Jonah Hex #2 Vol 1 "The Lair of the Parrot"

Jonah Hex #2 May-June 1977
"The Lair of the Parrot"
Michael Fleisher, story - Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, art & cover

Wyandott, Texas, a small town on the Mexican border marks a turning point in the saga of Jonah Hex. Hex had pretty much been a "done in one" type guy except for a few story arcs here & there (The Point Pyhrrus story, the Fort Charlotte Massacre with Mr. Turnbull, the two stories with Joe Bigfoot). For the most part you read a Hex story & not really need to read any of the others to get the flavor of the man. I'm not sure what initaied or allowed the change to an ongoing story line. I'm assuming that since Jonah had his own book, DC was trying to increase sales.

Anyway, the story begins with Jonah minding his own business in a bar in Wyandott. A store owner leads Sherifff Baxter and two deputies into the bar & accuses Jonah of holding up his store. Baxter tells Jonah to unhook his gunbelt and come along quietly. Jonah tells the sheriff that he just got into town 15 minutes ago and then "Tiny", the deputy punches Jonah in the face, punches him in the gut, breaks a chair over his head and then drags him out of the bar & into the jail. Jonah gets awakened in jail with a bucket of cold water and is surrounded by Baxter, his two deputies and Ned Landon, a special agent for the U.S. Secret Service.

Landon explains that the US government needs Jonah's help & they are willing to drop the fake charges they drummed up to get him into the sheriff's office. Jonah turns down the big-hearted offer and then the negotiating commences:


Landon explains that a Mexican bandit leader, El Papagayo, is holed up in the canyons around Villa Rojo. For three years his band has been robbing everything in sight and has convinced the Mexican people that he is interested in overthrowing President Porfirio Diaz . The US has to stop him, but can't do it openly. Landon wants Hex to join El Papyago's gang, learn what his plans are and then report back. Hex will be taking two cases of "the U.S.Army's most modern repeating rifles" to sell to the bandit. Landon will put out a story that the rifles were stolen, lending credence to Hex's story. Hex takes the job, telling Landon to keep the $10 g's warm.

After Jonah leaves, Landon walks back into the sheriff's office and thanks everyone for their help, pulls a pistol and shoots all three of the men dead. Quietly walking out into the night, Landon tips his hat & leaves.

Ten days later, the buckboard that Landon gave Jonah is winding it's way through the Villa Rojo canyon. Two of El Papyago's guards spy the buckboard & fill the driver with lead. Running down the canyon they discover that all they shot was Jonah's clothes tuffed with straw & Jonah is standing behind them in his longjohns, both guns drawn. Shortly thereafter, Jonah drives the buckboard right into the camp of El Papagayo.

Papagayo congratulates Jonah for finding his hideout without developing "lead poisoning". Jonah mentions that he had good guides and uncovers the two guards who are under the tarp in the back of the buckboard. The guards start pleading with the bandit, saying that they were tricked. Papagayo admits that everyone makes mistakes and then shoots the first guard, stating that he must save his bullets for the upcoming revolution, he knifes the other guard in the chest. Papagayo turns his attention to Jonah and questions why Jonah is there.

Jonah breaks open a case of rifles, Winchester 74's, and tells Papagayo that he will sell them for $5 each. Papagayo mentions that is a good price, but Jonah has forgotten that he is surrounded by men. Papagayo orders his men to kill Jonah, but Hex quickly draws and guns down four men before they can return his fire. Papagayo has the dead men dragged away and then says that he & Hex can deal over dinner since the bandit is ready to pay $4 for each rifle. Jonah corrects Papagayo and says that he was asking for $7.50 from the start.

