JH44
Writer(s)-Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray
Artist-Cristiano Cucina
When I started reading comics, almost seveneteen years ago now, I was very much only a superhero reader. Every kid is. Then you branch out to things, important and essential reading, such as Watchmen, Maus, and The Sandman. And after all of that, for me, I could settle into comics that weren’t about superheroes. It was a very roundabout journey but it’s finally happened, I have allowed myself to get comfortable enough to sift through different genres, explore, and I’ve finally found a Western that fits me just fine.
Jimmy and Justin have been working on Jonah Hex for a while now and it’s terribly under appreciated. Even forty issues in with a substantial amount of critical claim the series still isn’t getting the limelight it deserves. Hex is a DC staple but a very old character, making it hard to revamp him, given that he has history but was also a strange character, even for the Golden Age. But Jimmy and Justin have succeeded in turning Hex into a wise-cracking badass gunslinger. Not only that, but they’ve made his world interesting, turning the comic into a true fasion Wild West yarn.
The issue is a start of the “Six Gun War,” an six issue arc that is pulling in much of the roster from the Hex crew to fight against a band of villains who have joined together to pit themselves against the cowboy. Bat Lash makes a much welcomed visit, the James Bond of the world, and with Tallulah Black is taken by El Papagayo. I know, lots of names you don’t recognize, but I urge you to pick the title up. It’s an easy jump on point and the story is going in a great direction.
It’s a good set up issue and the narrative is brilliant. It’s very Hollywood in its telling of the story. Hex has always been able to get himself out of even the most terrible of predicaments but the cards are stacked against him this time. The art is perfectly suited for the down-and-dirty Western scenario and I’m actually excited for the next five issues. Shocking.
Rating:
-Ryanscribbles
Tags: bat lash, comic book reviews, comic books, comic reviews, cristiano cucina, DC, DC comics, jimmy palmiotto, jonah hex, justin gray
