rides up and introduces herself as Silver Ames. She states that last month in Abilene she gunned down Kingfish Belden, the third fastest gun in the west. She tells Hart that folks say he's the second fastest and she's going to kill him. Hart waves her off and turns to leave, but Silver draws anyway and pumps three slugs into Hat's back, right in front of the kids. As Hart lays there dying, Silver jumps on her horse & rides off.

Several hours later Jonah is riding in the mountains trying to decide how to pick up Emmy Lou's trail when there is a sudden avalanche. As he & his horse start sliding among the falling rock, Jonah unleashes a lasso and misses snagging an outcropped rock. He and his horse fall to the bottom of the cliff and are knocked out.

Much later that night, Mei Ling is called into the office of the local undertaker to identify the body of J.D. Hart. She starts crying that men & their guns have destroyed her life but the sheriff tells her that is a woman that killed Hart.

Speaking of that murderous female, we find Silver Ames camped out, having a handy flashback. She remembers her father, a sheep herder, telling her that a man needs to learn to use a gun. Just then a bunch of cattle ranchers ride up and gun down her father. Silver makes a vow that she would become the deadliest gun in the west and starts practicing with her father's pistols. When she is grown she tracks down her father's killers and avenges her father, but she doesn't stop there, slowly working her way across the west.

Back at Jonah, he finally wakes up to a pouring storm. He pulls himself to his feet and walks off in search of shelter. He finally finds a cave, thinking that he will more than likely stumble upon a sleeping grizzly, but, surprisingly, Jonah isn't attacked by a bear...

Meanwhile, at the hideout of Brett and his gang, Brett finds that Emmy is sulking about having shot Jonah. Brett goes into her room to 'cheer' her up but Emmy jams a chair under the doorknob, locking the other two women out of the room. Emmy pulls a knife on Brett and slashes him across the face. A fight ensues and Emmy throws an oil lamp to the floor catching the cabin on fire. She throws a chair through the window and manages to escape on horseback.

Meanwhile, Jonah has managed to drag his busted clawed up self to a cabin. He is bloody and drenched to the bone and asks for a horse. The old man in the cabin lets him take a horse and stands in the barn door waving goodbye when there is a sudden flash of light from the sky. A bolt of light flashes past Jonah and strikes the barn, causing the old man to disappear. Jonah figures that he went back in the barn & rides off.

The next morning, Jonah is back in down in the doc's office. The doc patches him up and asks if Jonah has considered hiring a doc to follow him around full time. The doc then hands over a telegram that came to the sheriff's office yesterday. Jonah takes the telegram and leaves the office. Standing on the sidewalk, Jonah reads that J.D. Hart has been gunned down and just them Silver Ames shows up.

She tells Hex that she killed Hart and she will kill Hex as well. Jonah says that she may be the fastest girl, but she won't outgun him. Her gun is slung too low, she hasn't filed off the front gun sight, her stance is way too broad. Silver tells Hex to shut up and draw on three..

ONE...

TWO...

THRE.. and Hex shoots her dead on the spot and walks off.

Statistics for this Issue
Men killed by Jonah - 1 (technically a woman, but it counts)
Running Total - 423
Jonah's Injuries - still recovering from Emmy shooting him , Hex survives an avalanche and being mauled by a cougar
Timeline - I don't know how long has passed from last issue and this one, Let's toss out a few days and this issue covers two days. I would say that we are at the end of July 1878.