Later during dinner involving a lot of music, liquor, dancing & roast goat, one of Papagayo's men comes running up, explaining that the rifles are worthless, the firing pins have been removed. Papagayo pulls his pistol to kill Hex, but Jonah grabs a rifle and slams the rifle butt right into Papagayo's maracas. Then in one of the most badass things I have ever seen, he.. well, just look:

He throws the bandit leader into his own men and takes off. To get away he has to:

1. Stab the bandit guarding the horses. Check!
2. Steal the first horse he can find. Check!
3. Jump the horse over a nearby canyon while everyone shoots at him. Check!

Hex decides he needs to speak with Landon regarding those missing firing pins, so he heads back to Wyandott Texas.

About a week later, Jonah is riding back into town and everyone is whispering about how crazy he is to come back. Jonah goes to the sheriff's office & asks where Sheriff Baxter is. The new sheriff is holding Jonah at gunpoint and tells Jonah to remove his guns, he is wanted for the murder of Baxter & the two deputies. Suddenly a lynch mob bursts through the front door and Jonah, seeing the writing on the wall, jumps through a window, grabs his horse and rides out of town under a volley of gunfire. It's not for several hours that Jonah can stop and water his horse, but when he does he tries to figure out how to track down Landon.

The epilogue shows Landon riding up to a broken down barn. He walks into the darkened barn. A voice in the dark asks if the plan worked. Landon reports that it did, that hex bought everything, including the part about the Secret Service. The voice tells Landon that he has served his purpose and a gunshot drops Landon to the ground, dead. The last panel hints at the identity of the plots mastermind.

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah: 5 total (1 stabbed, 4 shot)
Running Total - 115
Jonah's injuries: Punched in the face, punched in the groin, & a chair over the head
Timeline - There are several things to consider:

1. Since Ned Landon states that he came all the way from Washington, that means that this story does NOT take place between 1870 & 1874, when the Secret Service HQ was located in New York City.
   
2. The mention of President Diaz would place this between November of 1876 & Nov of 1880, or between Nov 1884 & 1911. The later rule of Diaz would too late for this to be a Jonah hex tale, so we will place this between 1876 & 1880 (until we find out more later).
   
3. There is also the reference to Winchester '74s, presumable made in 1874 ,the '76 would have been the newest rifle available when Diaz was president. We can only assume that the DC universe was starting to deviate from our real history by this point.

This is another great story from Fleisher & Lopez with the beginning of an arc that will last for several issues. Introducing El Papagayo in a way that showed the bandit as ruthless was very well done. One real surprise this issue was a letter from Fred G Hembeck. I kid you not!

Next Week: The blind leading the blind & them damn pacifists!!!

Jonah Hex #4 "The Day of the Chameleon!"

Jonah Hex #4 Sept 1977
"The Day of the Chameleon!"
Michael Fleisher, story - Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, art - Luis Domiguez, cover

Jonah Hex goes monthly!! No more bi-monthly or eight times a year schedule. Monthly!!!! And we wade right into the continuing arc of the framed Hex. The story begins with a stagecoach roaring across west Texas. Inside is a couple on their honeymoon, a banker and an artist from a New York newspaper. Suddenly a masked gunman comes down the hill on horseback, shouting for the stage to stop. He steals everyone's wallets & jewelry and as he is getting ready to leave, his bandana slips. The banker shouts out that he knows this man, it's ..... BDOW BDOW!! He is gunned down in cold blood. The gunman rides off and the dying banker gasps with his dying breath "Jonah Hex......*"

Needless to say, there is some explaining to do and the story jumps right into that. There is a flashback to earlier that morning. We see a man in the woods applying makeup to his face so that he resembles Jonah Hex and he has a long running monologue about how he is an Adonis, the greatest actor of all, how he was jeered from the stage but know he shall only be known as ..... The Chameleon!! The Chameleon is lying in wait with a rifle and as Jonah comes around a bend, The Chameleon notes that the man from Virginia must have agents everywhere to be able to predict Jonah's whereabouts with such accuracy. Then he calmly pumps a rifle round into Jonah, knocking Hex off of his horse & into a shallow creek.

