Weekly Wonderous Moment In Comics #55

Back to Doom Patrol #101. Seems like the Chief is beaming happy thoughts into the head of Madame Rouge (a woman who has stretching powers) so that she won't be evil anymore, however The Brain is beaming evil thoughts into her head at the same time. Madame Rouge is being overcome by the thoughtwave overload pounding her brain and she eventually splits into two different Madame Rouges and they start fighting, leading to this full page nightmare.


Yup, full page nightmare! Just in time for Halloween.

Comics Cavalcade Calendar #13

Time once again to delve into the history of the best comics never published, Daily Happy Comics. This scan comes from the Bronze Age of DH Comics during one of the annual interdimensional teamup stories.


Billy "Snaps" Thompson, while impersonating Kid Tornado, dies at the hands of the 3-Demon

Squadron Royale Annual #27, June 1976

House Ads #27 Jerry Lewis & Tomahawk

These are two books that I love (not these issues, but the titles). Jerry Lewis drawn by Bob Oskner was beautiful and hilarious. Tomahawk was the original Weird Western even though it was actually an Eastern (taking place during the Revolutionary War). Can't wait until these are republished in Showcase Presents.

Weird Western Tales returns...!

... but only for one issue, #71. This is from Dan Didio himself:

We're having a lot fun seeing the fans reacting so intensely to how, in Blackest Night, we're bringing all these lost characters back from the dead. So we've decided to expand what rises from the dead by bringing eight titles back from the dead.

In the month of January, you're going to see eight old series come back for one more issue, picking up the next number following that cancellation.

And the books that we'll be seeing are The Power of Shazam! #48, The Question #37, Suicide Squad #67, Phantom Stranger #42, Catwoman #83, The Atom and Hawkman #46, Weird Western Tales #71, and a very special Starman #81.

Even though these stories are picking up from a numbering of a canceled series, are actually taking place right now in today's continuity, and are completely tied to Blackest Night. They are our Blackest Night event books, but we're just returning the titles from the dead. So, we're not exactly picking up where the stories left off; we're actually picking up right in the middle of the action of Blackest Night.

I get a chance to reintroduce a lot of the Old West characters into the current – into the "New West," so to speak. So we get a chance to see Black Lantern interpretations of Bat Lash, Super Chief, Firehair, and of course, Jonah Hex.

Yup, Dan is writing the issue himself. I think that this may restart the movie-zombie rumors & I would rather see Scalphunter than Super Chief

Jonah Hex Graphic Novel official!!

No Way Back is the title of the first Jonah Hex graphic novel. With the premise promised, I would have to agree that the title fits. From the DC blog:

You’ve heard rumblings here and there, but we’re happy to put the “official” stamp on this one. Next year, Warner Bros. Pictures will release the major motion picture JONAH HEX, starring Josh Brolin in the title role, along with Megan Fox and John Malkovich. To celebrate the release of the feature film DC will simultaneously unveil an original JONAH HEX graphic novel, created by the acclaimed JONAH HEX writing team of Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti paired with legendary HEX artist Tony DeZuniga.

We cornered the writing team for their thoughts on the news. Take it away, guys:

“Jonah Hex has a brother,” Gray revealed. “That’s the idea that came up decades earlier in discussions between writer John Albano and Tony DeZuniga. Tony casually mentioned this to us and that idea has been brought to life in the hardcover. Bold, brazen violent and surprisingly tender, this is the consummate tale of the Wild West’s greatest bounty hunter.”

“This is the first all original Jonah Hex graphic novel and a dream project for us,” Palmiotti said. “Jonah is one of the coolest and most unique characters we have ever had the pleasure to work on. He’s an icon for all ages and his untamed manner appeals, on a visceral gut level, to just about everyone who reads it. In this, Hex’s first original graphic novel, we unleash the beast like you have never seen before.”

The OGN, titled JONAH HEX: NO WAY BACK, will hit in May, clock in at 136 pages and retail for $19.99.

Sounds like one helluva book!!

Jonah Hex #85 "Behold the Gray Ghost"

Jonah Hex #85 June 1984
"Behold the Gray Ghost"
Michael Fleisher, story - Tony DeZuniga, art - Ed Hannigan & Tony DeZuniga, cover

Well, this story has no exclamation point in the title, so you know something is wrong! What's wrong is that Jonah Hex has gone bi-monthly with this issue and it is also the 100th Jonah Hex story penned by Michael Fleisher. So what happens in this bitter-sweet issue?

For starters a bunch of guys in Confederate outfits are burning Jonah Hex in effigy, shouting death to the traitor, Jonah Hex. But then they come to their senses & realize that they'll probably never have revenge on Hex. Just then Quentin Turnbull emerges from the shadows, chastising them for being so spineless. He has actually done something about Hex. Turnbull has hired the Gray Ghost!!!!