I'm somewhat conflicted about this one. Let's take both sides:
PRO:
  • The mauling by the cougar was pretty funny. Almost like Fleisher was having some fun with Jonah's "prophecies of doom" that always come true.
  • Silver Ames was an interesting character and it was a hoot how she met her end, with Hex just walking off. When I first read this book I thought that Jonah had just killed her before she could draw, but rereading it, it appears that her pistol has left the holster and Jonah did wait until she drew before gunning her down. That is even better! Jonah was way too fast for the likes of Silver.
  • Emmy giving Brett some of what was due him.
CON:
  • The death of J.D. Hart. A terrible way for the man to go. I never cared for him as a character (too goody goody for the book) but he didn't deserve this.
  • The light from the sky. Sheesh. You can tell the end is near here with a plot device like this.
  • The artwork by Gray Morrow was a downer for me. The coloring (also by Morrow) made everything look murky and smeared. Morrow used a lot of ziptone which doesn't translate well to newsprint. It will be interesting to see how these look in a black and white Showcase format. I'm thinking not so great because in some frames Morrow used only coloring to convey what was happening.
We did get a small teaser in the letter column last issue showing Jonah Hex on a motorcycle and Crisis on Infinite Earth was gearing up. It was at this time I was thinking that the new direction for Jonah would be tied into CoIE but even though he did make an appearance, the weirdness in the final three issues of Jonah Hex, weren't tied into it at all.

Next Issue: The circus comes to town, more of the weird ray, and a Neal Adams cover.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Jonah Hex #84 "Carnival of Doom!"


Jonah Hex #84 May 1984
"Carnival of Doom!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Tony DeZuniga, art - Ed Hannigan & Tony DeZuniga, cover

Jonah Hex is in the gunsmith shop of one R. Hayes, shopping for new firearms. Mr. Hayes is completely baffled that Jonah would throw away his matching dragoons. Jonah explains that they 'fell' into the lake and ends up deciding to purchase a Colt Peacemaker and a Smith & Wesson Schofield .45. The gunsmith admits that they were previously owned by a man who was gunned down when one of them hung in his holster.

Jonah concedes that he can understand why that happened, since the sights are so huge. He grabs a hammer and knocks the sights off both of the pistols (how he does it without damaging the pistols is a mystery to me). The store owner is writing up Jonah's purchase when two thugs burst into the store and grab the strongbox the owner has. The thugs start backing out the door and state that they can't leave no witnesses. Jonah draws on them, killing both.

The owner is aghast. He states that one thug has a bullet right between the eyes and the other has a hole over his right eye. Jonah agrees that the Smith & Wesson does pull to the left and takes the robber's money as payment for his saving the shop owner's life.

Out on the street Jonah is hailed by a telegram boy who delivers a telegram from New Orleans. Jonah makes mention that he has been invited to Mardi Gras.

Okay, let's stop here for just a second. Mardi Gras normally ends on Ash Wednesday which occurs 46 days prior to Easter. Looking at the dates for Easter in the 19th century, (new style, Catholic) for 1875-1878, they all land in April. Now, in the books we have established that we are in 1878 and by counting days that have passed we are at the end of April or possibly the beginning of May. Suddenly we are to believe that Jonah is going to make it to Mardi Gras? The book states that two weeks pass before he gets to New Orleans. So, if Easter of 1878 falls on April 21, 58 days prior (46 plus two weeks) puts us at Feb 22nd. And that is just so Jonah can make the last day of Mardi Gras! (on a side note, the 1879 Mardi Gras was canceled due to Yellow Fever.)

Meanwhile, JD Hart is talking with Mei Ling and he starts to tell her about his feelings for her. Suddenly Jason runs in with a wooden sixgun and 'shoots' Hart. Mei Ling scolds Jason, demanding where he got the toy pistol. Hart confesses that he made it for Jason along with a small holster. Mei Ling demands the gun from Jason and he shouts NO!

Hart tries to calm Mei Ling down, but she turns on him, saying she doesn't want her son to be a gunfighter and Jason runs from the room crying. In this scene, Jason not only shouts 'no' but also says "bang bang Marshal Hart! You're dead!" Jason has just turned two since he was born in the Spring of 1876 (?)

But enough about that, two weeks pass and we are now in New Orleans and Jonah is being addressed by a wealthy man in a large mansion. The man is Mr. Sterling and he wants to hire Jonah to protect his daughter Adrian from a kidnapping scheme. Jonah is stunned to meet Adrian, a beautiful young lady. Upon meeting Jonah Hex, Adrian states "I'm delighted to meet you, Mr. Hex. And may I say I feel safer already."