The Chameleon checks Jonah and notes that everything is going as planned and now he must make his appointment with the stage .... coach. The day passes and vultures gather around Jonah. A beautiful barefoot woman with a waterpail happens along and chases the vultures away. She finds that Jonah is still alive and she is able to help him walk to her cabin.

Later, after Jonah has been patched up (He currently has 3 bullet wounds), she introduces herself as Joanna Mosby. She tells Hex that she knows who he is, the papers all over Texas are full of the story of the murders. Jonah starts to tell her that he is innocent but she tells him that they shouldn't have any lies between them and them she starts putting the severe moves on the injured man. A knock on the door interrupts them.

Joanna hides Jonah behind a wooden screen before answering the door.

Outside is a wounded Confederate soldier, missing one leg and an eye, he asks for some bread & water to help him on his way. Joanna invites him in and as she is gathering some food for the old soldier, the vet pulls a flour sack from his coat and hides it in a wood bin. Joanna gives the man the food and some whiskey which he takes with relish and then he leaves. Once outside the old man throws away his crutch, unties his leg, throws down his clothes and runs off. He was the Chameleon!!!

A little while later in town at the sheriff's office and old prospector comes sauntering in and explains that he was out by the Mosby place and saw a scar faced man in her cabin. The sheriff tells the prospector to stick around, he could get part of the reward but the old coot takes off because he is The Chameleon!

Back at the Mosby cabin we are treated to this scene as Jonah gets ready to head out. Joanna begs Hex to stay for his own good. When he won't listen to reason, she asks to be taken with him. A shout from outside signals the sheriff's intent to take Hex in. Joanna opens the door & tells the sheriff that she is by herself. The sheriff & his men barge in, one of them searching the woodbox to find the stolen loot from the stagecoach. One of the men notices a pair of boots sticking out from behind a wooden screen. The sheriff opens fire through the screen and we are treated to an outside shot of the cabin where Jonah is pulling himself up through the chimney onto the roof. He then jumps off, delivering a massive kick to the head of the deputy assigned to guard the outside of the cabin.

Jonah ends up riding off once again to save his hide. For six days & nights Jonah continues his search for Ned Landon until he finally finds his way to a deserted barn on the outskirts of Wyandott, Texas. He kicks the door open and sees Landon hanging from the rafters. A voice from the darkness causes Jonah to wheel around to confront Quentin Turnbull who had obviously recovered from the pitchfork accident the last time they met.

Turnbull assures Hex that Landon is only being hung in effigy for effect. He then outlines his plan to destroy Jonah for revenge for the death of his son. He hired Landon to trick Jonah to go to Mexico to face El Papagayo and Landon also commited the murders that Jonah is accused of. Turnbull had to kill Landon because he knew that Jonah would have hunted him down & made him talk. But now, Turnbull has hired the Chameleon and he is like having 100 men. Jonah is confused about Turnbull's ramblings.

Turnbull ignores him and notes that he wishes he could see Hex & The Chameleon!!! battle it out and it is such a pity that the flozzy will also have to die. Jonah leaps at Turnbull but the faithfull butler Solomon steps behind Hex and cranks him in the skull with a shovel. Hours pass and Jonah finally comes to, but Turnbull & Solomon are gone.

MEANWHILE!!! in town, the artist that was on the stagecoach is showing a sketch that he made of the man who held up the stage. The sheriff remarks that something strange is going on.

Jonah makes his way back to the Mosby cabin and as he is trying to get Joanna to leave with him, The Chameleon!!!, dress as Jonah steps from behind the wooden screen, with his pistol drawn. Jonah throws a water pitcher at him and knocks him out. As he crouches to pull off the makeup, Joanna smashes Jonah over the head with a large platter. Jonah comes to and Joanna has just finished tying him up. The Chameleon states that since Joanna has seen his real face she must die as well and ties her to a chair next to Jonah. The Chameleon!!! proceeds to set the cabin on fire and what happens next is one of the most bad-@$$ things I have ever seen in a comic. To explain would take to much & not do it justice. Just look & marvel. Surely this deserves the notice of the High Connoisseur of Head Kicking.

