t
      was
      a
      quiet
      day
      in
      the
      X-Press
      office.
     
    

    
     
      Kirby
      was
      out,
      Sean
      was
      busy
      and
      Carol
     
    

    
     
      was
      in
      one
      of
      her
      rare
      peaceful
      moods.
     
     
      I
      stretched
      out
      on
      the
      couch,
      my
      hand
      naturally
     
     
      fell
      upon
      the
      recent
      promotional
      material
      from
     
     
      DC
      comics.
      Idly
      curious,
      I
      flipped
      past
      the
     
     
      shapely
      Catwoman
      on
      the
      cover
      and
      tried
      des-
     
     
      perately
      to
      find
      something
      interesting.
      After
     
     
      passing
      by
      the
      Bloodlines
      hype,
      and
      giving
     
     
      Knightfall
      a
      most
      cursory
      glance,
      I
      found
      some-
     
     
      thing
      to
      be
      really
      excited
      about.
      In
      amazement,
     
     
      I
      scanned
      the
      page
      to
      make
      sure
      it
      was
      really
     
     
      happening.
      I
      think
      I
      even
      pinched
      myself.
     
    

    
     
      Then
      I
      said,
      in
      tones
      of
      almost
      religious
     
     
      wonder,
      “‘Jonah
      Hex
      is
      back!’’
     
    

    
     
      Carol
      and
      Sean
      looked
      at
      each
      other,
      then
     
     
      looked
      at
      me,
      and
      asked
      innocently,
      ‘‘Who’s
     
     
      Jonah
      Hex?’’
     
    

    
     
      What
      I
      said
      to
      that
      was
      unprintable.
      There
     
     
      aren’t
      enough
      ‘r’s
      in
      Scotland
      to
      put
      that
      scream
     
    
   
   
    
     
      on
      paper.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      based
      on
      this
      absurd
      premise
      was
      called
      Hex;
     
     
      Fleischer
      took
      a
      great
      western
      and
      turned
      it
      into
     
     
      garbage.
      On
      purpose.
      The
      series
      was
      so
      bad
      that
     
     
      it
      lasted
      only
      18
      confusing
      issues,
      but
      by
      then,
     
     
      the
      damage
      had
      been
      done.
      All
      but
      the
      most
      die-
     
     
      hard
      Jonah
      Hex
      fans
      had
      abandoned
      him
      to
      the
     
     
      obscurity
      that
      is
      comic
      book
      cancellation.
     
    

    
     
      But
      he’s
      back,
      he’s
      in
      the
      Old
      West,
      and
      I’m
     
     
      so
      happy
      with
      the
      new
      mini-seires
      that
      I’m
      in
     
     
      danger
      of
      exploding!
     
    

    
     
      I
      was
      never
      much
      into
      Westerns
      when
      I
      was
     
     
      akid.
      I
      didn’t
      like
      Gunsmoke,
      Bonanza,
      or
      even
     
     
      Louis
      L’Amour.
      If
      I
      saw
      some
      mysterious
     
     
      stranger
      waltzing
      into
      a
      saloon,
      I
      got
      up
      and
     
     
      changed
      the
      channel.
     
    

    
     
      But
      for
      reasons
      I’ve
      never
      been
      able
      to
      figure
     
     
      out,
      I
      have
      always
      enjoyed
      Jonah
      Hex
      (as
      long
     
     
      as
      he
      stayed
      in
      the
      Old
      West).
      There
      was
      some-
     
     
      thing
      different
      about
      Jonah’s
      West.
      It
      was
      a
     
     
      grim
      place,
      and
      it
      was
      fairly
      realistic
      by
      comic
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      for
      those
      of
      you
      asking
     
     
      a
      similar
      question,
      let
      me
      fill
     
     
      you
      in.
      Jonah
      Hex
      was
      the
      best
     
     
      and
      most
      enduring
      of
      the
      DC
     
     
      comics
      characters
      based
      in
      the
     
     
      old
      west.
      He
      was
      created
      in
      the
     
     
      early
      1970s
      as
      a
      part
      of
      DC’s
     
     
      Weird
      Western
      Tales,
      along-
     
     
      side
      the
      amusingly
      over-dra-
     
     
      matic
      El
      Diabolo
      (A
      catatonic
     
     
      Spaniard
      who
      became
      a
      black-
     
     
      garbed
      spirit
      of
      vengeance
     
     
      whenever
      his
      Native
      Ameri-
     
     
      can
      servant
      chanted
      an
      old
     
     
      ritual...
      picture
      Zorro
      crossed
     
     
      with
      Ghost
      Rider
      and
      you’ve
     
     
      got
      the
      idea)
      and
      the
      embar-
     
     
      rassing
      Scalphunter
      (A
      stere-
     
     
      otypical
      Injun
      with
      a
      twist:
      he
     
     
      was
      a
      paleface,
      raised
      by
      the
     
     
      Kiowas,
      who
      rode
      around
      de-
     
     
      nying
      he
      was
      apaleface).
      Jonah
     
     
      rose
      to
      eclipse
      them
      and
      got
      his
     
     
      own
      self-titled
      series.
      That
     
     
      lasted
      until
      about
      1984.
     