Jonah stammers back "Ah only wish Ah could say the same thing Ma'am"

Just then Clifford Mapely, Adrian's fiancee, enters. Sterling states that Hex will be their bodyguard for the next 5 or 6 days. Clifford doesn't think that it is needed but relents to Sterling's wishes.

A thousand miles away (putting us in New Mexico or far western Texas) Emmy Lou is screaming and pounding on the door of the room that Brett has locked her in. Brett opens the door and Emmy starts crying about how poorly she has been treated (tied up and locked up). Brett says that she can be freed if she promises not to escape and to also join his gang. She screams that she never will and Brett slams her back into the room, muttering that she'll come around very soon.

Back in New Orleans a cloaked woman knocks on a door and is allowed entrance to the home of Mr. St. Pierre. It is Elsa, the maid of the Sterling household! She reveals that Adrian will be at a private party at 10 PM in the Latin Quarter at 33 Rue Madeleine (don't bother looking, it ain't there!). Elsa explains that Adrian's fiance, Clifford will be escorting her and they will both be accompanied by Jonah Hex.

Later that night Jonah & Adrian are at the aforementioned party and a very snobby party goer is having a good laugh at Jonah's expense. He makes snide remarks about the war and how Jonah Hex belongs with the drunken revelers in the costume out in the street. Adrian tries to reprimand him but Jonah calmly grabs a drink, tosses it into the man's face, punches him in the gonads, lifts the man over his head and throws him the length of the buffet table. Several men decide they can take Jonah Hex on and Jonah pulls his pistols and drops a huge chandelier into the middle of the room.

Needless to say, Adrian, Clifford and Jonah shortly end up leaving the party. As Adrian & Clifford walk the streets of New Orleans (with Jonah closely behind), three men in skeleton outfits are stalking them from a nearby rooftop. Suddenly the three men jump down into the street and shoot Jonah Hex and start to grab Adrian. Clifford runs like a deer (getting help, he says!) and as one of the skeletons draws a bead on the unconscious noggin of Jonah Hex, Adrian shouts that he is her fiance. Rather than try to untangle the mess, the skeletons abduct Jonah along with Adrian.

Quite some time later, Jonah regains consciousness to find that he and Adrian are tied up in a wine cellar somewhere in the city. Adrian explains what has happened, including her tells the thugs that Jonah was her fiance. Jonah asks why she did that & she confesses that from the first time she saw Jonah, she knew that he WOULD be her fiance.

Upstairs, Mr. St. Pierre and his thugs suddenly hear a scream from the wine cellar. They run downstairs and open the cellar to find Adrian standing in front of them. She is untied and they demand to know how she got her ropes loose. She calmly replies "My friend over there has a bowie knife." Jonah then quickly tosses said knife into the throat of one of the thugs and then dives behind the wine casks.

As thug number two searches for him, Jonah sneaks up behind him and then knocks him out with a wine bottle. Just then St. Pierre emerges behind Jonah with a pistol aimed at Jonah's back. Adrian steps forth brandishing a pistol and demands in a stuttering voice that St. Pierre drop his weapon. St. Pierre says he won't because Adrian doesn't have what it takes to shoot hi... BLAM!!!!!!!

Adrian has killed St. Pierre and she drops the pistol and runs to Jonah where they get into a a post-pistol-packing lip lock.

Much later (5 AM by the clock on the mantle) Adrian and Jonah get back to the Sterling mansion. Adrian explains to her dad how great Jonah was and Hex explains that the maid was in cahoots with the kidnappers. Mr. Sterling says that he is happy that Adrian is safe, even though Clifford 'fought like a tiger' to save Adrian. She suddenly interrupts her dad and tells Clifford to leave & never comes back.

The p-whipped Clifford sulks out of the house and Mr. Sterling asks "what about the engagement?" Adrian grabs Jonah arm and as they leave the house she says that there may still be a wedding but Clifford won't even be invited to it.

BLAM!!!