Joanna manages to get the knife from Jonah's collar and they burst out of the cabin as it collapses in flames. Joanna begs Jonah for forgiveness because she didn't know she would fall in love with him. She wraps her arms around his neck and reaches up to kiss Jonah and Jonah responds.

God, how I love this comic!!!!!



Jonah rides off and later the sheriff arrives, wondering what happened to the cabin. Joanna explains that it was a bacon grease fire. The sheriff wanted to tell Joanna that Hex didn't commit the robbery. The artist sketch showed that the scars on the bandit's face were on the left side of the face but Jonah's are on the right, so Jonah was framed. Joanna tells them that the man who robbed the stage is in the smoldering remains of her cabin, obviously dead.

Statistics for this issue
Men killed by Jonah: Are you ready? Zero.

Running Total - 125
Jonah's Injuries: Shot in the right shoulder, hit with a shovel, hit with a metal platter.
Timeline: ooooo, I'll actually have to come back to this & write a whole disertation on this.

Growing up I loved this issue and I think it had everything to do with Lopez and his rendition of Joanna Mosby. I remember hoping beyond hope that I would one day encounter a woman that looked like Joanna. I never did and it's probably a good thing too, because I don't go much for getting hit with things on my head. I also enjoyed the story thirty years ago. Now?

The things that are wrong with this story are the omnipresence that Turnbull has with "agents everywhere", the super-villian basis of The Chameleon!!!, the hokey wording of the monologues, Turnbull wanting to destroy Hex (why not just kill him), The Chameleon dressing up to hide the loot in the Mosby cabin when Joanna could have done it herself. There were tons of logic flaws that were only there to heighten the suspense & the drama.

The good things? Jonah responses to Joanna, all of his responses. I think that this was one of the most sensuous comics I have ever owned. The Lopez art and the colors really were top notch, heck I want to scan the whole book for you but I think that you should go buy it. Tell ya what, I have an extra copy (without cover) that I will GIVE to the first person to correctly guess the person shown in the next RINGSIDE!!!


NEXT ISSUE: A deadline missed, A flashback, & Jonah Hex vs Lee Marvin!

Jonah Hex #16 "The Wyandott Verdict!"

Jonah Hex #16 Sept. 1978
"The Wyandott Verdict!"
Michael Fleisher - story, Vincente Alcazar - art, Rich Buckler & Frank Giacoia, cover

Michael Fleisher is back in the saddle right from the start of the DC EXPLOSION with a 25 page story to finish out the framed Jonah storyline. Diving right into the action, Jonah's horse has fallen and broken it's leg, putting Jonah on foot trying to outrun a posse of vigilantes, set on hanging him. Jonah manages to make it to a cave and he starts looking for a back way out.

Outside the posse already knows about the exit and they send a couple of men there to light brush on fir and toss it into the cave. Jonah finds the exit, but gunfire prevents him from escaping and soon the cave is filled with smoke from the brushfires. Jonah runs out, coughing for air, and the posse nab him, tie him, beat him and then commence with hanging him. They explain that they aren't interested in justice or the reward since they knew the men that Jonah is accused of murdering. They place Jonah on a hrose, put a noose around his neck and slap the horse's behind, causing the horse to take off and leave Jonah dangling from the tree. The posse, their work done, leave Jonah twitching and dancing at the end of the rope.

Nearby, there is a man in some bushes, watching the entire scene. To quote the thoughts of the mystery man "N-no! H-He can't die! He can't! Not after all I've endured! N-Not after all I've suffered! For months I've dogged his footsteps..stood within inches of him when he least suspected it ... all the while crafting a retribution worthy of my greatness! And now to see him hanging there, gasping his life away, snatched from my grasp by a bunch of brutal vigilantes! It's more than I can.."