    

    
     
      But
      Jonah
      hasn’t
      been
      heard
     
     
      from
      in
      nigh
      unto
      seven
      years.
     
     
      And
      why
      didn’t
      anyone
      won-
     
     
      der
      where
      he
      went?
     
    

    
     
      Because
      a
      man
      called
      Mike
     
     
      Fleischer
      saw
      fit
      to
      send
      poor
     
     
      Jonah
      into
      a
      21st-century
      nu-
     
     
      clear
      wasteland.
      The
      series
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      book
      standards.
      The
      Natives
      in
      Jonah’s
      world
     
     
      were
      just
      trying
      to
      survive,
      and
      were
      not
      the
     
     
      thoughtless
      savages
      of
      most
      other
      Westerns.
     
     
      Dead
      was
      Dead.
      Anyone
      could
      be
      a
      friend...
      or
     
     
      an
      enemy.
      And
      of
      course,
      there
      was
      Jonah
     
     
      himself;
      he
      was
      a
      man
      with
      a
      deadly
      kind
      of
     
     
      charisma,
      who
      inspired
      fear
      and
      loathing
      wher-
     
     
      ever
      he
      rode.
      No-one
      was
      ever
      glad
      to
      see
      him.
     
    

    
     
      And
      now,
      thanks
      to
      DC’s
      mature
      readers
     
     
      line,
      Vertigo,
      Jonah
      Hex
      is
      back!
     
    

    
     
      Jonah
      Hex:
      Two
      Gun
      Mojo
      is
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      strangest
      comics
      you
      will
      ever
      read.
      There
      are
     
     
      many
      things
      about
      it
      that
      are,
      well,
      disconcert-
     
     
      ing.
     
    

    
     
      The
      first
      thing
      that
      seems
      weird
      is
      Jonah
     
     
      himself.
      He’s
      always
      had
      a
      grotesque
      appear-
     
     
      ance.
      The
      right
      side
      of
      his
      face
      was
      scarred
     
     
      when
      he
      was
      tortured
      by
      unfriendly
      natives
      (I
     
     
      apologize
      for
      not
      giving
      the
      name
      of
      the
      tribe,
     
     
      but
      it’s
      been
      years
      since
      I
      read
      the
      story).
      His
     
     
      right
      eye
      is
      swollen
      and
      dead,
     
     
      and
      his
      cheek
      was
      torn
      open
     
     
      and
      healed
      strangely:
      that
      side
     
     
      of
      his
      face
      is
      twisted
      into
      a
     
     
      permanent
      death
      grin,
      with
      a
     
     
      flap
      of
      ragged
      flesh
      joining
     
     
      his
      upper
      and
      lower
      lip.
      Kinda
     
     
      gruesome,
      huh?
     
    

    
     
      The
      second
      thing
      is
      the
     
     
      setting.
      Yes,
      he’s
      in
      the
      Old
     
     
      West,
      where
      he
      belongs
      (and
     
     
      should
      stay
      forever),
      but
      this
     
     
      isn’t
      the
      same
      Comics
      Code
     
     
      Approved
      Wild
      West
      you
      re-
     
     
      member.
      It’s
      a
      grim
      and
      real-
     
     
      istic
      West,
      the
      kind
      of
      place
     
     
      Jonah
      should
      have
      inhabited
     
     
      all
      along.
      Like
      Unforgiven,
     
     
      this
      is
      a
      revisionist
      western.
     
     
      Theromance
      of
      the
      gunfighter
     
     
      vs.
      the
      badmen
      is
      still
      there,
     
     
      but
      the
      backdrop
      is
      radically
     
     
      different:
      Indians
      are
      treated
     
     
      like
      garbage;
      the
      streets
      are
     
     
      full
      of
      rotting
      refuse;
      and
      the
     
     
      corpses
      of
      the
      badmen
      are
     
     
      stuffed
      and
      put
      on
      display
      for
     
     
      tourists.
      It’s
      the
      West
      as
      it
     
     
      really
      was,
      only
      worse.
      |
     
    

    
     
      Thirdly,
      there’s
      a
      whole
     
     
      new
      element
      thrown
      into
      the
     
     
      mix.
      Horror.
      Rotting
      corpses
     
     
      come
      to
      life,
      under
      the
      com
     
    

    
     
      ...continued
      next
      page
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      21,
      1993/X-Press/33__