Statistics for this Issue
Men killed by Jonah Hex - 3
Running Total - 416
Jonah's Injuries - Shot (hard to tell where. The shoulder? A grazing of the scalp?)
Timeline - Whew! It's Mardi Gras but it's May (or possibly even June by now with the extra two weeks to travel to New Orleans). The only thing I can say is that Easter takes place at an entirely differently time in the DC Universe.

A pretty good story advancing the emotional complications of Jonah Hex and his women. Adrian looks to be a pure firecracker, knowing what she wants and knowing how to get it. Jonah had better watch his step around this one.

The storyline with Emmy is getting a little hairier with the psychological abuse that Brett is throwing at her.

I find it strange that Jonah Hex is now in New Orleans and that is where the bulk of the Jonah Hex movie was filmed. Was Michael Fleisher psychic?

Next Issue: Turnbull decides to make good on his promise... to kill Jonah Hex!!!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Jonah Hex #81 "The Alliance!"


Jonah Hex #81 Feb 1984
"The Alliance!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Dick Ayers & Tony DeZuniga, art - Ross Andru, cover

The sad thing about this issue is that the first four pages are a recap of the last two pages from the prior issue. Turnbull has just been bitten by a rattlesnake (the snake survived the bite) and Jonah is going to leave Turnbull to succumb to the poison.

Then, suddenly for no reason at all, Jonah changes his mind and does his best to suck the poison from Turnbull's hand. It would have been better if he had done it for Jeb's memory, or maybe realizing that he needed Turnbull to clear him of the Governor's murder, but none of that is stated.

Meanwhile, J.D.Hart is turning in the thugs that he captured last issue. Hart learns about Jonah Hex's escape from jail and then heads for the hotel to get some grub.

Much later, Jonah & Turnbull are heading back to town in Turnbull's buggy when there is a sudden avalanche in front of them. Jonah is able to get the horses stopped and then there is another avalanche behind them. They find themselves boxed in the narrow canyon and that is when the gunfire starts. Turnbull has recovered enough from the venom to beat a hasty retreat to a nearby cave with Jonah close behind him.

Once in the cave, they hear shouting from above them and it turns out it is none other than El Papagayo, seeking revenge. Things aren't looking good at all.

Elsewhere, Emmy Lou Hartley has packed up and decided to leave town to try to get Jonah Hex out of her mind and her heart. On the way to the stage depot she shoved an ignorant goon into a horse trough.

Darkness is now falling on the canyon where Jonah & Turnbull are trapped. Turnbull reasons that Papagayo has nothing against HIM, so he pulls a white hanky, and waving it as a sign of peace, starts to leave the cave. Of course, the Mexican bandit is a bloodthirsty bastard so his band opens fire. Jonah leaps out of the cave, kills a couple of bandits and then drags Turnbull back into the cave, but not without getting a slug in the right thigh first.

Later that night, Hart & Mei Ling are having dinner in town. J.D. is telling his life story, but Mei Ling doesn't want to hear about the guns. Hart reasons with her, telling her that guns aren't evil, they are a tool to be used.

Back in the cave, Jonah has fallen asleep and Turnbull has finally figured a way to make his escape. He will use the derringer in his pocket to kill Hex and then drag the body into the open, proving that he sides with Papagayo. Just as Turnbull is about to pull the trigger, several Mexicans show up at the mouth of the cave and Turnbull shoots at them while shouting for Hex to wake up. Jonah wakes up and kills two of the three men.

Back in town, it is after dinner and J.D & Mei Ling are getting closer under the gaze of the moon.

At the cave, Jonah has rescued the injured Mexican (the one Turnbull shot) and is going to use him as a human shield. Jonah holds a pistol to the man's head and all three of them make their way out to the buggy. They climb into the buggy, make their way around the avalanche and head out. Turnbull notices a letter in the seat that reads "Jonah Hex, my good friend, adios"


Up on the cliff, Papagayo asks a henchman for the field glasses, trains them on the buggy, and despite the bad focusing that the henchmen had put on the glasses, Papagayo is barely able to make out the dynamite strapped to the bottom of the buggy.