It is my humble opinion that is Fleisher took several months off to craft this wrapup of Framed Jonah, he should have taken another day or two to trim out some of the melodrama. But, this is the DC EXPLOSION and they have pages to fill. That little speech took up three panels.

Back to the story where we find two men trying to save Jonah. A black man, Joseph, is in the tree trying to cut the rope, while an elderly white man, Tobia Nostrum, is trying to hold Jonah up to keep him from hanging. Together they get Jonah down and loaded into their wagon. Nostrum keeps insisting that no matter what a man has done, he is entitled to a fair trial and not a hanging by vigilantes. As they ride off, the mystery man in the bushes is elated. They have saved Jonah Hex, they have saved him for .... WAIT, the mystery man won't say his own name out loud because SOMEONE COULD BE LISTENING!! Do we actually have the fourth wall in a Jonah Hex story????

Jonah awakens in the cabin of Tobias Nostrum. Nostrum makes introductions all around and states that he knows who Jonah is and that he is wanted in nearby Wyandot. Nostrum assures Jonah that they have taken every precaution by removing the bullets from Jonah's guns. Nostrum believes that criminals should be brought to justice via science and not by mobs. Jonah protests his innocence and Nostrum is fascinated at the prospect that Jonah could have been framed.

Joseph goes out into the night to get some firewood, but he is suddenly attacked from behind and a knife is thrust into his heart. The attacker drags Josephs body into the brush and shortly we see the killer head to the cabin. Inside, Nostrum is explaining concepts of fingerprinting and ballistics, saying that he can possibly use these to determine who framed Jonah. Joseph comes back in with the firewood (!?!?!?) Nostrum decides that to compare ballistic patterns they will have to exhume the bodies, so they head out in the night to rob graves.

Several hours later, Jonah, Nostrum, and Joseph are in a cabin by the cemetery. They have a corpse on a table and Nostrum tells Joseph to stand guard outside. Outside, joseph's speech patterns change from the stereotypical to mimic the mysterious man in the bush that saw Jonah hanged. 'Joseph' unhooks the horse from the wagon and heads off.

In Wyandott, the sheriff is cleaning his rifle when there is a knock on the door. A young woman, a saloon girl, comes in and explains to the sheriff that she has seen Jonah Hex at the cemetery. the sheriff keeps trying to put the moves on her, but she manages to get away, and as she runs down an alley, we learn that she is the 'mystery man' (Holy Crying Game!!) .

Meanwhile, back at the grave-robbin'... Jonah hears something outside the small cabin that he & Nostrum are working in. Jonah goes outside to check on the noise and comes face to face with the sheriff and a posse with their guns drawn. Several days later (lets say 10) a couple of men are working on the scaffolding that the town will use to hang Jonah, after his fair trial, that is. And of course they are working on it right outside Jonah's jail cell.

In the jail, Jonah gets a visit from Nostrum. Nostrum has good news. The bullets that he dug out of the three corpses came from a single action Smith & Wesson pocket .38, a small inaccurate gun that a gunfighter would never use (and of course doesn't match Jonah's .45 Colt Peacemakers). But Nostrum went even farther. He traveled to the barn that Jonah had told him about and dug up Ned Landon, finding a .38 and was able to ID it as the murder weapon using ballistics. Nostrum has written it all down in a report and will present it at Jonah's trial tomorrow.

QUICK CUT!!! to The Man with the Eagle Topped Cane reading a newspaper about Jonah going to trial tomorrow in Texas. This man (who is, of course, Quentin Turnbull) has his identity hidden from us. Why? Probably because the last time we saw him identified was 11 issues ago and Fleisher assumes that everyone has forgotten. This gives a sloppy feel (at least to followers of Jonah) when Fleisher tries to generate suspense from something that has already been revealed and is also a major factor in the story. But I digress...

