Jonah Hex
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Jonah Hex is a comic book western hero created by John Albano and Tony DeZuņiga, but famously written by Michael Fleischer and published by DC Comics. He is a bounty hunter whose face was severely scarred by a heated tomahawk in his younger days, and has a surly and cynical attitude to match it, although tempered with a personal code of honor.
The character first appeared in a revived series, All-Star Western and soon dominated the title, which was eventually renamed Weird Western Tales in the 1970s to highlight the character. Weird Western Tales continued publication with a new character named Scalphunter and Jonah was moved into his own book named Jonah Hex. That comic was the last western-themed comic book series to be published by the major comic publishers.
Throughout the character's history, the western conventions are heavily subverted to create an unconventional series. He actually got married, quit bounty hunting, had a son & took up farming. His past kept hounding him, though, and his wife, Mei Ling, took their son and left Jonah for good. A major example was the manner of Jonah's death, which was in his declining years but unable to accept it. He was murdered in cold blood and then stuffed and mounted and dressed in a ridiculous singing cowboy costume to be displayed in a circus. The owner of the circus was murdered and Jonah's body was stolen. It passed through various hands until it was finally seen in the Planet Krypton restaurant seen in the The Kingdom books.
After the series' cancellation, the character starred in a short-lived sequel called Hex where he was transported to the 21st century to become a post-apocalyptic warrior like Mad Max. The series had mediocre success in the United States but was critically acclaimed and well received in Great Britain, Italy, Spain and Japan. There are even rumors of a Jonah Hex manga being planned in Japan but done in the Lone Wolf & Cub style of serious and none of the humor or cuteness of current manga titles. Jonah Hex continues to appear in various DC Universe titles. Three Jonah Hex mini-series have been published, to good success, under DC's Vertigo imprint.
Plans are underway for a revival of Hex's monthly series in late 2005, under the format of single-issue story arcs.
Plans are also underway for a live action movie to be released next summer and an animated series in the fall following it.
Other Media
He has appeared in animation, first in Batman: The Animated Series in the episode, "Showdown" (voiced by William McKinney), where he hunted for a son of Ra's Al Ghul in the 1800s, and in Justice League Unlimited. Ironically, in that episode -- entitled "The Once and Future Thing, Part 1: Weird Western Tales" (voiced by Adam Baldwin) -- Jonah makes an oblique reference to his Hex adventures.
External links
- Toonopedia entry (http://www.toonopedia.com/jonahhex.htm)
- Jonah Hex Corral (http://www.lonely.geek.nz/jonahhex.html)