Several days later we get our first glimpse of the Ghost as we are witness to a wedding that is rudely interrupted by a hooded Confederate officer. The Ghost claims that the groom betrayed Confederate troop movements and that the Ghost will carry out the death sentence. The Ghost draws his pistol and shoots the groom right in the middle of the service. The Ghost backs out of the doors and hightails it but the men inside are unable to give chase because the doors were blocked.

When they finally bust out of the church they spy an older gentleman and ask if he saw the Ghost ride off. The old man points them out of town and the posse mounts up and heads out as the old gentleman gets on his horse and rides the opposite direction literally whistling Dixie.

Needless to say, the posse doesn't find the Ghost (because he was the old gentleman) and the posse start asking the sheriff if he knows who the Gray Ghost is. The sheriff replies that all he knows is that Ghost was a Confederate officer whose family was butchered during Sherman's March to the Sea (late 1864). When Gen. Lee surrendered, the Ghost didn't, he continued slaughtering Union soldiers and kill former Confederates on a list that he made of traitors to the South.

A week later, on the outskirts of New Orleans, Adrian and Jonah Hex are getting ready for a dinner party. Jonah is looking pretty dapper in formal dinner attire, but he ain't none too happy about it. It's only been two weeks since he met Adrian and they have been living in her Grandma's former house. Adrian puts a liplock on Jonah and as they get ready to leave they encounter Clifford, Adrian's former fiance.

Clifford, berated throughout all of New Orleans, is there to win his honor back and he pulls a pistol on Jonah. In one swift move, Jonah disarms Clifford, breaks his arm and then throws him out the door like last weeks trash.


Elsewhere, Brett and his two female cohorts have decided to let Emmy Lou out of the closet where they have imprisoned her. She can stay out on one condition, she help rob their next bank. She refuses but quickly changes her tune when they start to shove her back into the closet.

Several hours later, Jonah Hex and Adrian are returning home from the dinner party, via a fancy buggy. They happen upon an old gentleman carrying a small bag & a saddle. The man explains that his horse stumbled and broke a leg and he asks for a ride. Jonah & Adrian oblige. During the ride, Adrian learns that the man's name is Gray but suddenly a shot rings out and a bullet grazes Gray's scalp, knocking him unconscious.

There are three men on a hilltop taking potshots at the buggy. Jonah hands the reins to Adrian, grabs his rifle and quickly sends one of the men to his final reward. Jonah manages to wing another in the leg before they hightail it off into the darkness.

Adrian checks on Mr. Gray and finds that he is alive and offers to take Gray to her house to help him recover from his wound. Back at the house, Adrian does a fine job of doctoring Gray and she tells him to spend the night in an upstairs bedroom.

Back in town, Clifford is disgusted to learn that the three men he hired to kill Jonah Hex not only failed, but killed an innocent man in the bargain (Mr. Gray). The two thugs tell Clifford to shut up and get ready with the ten thousand dollars they were promised because they are going to finish the job tonight.

The next morning at Adrian's house, Jonah is in bed and Adrian is already up when she decides to check in on Mr. Gray to see if he needs anything. What she doesn't know is that Mr. Gray has donned the garb of the Gray Ghost and is getting ready to carry out Turnbull's orders to kill Jonah Hex. Adrian walks into Gray's room and sees the Gray Ghost. He tells her to be quiet because he has never harmed an innocent but she scream out for Jonah.

Jonah hears the gunshot and leaps out of bed and heads for the stairs. The Ghost is standing over the body of Adrian and vows to make Jonah Hex pay for Adrian's life (he has some serious issues with responsibility!). Jonah shouts from the bottom of the stairs that he has found the death warrant that the Ghost had for Jonah and Jonah & the Ghost end up in a Mexican standoff at the top and bottom of the stairs.

The Ghost realizes that he can't kill Jonah, at least not tonight, and decides to cut and run by bailing out a second story window. Just as he is getting ready to vault off the balcony, who should show up but Clifford's goons. They spot a Confederate figure on the balcony and open fire, knocking the Ghost to his death.



Jonah heads up the stairs and finds that Adrian is only wounded. The next day, the local doctor tends to Adrian's wounds and states that in a month or two she will be fine. When Jonah questions the doc about the Ghost, the doc stammers that the Ghost died while the doc was attempting to dig out the bullets.

As the doc heads away from the mansion, he is stopped on the road by the Gray Ghost. The Ghost thanks the doc for patching him up and telling Hex that he is dead, then hands over a fat wad of bills. The Ghost and the doc go their separate ways.

Statistics for the Issue
Men killed by Jonah - 1
Running Total - 417
Jonah's Injuries - none
Timeline - This one must start right after last issue. It takes 'several days' from the start of the story before we are introduced to the Gray Ghost and then it is the 'following week' that Clifford gets his arm broken. I will place this finishing up around the middle to end of June, 1878.