Of course, the dynamite goes off and the entire buggy is blown clear to hell.

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah - 4
Running total - 412
Jonah's Injuries - Shot in the right thigh
Timeline - This one takes place in one evening.

Despite the waste of pages up front, this was a good issue. It may have seemed like we were jumping from one character to the next, but it supplied a nice break between the scenes and allowed for the passage of time. Mei Ling and Hart are letting their hearts get entwined, Emmy is running away with a broken heart and if Jonah survives this, he will have a heck of a lot of surprises waiting for him!

Since Turnbull and Papagayo are teaming up in the current Jonah Hex run, it's nice to see that they weren't always so buddy buddy (and it also helps me to place the current story arc into the timeline as well). The cover is a nice one, with the huge shadow of the parrot giving a clue that El Papagayo lurks inside this issue.

Next Issue: A night on the town turns ugly, Hex & Turnbull kiss and make up, and we finally meet Zombie Papagayo!!! (just kidding on that last one!)

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Jonah Hex #78 "Man of Two Bloods!"


Jonah Hex #78 Nov 1983
"Man of Two Bloods!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Dick Ayers & Tony DeZuniga, art - Ross Andru & Pablo Marcos, cover

Jonah Hex is crouching on the roof of a hotel and inside, Head Rat Bastard Quentin Turnbull is having his thugs slap around Emmy Lou, trying to get a letter from her. Finally things escalate to the point where the thugs pull a knife and Turnbull starts to leave the room because violence makes him queasy.

Just then Jonah Hex comes crashing through the window and launches like a savage into the two thugs. While Jonah is dishing up the Whoop-Ass parfaits, Turnbull heads out the door and escapes. Suddenly a thug with a knife charges Jonah and ends up getting himself thrown out the window into the street. Rather than chase after Turnbull, Jonah turns his attention to Emmy.



Jonah tells Emmy that he has to retrieve the Governor's letter and that she is to go to the next town to the south and wait for him. Emmy agrees to follow his orders.

The next morning, Warden Davies is having a tough time explaining to reporters how a dead Jonah Hex can be responsible for the murder of the Governor.

Meanwhile, fifty miles away, three men hold up a bank, murdering several folks along the way, and then ride off. After a short time they come to a place in the road where a huge herd of goats are blocking the road. They shout at the skew-eyed hayseed herding the goats but he is hard of hearing and can't understand what they want. As the thieves come closer the hayseed quickly draws a pistol from his hat and shoots the ringleader. Suddenly gunfire erupts from a nearby haystack, killing the other two bandits.

With a hearty hyuk hyuk hyuk, Wilbur climbs from the haystack and congratulates his brother Homer on how smart they were to wait on the only road coming from Carterville in order to collect the bounty on these bandits.

Meanwhile, Jonah is on his way to retrieve the Gov Phelps letter but he suddenly comes upon over a dozen Indian women & children massacred in a river. On the riverbank he finds a young Indian boy, barely surviving his wounds. Jonah gives the boy some water and the boy says "white....men..." before passing out.

Several hours later, Wilbur & Homer are collecting the bounty for the bank robbers in the local sheriff's office. They spy the wanted poster for Jonah Hex and decide to earn a quick 10 grand.

The local deputy confides in the sheriff that he can't see how these two homely hayseeds can shoot anyone properly, but the sheriff explains that they are probably the most deadly bushwhackers in the entire west.

Several hundred miles away, Mei Ling is working in the garden with Jason by her side. Just then J.D. Hart rides up. Hart visits with Mei Ling and comments on how Jason is. Mei Ling comments that Jason is nearly two now (with the Hex wedding being in 1875 that would place this in 1878, which lines up with my calculations for last issue). Hart mentions that Jonah is in a lot of trouble and he is going to try to help Jonah get this mess cleared up.

Several nights later we find Jonah sitting near a campfire with the young Indian boy. The boy, Little Raven, is the son of the chief, and has the manners of a brat. He gobbles down all the food and leaves none for Jonah. He states that he is 12 and that he plans on avenging his tribes death and that Jonah will help him.

