Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Volume 1 vs Volume 2 - Issue #2


This week we have "The Lair of the Parrot" going head to head with "Dia De Los Santos Reyes"
We run through each book and judge them based on Plot, Art, Story,  Cover, and Body Count. Feel free to chime in with your two cents. First up:

Plot: Basically the 'pitch', the idea behind the story
TLotP: Hex is railroaded into helping the Secret Service try to stop a Mexican bandit named El Papagayo and ends up being framed for murder by Quentin Turnbull.

DdlSR: A gold cross is stolen from a mission, a padre is killed and Hex takes the Padres niece along to recover the cross.

Verdict: I think I have to give it to TLotP on this one. The plot had a lot more to offer and had more twists and turns.

Art:
TLotP: Again, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez. Again, I'm watching a beautiful movie unfold before my eyes.

DdlSR: Again, Luke Ross. However, there are a few pages that are pretty static and there were some problems with the word balloon placement.

Verdict: Lopez vs Ross again, but Ross stumbles on this one and I have to handily give it to TLotP.

Story: The actual writing and how the story unfolds
TLotP: Well, we have a brand new enemy for Hex, a new ongoing storyline and the reappearance of the Man with the Eagle Topped Cane.

DdlSR: I like how Jimmy and Justin start the stories in the middle of the action, gets you rolling right along. Later on the story kind of stumbles and thuds along, especially near the end with the cave in.

Verdict: Three for three? Yup! This one was a runaway for TLotP. I think J and J were hampered slightly by wanting to do Done-in-Ones and Fleisher was chomping at the bit to get an ongoing story arc going.


Cover: How well does it catch the eye and draw a buyer into a story. Can it generate new readers?
TLotP: A good angle on the scene, Jonah jumping from the frying pan into the fire. Two downsides, the text at the top and the HUGE, I mean HUUUUGE fence on the left that guy is falling off of.

DdlSR: Jonah Hex, bandana, hat, scar, riding across a field of red hot skulls. It doesn't do much to pitch the story inside but it sure catches the eye.

Verdict: As much as I love Lopez, I have to give this one to Manco with the poster ready cover. If you didn't know who Jonah Hex was, you sure would want to find out. DdlSR!

Body Count: How many folks are killed by Hex, or should it be ALL dead bodies in the story?
TLotP: 5

DdlSR: 1

Verdict: TLotP!

FINAL TALLY: With a score of 4-1, looks like The Lair of the Parrot wins this one.
Standings:
Jonah Hex V1 - 1
Jonah Hex V2 - 0
Ties - 1

NEXT: The Fugitive goes up against An Eye for an Eye

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