Adrian is one heck of a woman. Last issue she kills a guy, this issue she smirks as her former fiance gets his arm broken, she takes a bullet and is still going. She's fairly bossy, dragging Jonah all around New Orleans; fairly spoiled, partying non-stop; and completely into the scar-faced bounty hunter.

I laughed at the start when the Fort Charlotte brigade realized they are a bunch of losers! The ending seems fairly rushed with Jonah finding the death warrant that the Ghost dropped and Adrian surviving her gunshot wound. But we now have another lunatic hunting down Jonah Hex. And I'm sure that we'll be seeing more of him.

One last thing, do you like Jonah Hex all fancied up?



Or ready for......?


Next Issue: Emmy Lou in a bank robbery gone bad, the Gray Ghost returns, and Jonah Hex visits a pastry bar!!!

Weekly Wonderous Moment In Comics #54

I picked up a copy of the original Doom Patrol at a thrift store a few weeks ago. As twisted and fantastic as the main story was, even better was the backup tale.

It was part of a multi-parter explaining the history of Beast Boy (Gar Logan) and how he was kidnapped as a child. Well, he did stupid child things like using "Me" instead of "I" and eventually stumbling upon some folks that were brainwashing gorillas to obey their every command.

If I were to brainwash some gorillas what would I want them to do?

Shoot Machine guns?Check!


Parachute from airplanes?

Check-ity Check Check!


Straddle two Army jeeps driven by other brainwashed Gorillas while waving a huge Nazi flag?


CHECK! CHECK! & DOUBLE DAMN CHECK!!

However, I see one terrible flaw in the villain's plan....
A handful of rice a day? I don't think that will cut it. I see some pissed off gorillas in the near future...

Meanwhile, here are the panels in all their glory.

Salesmen of Yesterday!! Tom DeLaney

Transcript from the World Climatology Research Facility:
Please be advised that our earlier warnings about Global Cooling becoming permanent is no longer in effect. It was discovered that the DeLaney family of Pennsylvania had failed to sell any American Seeds, thus delaying the start of Spring. Once this was discovered, Special Agent was dispatched to purchase some begonia seeds and Spring suddenly arrived.
Tomorrow we will be providing updates regarding that stupid groundhog and his impact on Global Cooling.

House Ads #26 Bomba

Of course we couldn't be selling a Tarzan statue yesterday and not try to pitch a Bomba comic today? Of course not, we need to keep a theme running here. And that theme is loincloths!!!!!

Pitchman-A-Go-Go #84

AAAAAAAA-eeeeeeeee-aaaaaaaaa-eeeeeeeee-yaaaaaaaaaaa! What else needs to be said? It's a bare-chested man in a leopard loincloth standing on a dead lion. All for $1.00!!!

House Ads #24 World's Finest

I noticed that they used Perry White & Alfred as opposed to Lois Lane & Alfred. Why? Perhaps would think "Lois Lane is Superman's romantic partner...is Alfred Batman's...????"

Official Jonah Hex movie synopsis..

It is posted here but here is the entire text. Emphasis mine

Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) is a scarred drifter and bounty hunter of last
resort, a tough and stoic gunslinger who can track down anyone...and
anything. Having survived death, Jonah's violent history is steeped in
myth and legend, and has left him with one foot in the natural world and
one on the "other side." His only human connection is with Leila (Megan
Fox), whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own, But
Jonah's past is about to catch up with him when the U.S, military makes
him and offer he can't refuse: in exchange for his freedom from the
warrants on his head, he must track down and stop the dangerous
terrorist Quentin Turbull (John Malkovich). But Turnball, who is
gathering an army and preparing to unleash Hell, is also Jonah's oldest
enemy and will stop at nothing until Jonah is dead.

Based on the legendary graphic novel, "Jonah Hex" is an epic adventure
thriller about one man's personal quest for redemption against the vast
canvas of the battle between good and evil"

I know parts of this are going to raise more questions than it answers. I doubt that this will quell any assumptions about zombies being in this movie. The line about Unleash Hell may be literal, it may be figurative (hopefully) but I can understand the part about Jonah Hex being almost mythical. That would definately harken back to the Albano days when Jonah's past was unknown & at times it was thought he was a demon himself.

Toss in some of the Indian mysticism associated with Jonah's "Mark of the Demon" and I think you have all the supernatural elements you'll need.

But, we all watch & wait.

We Interrupt This Blog #21 .....

..to explain that a Gondola Car is not found in Venice.

I'm Back in the Saddle Again!

Posting has almost been non-existent over the past month or so. In that time I've taken two trips to Utah, one to Illinois, and my Lovely Wife & I have remodeled the house (new kitchen counters & sink, overhauled bathrooms, new heat & air, new carpet, new windows).

Anyway, I've got some stuff in the chute for next week and we should be rolling along on our regular Mon-Fri schedule starting this Monday.

Feels good to be back up on the horse.