Quentin Turnbull is reading the paper, sees an article about Jonah on trial and the fact that Nostrum is going to testify on Jonah's behalf. Turnbull summons Solomon and instructs him to contact the Wilson boys, there is a job for them.

The next day Wyandott is packed to the gills with people as folks from all over try to squeeze into Gleason's Saloon to see the trial. Down the street at the Wyandott Hotel a man that looks like Nostrum picks the lock on the door to Nostrum's room. He ponders to himself about destroying the evidence. As he is ransacking the room, the real Nostrum comes in. The imposter stabs him and stuffs the body under the bed.

Shortly thereafter, 'Nostrum' appears before the court and is sworn in to testify. Back at the hotel, the Wilson boys (3, count 'em, 3 Wilson boys) point a pistol at the hotel clerk demanding to know where Nostrum's room is. The clerk informs them about the trial down the street. Brian (the ringleader), Bill (the whiner), and Alnert (who wears a bowler ?!?!?) all head down to the saloon to earn their money.

The defense attorney is asking 'Nostrum' the first question when the Wilson boys storm in, guns drawn, demanding to know who & where Nostrum is. 'Nostrum' reacts with a gasp, giving away his position and before the Wilson's can open fire, Jonah, in handcuffs, jumps up and headbutts Brian Wilson, then knees him in the crotch, dives to the floor to grab the dropped pistol and then rolling across the floor of the saloon, guns down Bill & Albert.

The judge is furious and eventually the trial gets back underway. 'Nostrum' begins his testimony by saying that the evidence proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jonah Hex killed all three men. The defense starts to protest when the real Nostrum, bleeding, staggers into the courtroom, states that Jonah is innocent and produces the notebook of evidence proving Jonah's innocence, then he drops dead.

The judge turns to 'Nostrum', demanding to know what is going on. 'Nostrum' then identifies himself as The Chameleon, master thespian!!! He rips off his mask, showing his horribly burned face. Still ranting at the top of his lungs, he states that he is about to shoot Jonah when STABIFICATION!!!, Jonah throws his knife right into Chammy's chest.

The judge declares Jonah innocent and demands that he be released. As Jonah rides out of town, the two men building the gallows start griping that they never got to use it and some days it don't pay to get out of bed.

Statistics for this issue

Men killed by Jonah - 3, two of the Wilson boys and the Chameleon

Running Total - 167

Jonah's injuries - None

Timeline - This wraps up the Hex, Fugitive saga so this is around 1877 or so.

Fleisher really tried to pack a lot into this 25 page saga. Did I like it? At times I really enjoyed it, the Chameleon, Turnbull hiring thugs on a moments notice, and the scientist on the cusp of CSI gives this story a Wild Wild West feel. Depending on my mood, that can be a good thing or a bad thing. So much time was spent on the Chameleon's impersonations that the ending felt rushed, even though it was a little funny. The last few panels went like this:

Rant rant rant rant REVEAL rant rant STABIFICATION!!!!! Release.

Next issue - The DC EXPLOSION continues as Jonah heads east, gets hoodwinked and then the cannibals show up.

Jonah Hex movie news - Interviews with About.com

These three quick interviews at Comic Con with About.com are pretty good.

First is Josh Brolin: He makes mention of the 3 incarnations of Jonah Hex with one looking like "a 70's porn star", no doubt a reference to the futuristic Hex book.

Next is Michael Fassbender: Interviewer Rebecca Murray asks if he drew any inspiration from the books. He doesn't (probably since his character, Burke, doesn't appear in any books) but makes mention of a bowler. The most prominant bowler wearer was Ned Landon.

Finally is Jimmy Hayward & Megan Fox: Hayward is revealing himself as a fan of the book and this bodes well for the movie. Megan? Well, I've never seen a film with her in it and every interview she is saying the same thing over & over & over & over again. Here, I'm not so impressed.