The next morning has Homer & Wilbur coming across the massacre site as well. They notice that one of the horse prints has a shaky left shoe, just like that describes by a rancher that claimed to have had his horse stolen by Hex. The brothers are now on Hex's trail.

Several hours later, Jonah and Little Raven are on a hill overlooking a camp of buffalo hunters. The hunters are poaching buffalo on Ojibwa (Chippewa) land. That is probably the reason for the massacre, the Indians stumbled onto the poaching activities. Anyway, there are 9 hunters and before Jonah can concoct a plan, Little Raven runs down the hill and sneaks up to the buffalo hunters wagon. He reaches in and grabs a barrel of gunpowder and starts leaving a trail of gunpowder along the ground.

The hunters see him and Jonah has to provide cover fire for Little Raven. The Indian finally tosses the barrel aside and heads for the hills, allowing Jonah to make the shot of the century, hitting the metal rim on the barrel, sparking the gunpowder and igniting the trail until it heads back to the wagon and explodes all the dynamite contained therein (because all buffalo hunters carry dynamite.)

Eventually, Jonah gets Little Raven back to his tribe and late that night, the chief performs a sacred ceremony making Jonah & Little Raven blood brothers. The chief bestows a new name on Little Raven. He is now Man of Two Bloods.

The next morning, Jonah continues on his way to get the letter when he comes across Homer standing in the road. Homer says that his canteen sprung a leak and asks for a drink from Jonah's. Jonah starts to oblige and we see the barrel of a rifle slide out from behind a rock and hear the thought balloon of hyuk hyuk hyuk.

Statistics for this Issue:
Men Killed by Jonah: 1 buffalo hunter shot & 8 blown to hell.
Running Total: 407
Jonah's Injuries: none this issue
Timeline: In keeping with last issue, this one happens in April of 1878. This is also supported by Mei Ling's statement of Jason being nearly two. This issue covers about a week.

The action just keeps coming from here on out. In this issue we have:
  • Jonah fighting Turnbull.
  • Jonah trying to get the Phelps letter.
  • An introduction of two bounty hunters trailing Jonah.
  • A side story of the young Indian boy.
  • The return of J.D. Hart
There was no real climax to this issue, just ongoing action and more plot developments.

Wilbur & Homer are two poor characters, what with the hyuk hyuk and the wandering eye (a la Jack Elam). J.D. Hart has changed from wearing tan buckskins and having dark hair to being blond and wearing blue buckskins. The plot with Little Raven is fairly close to the storyline with Little Fawn way back in WWT #12.

Can't give this issue a big thumbs up, but it sure had a lot packed into it.

Next Issue: Everybody gets what they deserve. (It's about time!)

Monday, June 29, 2009

Jonah Hex #79 "Duel in the Sand!"


Jonah Hex #79 Dec. 1983
"Duel in the Sand!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Dick Ayers & Tony DeZuniga, art - Ross Andru & Dick Giordano, cover

Jonah stops to offer a stranger a drink from his canteen, unaware that he has been set up by Homer & Wilbur so they can collect the bounty on the head of Jonah Hex. Jonah hears the click of the rifle pointed at his back and he starts to dodge but isn't quick enough. He takes a bullet in the side as he dives from his horse. Jonah swiftly draws his pistol and shoots Homer right between the eyes.

Wilbur opens fire and Jonah is barely able to mount his horse and ride off. Wilbur comes out of hiding and runs to his brother. But sadly, his brother has been shot dead center between the eyes, so he is only able to get out two whole sentences before he expires. Wilbur is racked with grief over his brother's death and vows to make Jonah Hex pay for what has happened.

Meanwhile, back at the state pen, Quentin Turnbull is riding roughshod over Warden Davies, berating him for allowing Jonah Hex to escape prison. Davies points out that even if Jonah gets the letter from the late Gov. Phelps, they can still frame Jonah for the murder of Phelps.

Several hours later, Jonah, wounded, is riding across the desert with Wilbur dogging his trail. Sadly for Jonah, Wilbur has a Sharps 74 long rifle (with a range of 500 yards) against Jonah's 30.06. Wilbur lets Jonah sweat it out under the desert sun and at just the right time Wilbur shoots the horse out from under Hex. Jonah gets tossed into the sand and ends up having to finish off his horse. He grabs his canteen and starts walking.

Meanwhile, Emmy Lou is trying to figure out where Jonah has gone since he left a week ago and she just keeps getting madder & madder.

Back in the desert, Wilbur is conserving his canteen of water and gets the bright idea to relieve Jonah of his supply. Wilbur takes careful aim and just as Jonah is getting a drink, he drills a hole right through that canteen. Jonah claws madly at the sand as his water seeps through his fingers. From a rocky outcrop, Wilbur shouts that he is going to watch Jonah die a slow death. Hex grabs his pistol and fires, but the bullets fall far shy of their target.

Elsewhere, J D Hart has located the body of Homer. He knows of Wilbur & Homer and figures that this is some of Jonah's handiwork. JD realizes that he needs to hurry up not just for Jonah's sake, but Mei Ling's as well.

While the time has passed, a sandstorm has picked up, blocking out the sun and pelting Jonah with stinging sand. Staggering through the blasting sand, Jonah comes upon a water hole. He drops down and starts to drink when he sees the sign indicating that the hole is poisoned. In a wild rage, Jonah grabs the sign, breaks it in half, tosses it amidst the storm and then curses God Himself.

Meanwhile, Mei Ling is lighting candles and praying for the safety of Jonah Hex.

The storm has abated as swiftly as it started and Jonah is crawling across the cracked desert floor. He is begging for water when he hears the voice of his father, Woodson, berating Ginny for giving him such a spineless son. Ginny starts crying about how she has failed her husband and Woodson blames all of his drinking upon his tramp of a wife and his worthless son.

Jonah starts shouting at the hallucination, telling his mother that he can stand on his own two feet and with a strength from center of his being, Jonah Hex stands up in the desert and struggles on.

Meanwhile (yup, we're gonna check up on everyone here), Quentin Turnbull is dining as best he can in a western town. He gloats that Jonah Hex will soon be destroyed and that he can return to his own business. Turnbull makes mention of advising President Grant on inflation and debt (placing this, at the latest, between Jan 1877 & March 4th, 1877) .

Back in the desert, Wilbur is starting to suffer the effects of the sun as well. He has reached the last of his water, following Jonah Hex in the circles of his wandering. Wilbur comes over a rise and finds Jonah Hex dead, next to a watering hole. Wilbur starts laughing at the irony of Hex being dead just inches from water and he starts gulping down the liquid. Suddenly he realizes how foul the water tastes and he starst getting cramps. That is when he sees the remnants of the shattered Poison sign. Wilbur curses Hex for having killed him and then collapses next to Jonah.

The vultures descend to start their feast when suddenly JD Hart runs up, guns blazing...

Statistics for this Issue
Men Killed by Jonah - I can't really give credit to Jonah for the death of Wilbur, but he nailed Homer a good one. 1
Running Total - 408
Jonah's Injuries - Shot in the right side, heatstroke
Timeline - This one happens all in one day and despite the reference to President Grant, I'll still place this one in April 1878 (maybe Grant still needed financial advice even after he was out of office.

From the great cinematic cover to the full page end, this one was one hell of a roller coaster ride. Fleisher kept the suspense up just enough by cutting back to the supporting cast and when Jonah finally had to confront the vision of his dad, it wasn't overly melodramatic, it was just right. Jonah was in a situation where nothing could save him except for his own determination not to die.

The only downside to the story was the length that Homer was able to converse after being shot square between the eyes.

The poisoned water hole had been used once before, but that was by Albano ten years prior. All in all, one of the best stories there was.

Next Issue: Explosions! Electrocutions! Snake Bites! Dehydration! Cheating Hearts!